Port Adelaide and Crows head for hub asking for clarity on end date
Port Adelaide will head to the Queensland hub on Friday bolstered by the return of Ollie Wines from suspension.
Port Adelaide will travel to Queensland to begin hub life on Friday and will be bolstered in their bid to strengthen their grip atop the AFL ladder on Sunday against Fremantle by the return of Ollie Wines.
The unbeaten Power and struggling Adelaide will join West Coast and Fremantle on the Gold Coast with uncertainty around how long the clubs will have to spend in Queensland.
West Coast defender Will Schofield expressed frustration on Thursday that players were yet to learn a departure date and Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir also called for clarity.
The Adelaide-based clubs are planning to spend 16 days in Queensland but their stint away may well be longer as the AFL continues to work with clubs and governments.
The AFL is set to unveil the next phase of the fixture in coming days, but the logistical challenges have caused a delay in regards to providing the hub residents with some certainty.
“It would be really handy and if we have to stay here for longer, that would be nice to know as well because it allows us to plan, it allows us to give those families back home real clarity as to when they will see their loved ones again and possibly even organise to get them over, so it would be nice to get a date,” Longmuir said.
When he’s not playing or training, Schofield is using his time on the Gold Coast working on his online businesses. He has embraced the time away but said the Eagles had expected to know a return date earlier in the week.
“(I’m) not sure where it is at at the moment and I have definitely been very optimistic and positive about the whole process of being over here,” he told SEN.
“We wanted to come over and start the AFL season up and if we didn’t do that, that wouldn’t have happened. But I would like to see an end date. We had been told we were going to have that at the start of this week and it hasn’t happened, so that is disappointing.
“I understand there is a lot to work through and it is not just an easy yes or no, because things are changing daily, but the biggest hurdle mentally is not having an end date.”
Both West Coast and Fremantle were beaten last weekend but at least one of the hub sides will post a victory this week given the clash between the Dockers and Port.
Longmuir believes the players are coping with being away, with the easing of the league’s COVID-19 guidelines a help, but there are challenges for those with families.
“We are still, I feel, in the honeymoon period. We have only been here just over a week now,” he said.
“The players seem to be getting a good balance between escaping football and investing in what we are trying to do. The fact a few of the restrictions got lessened and they were able to play golf and go for a surf on their day off, that has been really beneficial.
“(There are) concerns about loved ones at home and making sure they are coping well but I feel like the footy club has put some good things in place to support loved ones back home and at the moment we are handling it really well.”
Logistical conditions continue to be a factor for the clubs based in southeast Queensland in regards to ensuring their entire squads regain match fitness.
Last weekend West Coast were forced to call on several Gold Coast players in order to be able to field a side for a scratch match between the two clubs.
Port Adelaide have opted to leave a dozen developing players back in South Australia, which means they will not have enough personnel for a scratch match against the Dockers.
“I would love them to be playing more … it is disappointing that they don’t get a game this week,” Longmuir said. A hitout against Brisbane allowed the Dockers to test the fitness of Jesse Hogan.
Port’s Wines is a likely inclusion after serving a one-week suspension for breaching the AFL’s COVID-19 guidelines.
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