Port Adelaide is weighing up whether it will wear its famous prison-bar guernsey in Showdown 48 with no crowd present
Most Power fans want the club to wear it in the Showdown, as does board member Darren Cahill. But players may not don the prison-bar guernsey against the Crows because there won’t be fans in attendance.
Port Adelaide
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Port Adelaide will decide next week if it will wear its prison-bar guernsey in the Round 2 Showdown.
The club had planned to don its traditional black-and-white jumper against the Crows as part of its 150th anniversary celebrations, before the coronavirus pandemic forced a rethink because the match would not have a crowd at Adelaide Oval.
Last week Port executive general manager Matthew Richardson asked supporters on Twitter what guernsey they wanted for the June 13 game and an overwhelming majority, including board member Darren Cahill, favoured the prison-bar design.
Prison Bars âš«ï¸âšªï¸ðŸ”µ
— Darren Cahill (@darren_cahill) May 21, 2020
Power chairman David Koch said on Friday the club was weighing up what to do.
“We’ve got approval to wear the prison-bars in our first game back in the Showdown but it would be a shame not to wear it in front of fans,” Koch said on SEN.
“Do we still do it or do we delay it a year?
“I can see arguments on both sides and we are assessing that at the moment and will have a decision on that next week.”
If Port did not wear its prison-bar guernsey against the Crows, it would need AFL approval to do so later this season when fans might be able to attend games.
Collingwood president Eddie McGuire last year said whenever Port had asked for permission to play in the jumper, his club had not stood in the way.
But McGuire called on the Power to consider using other colours if they wanted to don it more often because using black and white was a Collingwood trademark.
Koch said Port’s prison-bar design was a brand and he would continue to fight for the club to be able to “bring it out on heritage occasions” in the AFL.
“You can’t ban the colours black and white in any sort of guernsey,” he said.
“I can understand confusion over Magpies, but black and white in a prison bar, I can’t understand the confusion.”
More than 10,000 people have signed an online petition, Bring Back the Bars, calling for Port to wear its most famous guernsey annually in the AFL.
Port has worn it in the SANFL since 1902 but will not do so this season after withdrawing due to the AFL banning elite-level players from featuring in state leagues.
Koch said he had written to AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan and commission chairman Richard Goyder telling them the Magpies and prison-bar guernsey must remain in the SANFL.
“We are a founding club of the SANFL and been there 150 years, it’s unthinkable … from the Port Adelaide board that we don’t have a Magpies in the SANFL going forward,” he said.
The coronavirus might also lead to Port chief executive Keith Thomas staying on beyond 2020 after originally planning to stand down later this year.
Koch said he would talk with Thomas over the next fortnight.
“It depends on the club’s needs, it depends on Keith’s needs but whatever the decision is, it will be in the best interests of the Port Adelaide Football Club,” he said.