Swans coach John Longmire keeps his distance amid coronavirus threat

Sport is taking extraordinary and occasionally comical measures in these viral times.

The Swans are attempting to train in small groups. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Sport is taking extraordinary and occasionally comical measures in these viral times.

John Longmire did his usual press conference on Monday, an event that would normally find journalists and film crews gathering around the Paul Kelly statue outside the Swans offices on Driver Ave. It’s a set piece. He comes down, takes up position in front of a fixed sponsor wall, answers — or doesn’t — questions. Chief executive Tom Harley hovers alongside members of the Swans media department and when it is done they all walk back through the sliding doors, past the red couch in the modest foyer and then get back into the lift that takes them back to their safe space.

Kelly stays put.

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The coach stayed in his safe space on Monday, the club doing their press conference via a video app. You could send in questions, but it was all perfunctory and ­peculiar.

Maybe not as peculiar as the extraordinary interactions between cricketers and broadcasters after New Zealand’s ODI with Australia at the SCG on Friday night.

Journalists were informed they would be kept in an exclusion zone a metre or two back from interviewers, but the broadcasters found themselves conducting post-match interviews from 100m apart on the field. Big Brendon Julian asked questions into a camera set up around where the goals are normally placed at the Paddington end. Aaron Finch answered those questions into a camera from the other side of the field.

Just dead weird that, but everyone is making this up as they go. Is there anyone who remembers how they did post match interviews during the bubonic plague?

AFL boss Gillon McLachlan did a press conference on Monday night announcing that there would be 17 rounds. He was sure of that, but unsure if round one would take place as scheduled with the first game this Thursday.

In uncertain times it is good to know there are some things you can rely on and the Swans can at least provide a few of those. Lance Franklin will not, as indicated well before everything started to wobble, play Round 1 or Round 2 — if they are played at all. No ifs or Buds about it. He may have suffered a setback last week but the club is playing this down. Sam Reid is another who won’t play for Round 1 if it happens this weekend. Nobody knows what the future holds but there is talk about playing more games in less time if the opportunity presents itself. This won’t be welcomed by senior players like Franklin.

The health of the players and staff is a mystery because the Swans coach says he does not want to get into answering questions about whether anyone has been tested or not. “I don’t think it’s worthwhile going down that path,” he said. “Only because once you start answering questions like that, you could be asked questions about that every day. And I’m not sure that’s relevant. All I know is our players and staff have the best possible advice and we’re going ahead business as usual and I don’t think it’s worthwhile going down the path of speculation. I really don’t think it serves a purpose.”

The NRL took to dipping its balls in disinfectant on game day, the Swans are also taking precautions to stop the potential spread of the virus. “We’ve implemented some strategies where we’re small groups, not large groups as much as we can,” Longmire said. “Even though we understand we have a game to prepare for on Saturday. Small groups as much as we can and trying to make sure the practices we put in place around the footy club are as good as they can be.’’

The Swans are scheduled to play Adelaide in Adelaide on Saturday. Or some other time.