AFL 2021: All the news and Covid updates impacting Adelaide and Port Adelaide

The Crows are ready to take on the responsibility of keeping the AFL season alive as SA clubs face the difficulties that Victorian teams encountered last year.

Travis Boak’s 300th game will not be played in South Australia. Picture: Getty Images

Adelaide star Rory Laird says he and his fellow Crows understand what they have to do to help keep the AFL season alive, after what their counterparts in Melbourne did last year.

The Crows and Port Adelaide now face weeks away from South Australia after the State Government locked down the state following a Covid-19 outbreak in Adelaide.

Last year it was the Melbourne clubs who had to spend weeks away from home to keep the season alive.

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Crows players leave for Melbourne. .Picture Mark Brake

Now in locked down Melbourne for the foreseeable future Laird said the Crows were prepared for the time away.

“We know we have to be flexible to keep the season alive, we had a short stint last year and we saw the Melbourne clubs do it last year,” he said.

“So there’s no reason why we wouldn’t come over here and abide by what the AFL wants to do.”

The Crows and Power did spend some time away from SA last year in a Gold Coast hub.

But they were allowed to go outside in groups, and in locked down Melbourne their current movements are limited.

Laird said the Crows would find ways to keep their spirits up.

“A few boys brought some poker sets and board games, just stuff to get you out of your room,” he said.

“Obviously there is a fair bit of time in the hotel with the restrictions over here.

“So I dare say the guys will find a few things to do. But it’s just a matter of doing stuff together rather than just spending time in your room.

“It will be quite different to what we had last year, where we could go out a bit more and spend time outside.

“There are tighter restrictions here with exercise, we are still permitted to go out by some things are only allowed if you are by yourself or with one other person.

“So I know the guys will all take their exercise time out and it is handy that we can go out together.

“There are things that people do to around the hotel and keep themselves occupied.”

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley said his side was relishing the challenge again.

“I feel like we have been here before, we’ve done this before and we are ready to do it again,” he said.

“Like everyone else in the competition we know what to do to get the games away.”

Both clubs have taken nearly their entire playing lists.

Without SANFL games for reserves Hinkley said they were working on some solutions to get guys game time.

“We will work through what we need to do with our top-up players,” he said.

SA LOCKDOWN THROWS ADELAIDE CLUBS INTO TRAVEL CHAOS

Adelaide’s two AFL clubs were set to fly into Melbourne on Tuesday night after a day of fixture uncertainty and travel chaos caused by the start of South Australia’s seven-day lockdown.

Port Adelaide and the Crows began the day preparing to host Collingwood and Hawthorn respectively in Adelaide, only for their Round-19 games to be moved to Marvel Stadium this weekend in the wake of SA’s 6pm stay-at-home order, due to five new Covid-19 cases.

Crows players at West Lakes on Tuesday morning get word they are on the move. Picture: Mark Brake

Victoria became the only option for the AFL to continue the season with Queensland off the table because the SA clubs would have been required to quarantine for 14 days, given they had been in Melbourne within the past fortnight.

Both SA clubs boarded chartered flights at 8pm and were believed to have been told to pack for about four weeks.

The Power will be the ‘home’ team against the Magpies on Friday night for club great Travis Boak’s 300th match.

Adelaide will take on the Hawks at the same venue 24 hours later.

Plans to have both games at Adelaide Oval changed in the middle of Tuesday when the clubs were told to quickly pack for a 4pm flight to Melbourne.

Queensland was soon mooted as an option for the Crows but as players and officials began arriving at Alberton and West Lakes, then loading buses bound for the airport, they were told to return home to stay overnight.

Both clubs flew to Melbourne on Tuesday night. Picture: Tom Huntley

At several stages, both clubs were unaware if they would be travelling interstate, when they would be playing or who they would be facing, as the AFL worked through its fixture options.

A Showdown — scheduled for Round 21 — emerged as a possible solution, before a conference call between the Power, Crows and league yesterday evening resolved to fly the teams to Melbourne after 8pm.

That decision was made based on advice that SA authorities would not give the clubs an exemption to train this week or allow games in Adelaide this weekend.

Port Adelaide and the Crows will be able to train in Melbourne, where their staff and players will live under the same lockdown protocols as Victorian-based teams.

Adelaide’s clash with Hawthorn is set to be part of a Marvel Stadium double-header.

It will take place at 7.10pm (SA time) after Carlton and North Melbourne battle there earlier in the day.

As the home team, Port Adelaide had the option to choose between Marvel or the MCG.

The Power-Collingwood match will start at 6.40pm (SA time).

Boak will equal Kane Cornes’s Power record of 300 AFL matches on Friday night.

Originally published as AFL 2021: All the news and Covid updates impacting Adelaide and Port Adelaide