Last-minute reprieve granted for Swans coaching staff stranded in Sydney

Sydney assistant coaches Don Pyke, Dean Cox and Jarryd McVeigh granted permission to travel to Melbourne for the Swans clash against the unbeaten Demons.

Swans chief executive Tom Harley discusses the impacts of the latest Covid-19 scare in Sydney. Picture: Getty Images.

High-flying Swan Lance Franklin, drafted in the year Facebook was devised, has never embraced social media despite his superstar status.

But for much of Friday, it seemed probable Franklin would be forced to receive instructions from his coaches during Saturday night’s clash against Melbourne via a social media website or video conferencing site.

The conundrum was caused by the COVID-19 scare in Sydney that initially prevented senior assistant coaches Don Pyke, Dean Cox and Jarrad McVeigh from attending the MCG for the pivotal clash.

The trio had visited a cafe near the Swans headquarters on Monday which was subsequently declared a coronavirus hotspot because of the presence of a man with the virus.

It continued a challenging week for the AFL which has resulted in Fremantle being forced to relocate temporarily to the Gold Coast and also slight reshuffle of the round 8 schedule.

This followed the last-minute decision last Sunday to stage the derby between West Coast and Fremantle without fans in Perth, which came at a multimillion dollar cost.

But the Swans received a reprieve on Friday afternoon when the trio of experienced coaches was given permission to travel to Victoria for Saturday night’s game.

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Azure Cafe in Moore Park was downgraded from a tier one COVID-19 exposure site to tier two, which enabled the last-minute dash to the airport by the Swans coaches for a flight to Melbourne.

The trio recorded negative coronavirus tests earlier this week but were to undergo further testing in Victoria to ensure their healthy status before the clash between the unbeaten Demons and fourth-placed Swans.

Sydney chief executive Tom Harley, who had lobbied AFL boss Gillon McLachlan, stressed the Swans would have been at a disadvantage if the line coaches were not able to attend.

The former Geelong premiership captain said the Swans would have been in “uncharted territory” and facing a further degree of difficulty against a key premiership rival.

In a season where assistant coaches are coping with additional responsibility after widespread job losses last year, Pyke, Cox and McVeigh are extremely valuable.

“It is a significant disruption to the program and I don’t think anyone would think less of us for putting that on the table,” Harley said.

“Most of (coaching), to be fair, is the face-to-face communication during the breaks. The rapport players have with assistant coaches is, in a lot of cases, the most connected relationship.

“John (Longmire) has got a huge job to be over 44 players, so the assistant coaches, from a relationship and personal interaction point of view, is one of the most significant parts of the job.”

With a full complement of coaches and a squad looking healthier by the week, particularly with the return of Franklin and co-captain Dane Rampe, Longmire can focus on the Demons.

The Swans have an outstanding record against Melbourne in recent seasons, having won nine of their past ten matches.

They dealt a devastating blow to the Demons finals hopes last September in a match played in Cairns.

The return of Franklin, who has kicked 11 goals in three games this season, is clearly a boost for the fourth-placed Swans after their return to form against Geelong last week.

But the impact the latest coronavirus drama has on the Swans and also the West Australian clubs will be interesting given what has unfolded this season.

Harley said clubs believe they are better equipped to deal with adversity or unpredictable preparations after spending much of 2020 in hubs.

“Last year (was) a great learning curve for situations like this,” he said.

“We won’t be the last club to have to work through these kinds of environments, so onwards and upwards.”

But there is evidence which suggests the uncertainty and stress has an impact on performance despite the experience of 2020.

West Coast chief executive Trevor Nisbett has no doubt the uncertainty surrounding the ability of the Eagles to return to Perth a fortnight ago played a part in their poor showing against Geelong.

Brisbane managed a stirring victory over Collingwood while based in Victoria during an extended road trip, but the Magpies have not won a match since, and the Lions lost their other two matches in Geelong and against the Western Bulldogs.