Adelaide captain Rory Sloane has thrown support behind the AFL’s fly in, fly out plan – and hit back at the club’s critics
Rory Sloane has thrown his support behind the fly in, fly out model to help start the AFL season but has responded to a pair of AFL greats who expected the Crows to receive a larger sanction for the Barossa Valley training breach.
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Adelaide skipper Rory Sloane says a fly in fly out model that reignites the AFL season makes sense – not accusations of deceit over the club’s training isolation breach.
Sloane says Adelaide won’t jeopardise a season restart being negotiated between the AFL and state governments – accepting any modified quarantine requirements to make a FIFO game plan work.
“Guys will be excited to play. I remember when I first played we used to fly in and fly out the day of a game and I loved it,” recalled 200-game midfielder Sloane who debuted in 2009.
“I reckon some guys will be excited and some might take a little longer to loosen up but you just do what you have to do in these times.
“If it means we can play a season that will be the safest way for teams to travel, fly in and fly out, make sure you go between the footy club and home.”
Sloane and Geelong’s Patrick Dangerfield believe a quarantine hub approach would be ‘hard’ on young families but they could be able to visit players as time progressed.
However, Sloane noted the ‘bonding’ benefits time away in a hub would present to single teammates.
Adelaide’s playing group was on Wednesday tested for COVID-19 between its West Lakes and Barossa Valley training bases as the AFL steps up its bid to recommence the 2020 season. Sloane had no issue with the test except one swab struggling to penetrate a crooked nose that has been previously broken.
“One side was more than fine but the left they ran into a couple of bumps. It is something we have to get used to. Everyone will be more than fine doing it,” explained AFLPA vice-president Sloane.
Adelaide’s Barossa Valley isolation training breach that cost assistant coach Ben Hart a six-week suspension wasn’t premeditated to gain a competitive advantage insists Sloane. Melbourne legend Garry Lyon labelled the Crows ‘knuckleheads’ who deserved to lose future draft picks.
“I have learnt to listen to the ones that matter,” said Sloane, adding Hart left a ‘massive’ void.
“We had written approval from SAPOL and AFL to train so there was no try to bend rules or deceive anyone that. That was going to be the best way for our guys to isolate,” he said.
“We totally accept that we breached the AFL rules and social distancing guideline.
“There is a lesson to be learnt from our mistake for everyone to make sure we adhere to these strict guidelines because it will be important for the whole industry.”
The criticism of new leadership group member Tom Doedee – one of 16 Crows handed one-match suspended suspensions for the isolation breach – by AFL great Matthew Lloyd was also unfair says Sloane.
“We clearly made a mistake, you can’t just pin this on one person as whole footy club, not Ben Hart, Tom Doedee, anyone else. It is silly to point the blame to one person,” said Sloane.
How Hart’s suspension sped up Crows coaching reshuffle
The suspension of Adelaide assistant and forwards coach Ben Hart has sped up planning for a new coaching structure at the Crows.
While Hart could miss as little as one match from his six week ban, after an AFL investigation into a breach of its strict training protocols in the Barossa Valley last week, he will be barred from the club while the Crows prepare for the resumed season.
This leaves the support structure under first year coach Matthew Nicks looking bare after defensive coach Marty Mattner had to leave the club as a result of the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Development coach Paul Thomas was also let go by the club.
This leaves Michael Godden (mids) and Matthew Clarke (rucks) as Nicks’ assistants until Hart gets back, after the club decided to go without a senior assistant coach in 2020 at his behest so his line coaches could have more input.
The Advertiser understands this, and other changes to the football industry landscape where clubs have to nominate 24 football department members, has resulted in the Crows starting a rejig of the coaching structure at West Lakes earlier than planned.
Adelaide leadership group member Brodie Smith told The Lowdown Podcast on Tuesday the reduced number of coaches at the Crows would put more onus on the players to take responsibility on how they train.
“Yeah we will (be down some coaches) it is going to look very different when we get back and we aren’t exactly sure how training will look when we get back,” he said.
“Whether it is 10s or we can be in a bigger group and how much are we allowed to be at the club, is it just training and we have to leave the oval get in the car and go back home?
“It’s just more onus on the players and us as leaders to step up and have really good training block.”
The directive by the AFL for listed players to not play in state leagues, meaning the Crows won’t field a SANFL side this year does free up their senior SANFL coach and development manager Heath Younie, defensive development coach Brent Reilly and forwards development coach Matthew Wright to take on more of a role with the senior side.
Smith said he believed that would be decided when players can get back to group training.
“I’m not really sure, it’s something that we have to work through when we get back,” he said.
“It will be all hands on deck when we get back no doubt.”
The directive by the AFL for clubs to have a football department of 24 for the remainder of the 2020 season has also contributed to the Crows coaching structure shake-up and could result in further departures at West Lakes.
Port Adelaide let go of midfield mentor Scott Thompson last month as part of five departures at Alberton.
Originally published as Adelaide captain Rory Sloane has thrown support behind the AFL’s fly in, fly out plan – and hit back at the club’s critics