Choice of China opponent totally Port Adelaide’s call, says Gold Coast chairman Tony Cochrane

GOLD Coast chairman Tony Cochrane concedes it will be Port Adelaide that decides who gets the next invitation to be its AFL rival in China. But the Suns won’t change jumpers to get the nod next year.

Gold Coast coach Rodney Eade and co-captain Tom Lynch with their Port Adelaide counterparts Travis Boak and Ken Hinkley. The Suns may well not be back for a reprise of their historic Shanghai clash. Picture: Michael Willson (AFL Media/Getty Images)

GOLD Coast chairman Tony Cochrane concedes it will be Port Adelaide that decides who gets the next invitation to be its AFL rival in China.

But Cochrane will not give up the Suns’ red jumper — which resembles the Chinese national flag — to stay with the Power in Shanghai.

“Our jumper will never, ever be for sale while I’m chairman,” Cochrane said in Shanghai on Friday when Port Adelaide declared its long-term vision to play an annual AFL game in China.

Gold Coast’s decision to wear its home jumper — rather than swap into its white clash guernsey — sparked an off-field feud between the AFL clubs after Port Adelaide had paid the Suns’ $500,000 to move the match from Metricon Stadium.

The Power cannot sell any of its 11 home games at Adelaide Oval under its agreement at the SA venue.

Cochrane declared no issue with Koch’s longstanding threat to dump the Suns from the China adventure for wearing the red jumper.

“I fully respect (Port Adelaide) has a major say who the partner club is in this venture,” Cochrane said. “This is (David Koch’s) invention, his aspirational idea.

“I’m not going to get into the legalities (of the deal signed between the clubs last season).

“But I will make this point: Gold Coast is a young club. It has small membership. It has the least spend of the 18 (AFL) clubs.

“We are building this young club in a strong NRL environment.

“We don’t have a lot … but we do have a jumper.

“And it means as much to us as it does to Collingwood or Essendon. And we will not give it up easily.”

Koch revealed he had at least three AFL clubs wanting to discuss the prospect of joining Port Adelaide in an annual game in China. He also had a new crack at the critics of the Power’s “China Strategy”.

“We have the greatest game in the world. Why would we not showcase it out of Australia?” Koch said. “Why be so insular?”

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Originally published as Choice of China opponent totally Port Adelaide’s call, says Gold Coast chairman Tony Cochrane