AFL: It’s training Cats and Dogs

Australian football took a significant step forward on the road to restarting the strangest of seasons.

Richmond’s Dustin Martin, centre, and teammates return to action as a team at Punt Rd Oval

As Sydney superstar Lance Franklin was dashing around Lakeside Oval on Monday morning, Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley was addressing his Magpies at the Holden Centre.

A few torpedo punts away at Punt Rd, Richmond coach Damien Hardwick was urging his players to embrace the challenge of defending their premiership.

Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe turned up to training in the west and so, too, did Jesse Hogan, who had spent some time away from Fremantle suffering from another bout of depression.

In a daunting year, Australian football took a significant step on Monday towards a season return.

The situation remains far from normal. Players are only allowed to train in groups of eight this week, though from next Monday full training will be back.

Nic Naitanui during a West Coast training session at Mineral Resources Park

North Melbourne’s Arden St had “socially dist­ant” bays marked around the boundary fence to ensure the Kangaroos drank only from their own water bottles.

And the sight of Western Bulldogs coronavirus compliance officer Sam Power holding a temp­erature gun to the forehead of players was jarring, though it will swiftly become the norm in a year when players will undergo COVID-19 tests twice a week.

But some things never change.

From this weekend, Port Adelaide and the Crows will be sharing accommodation for at least six weeks and possibly longer at a luxury golf resort on the Gold Coast. That is something Port Adelaide chairman David Koch is still struggling to stomach and would rather the Power bunk down with Fremantle or West Coast.

“We have enormous respect for the team, for the Crows, absolutely enormous respect, but we just don’t like you,” Koch said on Adelaide radio.

“We’re so different. Why would we have to spend eight weeks in the same hotel? We eat Balfour’s meat pies and you eat quiche … you guys drink chardonnay. Nup. You’re not our type of people.”

Western Bulldogs player Taylor Duryea gets a temperature test at Whitten Oval

Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks was more interested in the actual business of preparing the Crows for the season than engaging in any intracity byplay.

It is doubtful the Crows will want to give rival clubs any further motivational fuel after their missteps in the Barossa Valley earlier in May caused huge problems for the AFL and its bid to convince states about the strength of its COVID-19 protocols.

Hardwick is keen to focus on the challenge ahead and believes the Tigers have the necessary mental strength and physical prowess to cope with the challenges this year. Despite winning two of the last three premierships, Hardwick’s appetite for another is as strong as ever.

“I know a lot of people have probably jumped up in arms a little bit with regard to, ‘It’s going to be an unfair playing field and it’s going to be a little bit different’,” Hardwick said.

“But this will be one of the greatest premierships ever won in the AFL. The circumstances we are in present an enormous opp­ortunity for the club and our players are very much looking forward to it, as are our coaching staff and our fans.”

An extraordinary edict from the AFL for this season will see clubs fly in and out of their home bases for interstate matches on the same day in order to minimise risk and costs.

Matches will also be played under altered rules when the season resumes, most likely with a match between Richmond and Collingwood at the MCG.

Power players at a Port Adelaide training session at Alberton Oval

The changes include extended breaks between quarters, social distancing between players on the interchange bench, additional time after goals are kicked to allow time for hygienic water distribution and a rule that precludes non-competing players from attending games.

Training looked different at clubs around the country on Monday and so too will matches, which will be played without fans for the majority of the season at very best.

Not everyone will agree, but the Richmond coach believes the vast majority are happy to have football back.

“Every person I have spoken to at our club and outside has said, ‘Let’s get the game back’,” Hardwick said.

The sight of Sherrins flying back and forth at grounds around Australia on Monday was a step towards that.