AFL: Essendon and North Melbourne enjoy their long day at the office
The success of Essendon and North Melbourne in Sydney may prompt change of thinking by the AFL for travelling teams.
The resumption round of the AFL proved a tale of two experiments and the success of one may prompt a change in thinking for the competition when it comes to travel.
When Bombers midfielder Darcy Parish weaved a matchwinning goal from the boundary line against Sydney at the SCG, it was 12 hours since he had arrived at Tullamarine Airport to begin a unique day for the competition.
Traditionally, clubs spend at least one night away, and occasionally two, when travelling interstate for matches.
With the AFL implementing drastic cost-saving measures in this COVID-19 interrupted season, clubs will fly in and out of interstate cities on the same day where possible in 2020.
So far, so good, with the two clubs forced into the change of routine posting stirring victories on Sunday in Sydney. Essendon shared a chartered flight to Sydney with arch rivals North Melbourne, who posted a significant victory over the Giants across town earlier in the afternoon.
With research showing NRL players prefer to sleep in their own beds after matches, it has been reported the code is considering purchasing a private jet to use in the post COVID-19 world.
If the experiment continues to be successful in the AFL, the league may well consider a similar purchase, particularly as it would save millions in accommodation costs each year.
The Bombers posted their first win at the SCG in more than a decade by beating the Swans by one goal, while the Kangaroos pulled away from the Giants to win by 20 points.
The travelling victors joined Port Adelaide as the only clubs with two wins from as many matches, after initial triumphs in the opening round in March.
Former premiership forwards Jonathan Brown and Cameron Mooney underlined just how impressive the winning performances were when stressing the difficulty of the challenges the travelling teams faced.
Mooney, a three-time premiership forward for the Cats, praised Essendon’s grit, noting that getting up before dawn for a match that finished in darkness was hardly ideal.
Brown, who played in Brisbane’s three-peat to start the century, said it would be hard to share the same flight as a rival club if you were trying to focus on the match ahead.
While North Melbourne headed straight to the ground to prepare, the Bombers travelled to a function room at a Sydney hotel to relax for a while before heading to the SCG. It made for a day lasting at least 18 hours given travel time at either end of the trip to Sydney, but the early results of the experiment are entirely positive.
The lengthy day, and the relatively short time to recover for their next matches, suggests any celebrations would probably have been fairly muted on the return home.
It will be the turn of the Giants and Swans to share a flight on Friday but, in an exception to the preferred AFL edict, both clubs will stay overnight due to the logistics of the fixture.
The Giants will play Western Bulldogs on Friday night at Marvel Stadium before the Swans head to the same ground for a 1.45pm clash against the Kangaroos on Saturday.
In Rhyce Shaw’s first full season as senior coach, the Kangaroos follow the clash with Sydney with matches against Hawthorn and the Bulldogs at the same ground as they seek to begin the season with a flourish.
In John Worsfold’s final season as coach, Essendon also have an opportunity to start with a surge with clashes against the Demons and Carlton to come over the next fortnight. The top-placed Port Adelaide and the second-from-bottom Crows, meanwhile, will head to southeast Queensland to join the hub hoping for better results than the current residents.
If the fly-in, fly-out clubs are two from two, the hub form fell flat on Saturday with Fremantle and West Coast both beaten, the latter in an upset against Gold Coast.
West Coast Adam Simpson refused to use the hub as an excuse for the loss, but the Eagles will need to settle in swiftly and find form sharply in a clash with Brisbane on Saturday. The Eagles were dealt a blow when Jeremy McGovern was suspended for one match for striking Alex Sexton.
Fremantle pushed the Lions at the Gabba and will “host” Port Adelaide on the Gold Coast on Sunday night in the Power’s first hub outing. The Gold Coast have an opportunity to gain momentum after their inspired victory over West Coast when they host the struggling Crows earlier in what is a double-header at Metricon Stadium.
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