Sydney AFL clubs buy one-way ticket

The sight of the Swans’ injured ruckmen getting drive-by Covid tests is part of the new normal as they and the Giants prepare for a road trip with no return date.

Tom Papley with coach John Longmire during a Swans training session in Sydney. Picture: Phil Hillyard

The sight of Swan champion Josh Kennedy limping from his car, his leg in a brace, was sad but nothing you don’t expect to see around a footy club.

Same story when Dane Rampe comes in with what looks like fresh plaster on a hand broken in the last round.

And, when John Longmire tells the media 10 minutes later that he expects the defender to play this weekend even that is par for the course.

It’s after Longmire finishes and a man in bio hazard gear wanders out of reception that things get a little surreal. Blue smock billowing in the wind, the masked man made his way to the driver’s side window of a large 4WD and proceeded to stick a swab up the nose of injured ruckman Sam Naismith who presumably winced before putting the car back into gear and driving off.

Naismith, someone explains, has stepped out of the bubble since having the knee reconstruction and is now being checked regularly while living in isolation before he can get out of the car and hobble back into the fold.

It is getting to the point in football and life where the unusual is so usual it barely warrants mention, but the Swans and their co-tenants in the harbour city, the Giants, are about to enter a stretch of unknowns and unusuals that bear some consideration.

Having witnessed a round where every club played interstate we are approaching one where the Swans and Giants will play their battle-of-the-bridge derby the best part of 4000kms from their home town.

When Victoria shutdown NSW became essential to the operations of the AFL, but now finds itself the hole in the doughnut with all rounds in the foreseeable future scheduled for Queensland or Western Australia.

Before the dislocated derby the Swans face St Kilda at the Gabba on Saturday and then Collingwood at the same venue the following Thursday.

The Giants, hopefully back in business after a win over Richmond on the weekend, have Gold Coast on the Gold Coast on Sunday followed by Essendon at the same venue the following Friday.

The two teams fly up to and return from Queensland together this weekend, but won’t be sharing flights for the following round which will see them head across the country for an stint in WA.

The Swans and Giants have been on unofficial standby for a fortnight at least.

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Having seen how quickly the Victorian sides were forced to exit when the pandemic blew back into Melbourne they were aware the same could happen in Sydney where cases have threatened but not delivered the same desperate situation.

The AFL is alert but hoping it does not have to evacuate the two clubs, but got ahead of the curve by moving all others out of NSW hubs.

John Longmire fended off questions about Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson’s criticisms of Tom Papley playing for frees but pointed out in passing the small forward receives one free kick on average per game.

Longmire presented optimistic and relaxed after a much-needed win on the weekend and can even see an upside to life on the road.

Victorian sides have reported that one upside to life away from home is the players get to spend more time together and the Swans coach believes this could be good for his outfit.

“We were the youngest team for the round on the weekend and having a young team is something we are conscious of,” he said. “For this year we’ve had the youngest team for a number of weeks, that’s something we’re excited by, not daunted by. We’d love to have some of those players back that are out injured, there are a number of senior players on the injured list.

“We look at what we can control which is the players we’ve got and the opportunities in front of us which is this week a team who just beat the top team on the ladder on their home deck by 30 points, the saints are in red hot form and then we’ve got the pies a few days later and then we go over to WA and we looks at the opportunities that presents as well.”