Port Adelaide’s Round 1 game against Gold Coast to go ahead as scheduled after AFL Commission opts not to delay season
Port Adelaide will train on Thursday and catch a chartered flight to the Gold Coast on Friday after the AFL’s decision to go ahead with Round 1. But a young midfielder will be missing with injury.
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Port Adelaide is set to launch its 2020 campaign and 150th anniversary season as scheduled against Gold Coast away on Saturday night after the AFL’s decision not to postpone Round 1 amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Power players trained on Tuesday but had an already scheduled day off on Wednesday, when the league’s commission deliberated for several hours over the start date of the competition then decided to go ahead on time.
Port will continue its preparations on Thursday with a training session at Alberton Oval, where only players and coaching staff have been using in recent days, and choosing its side that night.
The team will have a light run on Friday before heading to the Gold Coast on a chartered flight then undertaking a session at Metricon Stadium that day.
Port plans to provide a “highly controlled environment” at its hotel to minimise the risk of its squad and staff contracting coronavirus.
All matches will be played at empty stadiums until further notice.
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In a letter to members and supporters before the AFL’s decision on Wednesday, Port chief executive Keith Thomas said the club had been planning for Round 1 to begin as scheduled and “virtually all external interaction with the team has ceased”.
“Our focus has been largely on ensuring that the team have all that they need to compete in a safe environment,” Thomas said.
“Hygiene protocols are extremely high.
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“We are exploring the use of charter planes to transport them to games and will be providing a highly controlled environment for them to operate in within the hotel that they will be staying at.”
Port will be hoping Charlie Dixon (groin) and Scott Lycett (ankle) will be available to face the Suns.
They trained away from the main group on Tuesday, along with Jack Watts (calf).
First-year key forward Mitch Georgiades is in line to make his debut against Gold Coast but midfielder Willem Drew will be sidelined after undergoing surgery this week to repair a fractured foot.
Drew, 21, felt discomfort after Port’s last pre-season game against the Western Bulldogs in Whyalla.
It is understood the Power have had team meetings via video conferencing app Zoom, smaller group catch-ups and part-time coaching staff working remotely as part of protocols introduced at the club this month.
The AFL has vowed to bring the season, which will feature 17 games per club instead of 22, to a standstill if a player tests positive for coronavirus.
Matches will be played over 16 minutes, plus time-on, rather than 20.
Thomas said Port was still working towards a plan for how a shortened season and playing games without spectators would affect memberships and sponsors.
He said the club was working at ways to connect fans and sponsors to players and the game day via video initiatives.
“The reality is that the coronavirus is having, and will continue to have for some time, a profound impact on all aspects of the club,” he said.
“I want to assure you that as we consider every new twist and turn in this complex saga, our members and partners are at the forefront of our thinking.”
Originally published as Port Adelaide’s Round 1 game against Gold Coast to go ahead as scheduled after AFL Commission opts not to delay season
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