AFL: Clubs and players shoulder the burden of footy’s return
Gillon McLachlan has acknowledged the significant responsibility players and clubs are shouldering to enable a return to football.
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan has acknowledged the significant responsibility players and clubs are shouldering in terms of the strict health protocols that have enabled a return to football.
As West Coast fly out to the Gold Coast on Monday to be the first of four clubs to enter a historic hub, the mood around the competition is one of cautious optimism.
Collingwood will host reigning premiers Richmond at the MCG on Thursday night in the first match since West Coast defeated Melbourne at Optus Stadium on March 22. McLachlan said the AFL was far from complacent about the challenges still ahead as it seeks to finish 144 home-and-away games and a finals series to complete the 2020 season.
“Complacency is the wrong word, but we need to make sure that as we get going, we are still aware of the risks and the responsibilities,” McLachlan said.
“We started from 70-odd days ago (and) as each day has gone by, we have de-risked the challenges for our game, but they still exist and there is a huge responsibility on our players and our footy staff, as the season progresses, to do the right things and get this season away.”
The Eagles and Fremantle, who will head to the Gold Coast on Tuesday and play Brisbane on Saturday, along with Port Adelaide and the Crows are tasked with the most testing COVID-19 challenge.
The West Australian clubs will spend between four and six weeks in southeast Queensland in the initial stages. The AFL is continuing negotiations with the Western Australia and South Australia governments in the hope border restrictions can be eased by midwinter to allow matches to be played in those states later in the abridged 17-round season.
The Dockers football operations manager Joe Brierty said the club had sought out Australian cricket coach Justin Langer and some Olympic hockey players for advice on handling the hub.
“If you think about the Olympics, you have four years to prepare for going into a hub for one month. We’ve had about two-and-a-half weeks,” Brierty told the ABC in Perth. “It’s been a fair bit of work. At all times, (the AFL) is trying to assist us in making sure we are as comfortable as we can be. But it is going to be a continual work in progress. Hopefully we get that work as soon as we can to know whether we’re staying for an extended period or it’s just going to be that four-week block.”
The Eagles, who face the Suns on Saturday night, sent an advance party to the Gold Coast last week led by integrity services manager Peter Staples.
The hub-based clubs have been pushing for concessions surrounding activities such as surfing and golf for their players to boost morale and mental health during the period away.
“There is a lot we don’t know yet. We have an advance party up there now and we are doing some work with the AFL,” Eagles chief executive Trevor Nisbett said. “I am sure the players will be fine once they get there. They will have to adjust to what (the guidelines are) in Queensland.”
At the start of the season, the AFL said it was determined to show leadership in tackling coronavirus. After some breaches in Richmond’s defeat of Carlton to start the season, which included footballers sharing water bottles and handshakes after the siren, players and clubs adapted in the matches that followed in the only round played to date.
Footballers and the staff inside each club’s “bubble” are now subjected to stricter guidelines than those required by state governments for the broader community in order to minimise the risk of a COVID-19 positive.
“We made decisions quickly on when to stand down and now, coming back, clearly our protocols are strong for our players, and I hope we will demonstrate (that) when we hit the field on Thursday night,” McLachlan said.
“We are doing it in a way that is managing those two issues, (by providing) a leadership position to demonstrate our commitment to the health and wellbeing of everyone, including our community, with a need to keep moving forward and get our game back on track and also to give something to our communities.
“A lot of people are looking forward to the footy coming back for themselves. Whenever they are having a tough period, in various forms, I think footy is going to play a role in the community to be back and give a bit of hope as well.”
More Coverage
Festival of Lies: Clubs ‘treating public for fools’ in trade spotlight
It’s the time of year for list managers and recruiters to shine, but the trade period has become a festival of lies. SCOTT GULLAN writes, the days of getting away with such gibberish are gone.
Revealed: Staggering asking price leaves Blue out in cold
The huge price Carlton forward Matt Owies has put on his head can be revealed as rival clubs baulk at his contract demands. Recap all the action from day 2 of the trade period here.