Dear Noosa, thanks for saving our season, The Saints

St Kilda coach Brett Ratten thanks Noosa locals for putting out the welcome mat.

St Kilda coach Brett Ratten is all smiles now that the team is settled into Noosa.

Noosa and Sunshine Coast fans of AFL glamour club St Kilda may well get a closer look at their footballing heroes next week once the Saints have passed their 14-day quarantine.

In an open letter addressed to Noosa, coach Brett Ratten thanked locals for putting out the welcome mat.

He said the club’s players and staff hoped to visit to Noosa Main Beach once they received the COVID-19 all clear.

St Kilda has relocated to the RACV Noosa Resort because of Victoria’s virus lockdown.

Ratten’s message showed they had been lapping up assistance from Noosa clubs while also maintaining their social distance.

The Saints are heading off to play the Adelaide Crows on Monday night at Adelaide Oval.

St Kilda's skipper Jarryn Geary muscles up at RACV Noosa Resort.

Dear Noosa,

On behalf of the St Kilda Football Club, our players, coaching staff and supporters, I want to say thankyou.

We feel incredible gratitude to the people of Queensland, the Queensland Government and particularly the Noosa community for allowing us to relocate to this beautiful part of the world.

I want to say a particular thanks to Darren and the wonderful staff at RACV Noosa Resort who have been so amazing these past two weeks.

Your hospitality, superb food and friendliness have made such a significant relocation for our team that much easier.

We have also been lucky to have had access to great training facilities thanks to CrossFit Noosa, the Noosa Dolphins Rugby Union Club, Maroochydore Sports Complex and the Noosa Tigers Football Club.

We thank these groups for allowing us to transition our program and still provide a first-class professional environment for our players.

Since we arrived in Noosa, we have been very diligent in complying with our quarantine arrangements.

A Saints fan laps up St Kilda training in Noosa from a socially distant boundary.

We all understand the privilege of being able to live and train in Noosa, and we have taken our responsibility to not interact with and risk the health of the local community in the first 14 days very seriously.

Our players and staff are regularly tested as an extra measure, and we will remain under the quarantine protocols until early next week.

We look forward to seeing more of Noosa when we have finished this period of isolation, albeit maintaining social distancing.

Many of our travelling party are regular visitors to the Sunshine Coast and speak so highly of your beaches, walks, cafes and restaurants.

I know our players can’t wait for a visit to the beautiful Noosa Main Beach next week in between their training program.

This week, we received news from the AFL that we are likely to be staying in Noosa for some time, and again this is an opportunity we are so thankful for.

As hard as it is for our team to be away from their family and friends, being in such a special location certainly helps.

We look forward to meeting the people of Noosa more in the coming weeks, and thanking you personally for allowing us to be part of your community.

Thanks and Go Saints

Ratts,

Brett Ratten – St Kilda coach

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