Why SA premier is pushing for AFL backdown on Shield final

Premier Peter Malinauskas’ wish to relive childhood memories of South Australia’s last Sheffield Shield triumph is set to help ensure the final is played at Adelaide Oval between AFL rounds, after SA sealed hosting rights by all but eliminating Victoria.

Malinauskas has been a prime mover in complicated negotiations between the AFL, the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide Power, Cricket Australia and the SACA to find a way of playing the decider at the state’s premier sporting venue. SA last won the Shield in 1996.

South Australia’s Premier Peter Malinauskas.Credit: Getty

The plan moved from theory to reality due to a fifth-wicket stand of 148 between Jake Lehmann (105 not out) and Liam Scott (83) that allowed SA to reel in a fourth-innings target of 300 at Junction Oval. Lehmann cracked a hat-trick of boundaries to reach three figures and complete the win that banked top spot on the Shield table with one round to spare.

Two senior sports industry sources with knowledge of discussions told this masthead that a compromise would “almost certainly” be reached to have the final played at Adelaide Oval, given that SA had qualified in time for arrangements to be made.

If so, the SACA is expected to offer free admission to the final for spectators.

While talks are ongoing, the likely outcome will see the Shield final played from Monday, March 24, to Friday, March 28, slotting in between Port Adelaide’s round two game against Richmond on Saturday, March 22, and the Crows’ round three fixture against North Melbourne on Sunday, March 30. CA’s program originally had the Shield final starting on Wednesday, March 26.

Centurion Jake Lehmann and Ben Manenti guided SA home against Victoria.Credit: Getty Images

Malinauskas, now 44, has recalled racing from school to the cricket ground to watch the closing moments of the dramatic draw that secured SA’s most recent Shield title in 1996, and believes this opportunity for his state to again host the final is too important for it to be played anywhere but the Adelaide Oval.

“This issue has been drawn to my attention, I did spend a bit of time on the weekend making a few calls,” Malinauskas told the ABC last week. “I’m pretty optimistic that with some hard-headed reason, there’s a compromise to be had here that would allow it to be played at Adelaide Oval.

Lehmann on his way to his century. The last time SA won the Sheffield Shield, his father Darren was a mainstay of the state’s middle order.Credit: Getty Images

“But everyone is going to have to give a little bit. There’s a whole bunch of moving parts to this, but after the calls I’ve made, I’m pretty optimistic we’re going to get the right outcome if wiser heads prevail. I think the Crows have an appetite for pragmatism here, and that is to their great credit. The AFL’s got a role to play.”

Adelaide Oval is already reconfigured for footy, meaning SA’s final regular season game against Queensland, starting Saturday, will be played at Karen Rolton Oval. But it’s expected curator Damian Hough will get the green light to reconfigure the venue for cricket, with the return of a drop-in pitch and cutting the grass to cricket levels, before it is then turned around for football.

Malinauskas’ interest has aided cricket’s quest to reach a favourable outcome with football. In 2016 – the last time SA hosted the Shield decider – the game was played at Glenelg Oval after the Power and the Crows blocked the option of playing at Adelaide Oval.

Although not totally out of the reckoning, Victoria will need to defeat Western Australia outright in Perth in the final round and hope other results go their way. New South Wales, WA and Queensland are also in contention for the decider after the Bulls beat Tasmania by nine wickets in Hobart.

SA are expected to be bolstered by the return of Alex Carey for the final, although former captain Travis Head and a host of players from other states will be unavailable due to their imminent departures for the Indian Premier League.

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