Phillip Hughes: funeral is first priority for teammates

GRIEVING cricket team insists that the funeral is highest priority — even if it means not playing the Test.

How do you bury a mate and then play a Test match?

The family of Phillip Hughes wants to take his body home and hold the funeral in the small town of Macksville on the mid-north coast..

The young batsman who was killed in such tragic circumstances was raised on the Hughes’ banana farm and retained strong links to the local community.

The Catholic Church holds less than 400 people and the logistics of handling the enormous crowd of mourners are yet to be established.

There are thoughts of using the local cricket ground where Hughes played so many innings as a boy — often against much older men.

Hughes was expected to be among the players flying to Brisbane this Sunday to prepare for the match against India at the Gabba. He would have turned 26 that day.

IN DEPTH: The Australian’s full coverage of Phillip Hughes’ death

The Australian players are determined to attend the funeral and are gathering in Sydney where they will meet to discuss the next move.

Players, family and friends gathered in the SCG Members bar last night after Hughes passed away.

Some of the Test team flew back home to collect their gear but intend to return to Sydney to assess their next move.

Distressed and grieving, the players insist that the funeral is highest priority — even if it means not playing the Test.

There are suggestions that not everybody selected will be able to take the field.

The reactions of Australian players to Hughes plight has been extraordinary. At one point yesterday there were almost 70 cricketers in the hospital and a roster system had to be organised to arrange access for those who wanted to say goodbye before he died.

The Australian Test cricketers planned to meet in Sydney at 10am and will be addressed by Michael Clarke.