PORT ADELAIDE captain Tom Jonas says having a small crowd allowed into Saturday night’s Showdown against the Crows is a huge win for the people who have stuck by the club during the last few months.
The State Government has confirmed 2000 members and 240 corporate clients will be permitted to watch the game at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night, as South Australia becomes the first state to allow a crowd of any sort at a sporting match.
Previously COVID-19 restrictions meant the game was to be played in an empty stadium, as occurred for all of the AFL’s Round 1 matches in March.
Jonas was buoyed by the news after training on Tuesday.
“(It’s a) huge win for the people that have stuck by us in what’s been a difficult time, both our die-hard supporters and members and the corporates that have hung around,” he said at a press conference at Alberton Oval.
“Obviously it won’t have that 50,000 atmosphere and buzz which can be quite intimidating but at some stage this year I hope we get that back and everyone can come and see a game.”
The Power skipper was also eager to don the famous “prison bar” guernsey to celebrate the club’s 150th anniversary.
“It’s iconic for us, it means so much to our club and I think if you listen to some of the commentary around it, it means a lot to Australian football so I’m absolutely pumped to be wearing the prison bars and hopefully it becomes a thing moving forward.”
Jonas said he also expected to hear the iconic club anthem “Never Tear Us Apart” as usual in the lead in to the match.
“I think that’s part of the fabric of our home games now and I’d be disappointed if I didn’t hear it,” Jonas said.
“It sends a shiver down the spine. It might not be quite the same but it means a lot to both the players and supporters so I hope they play it.”
The Power has the luxury of a near-fully fit list to select from, including Charlie Dixon, Ollie Wines and Riley Bonner who missed the Round 1 win over Gold Coast, and five-time Showdown medallist Robbie Gray, who appears to have shaken off a broken toe suffered during the isolation period.
Ruckman Scott Lycett and young forward Mitch Georgiades will be out to prove their fitness on Thursday.
The Power has been top of the AFL ladder since the 47-point win over the Suns, but Jonas said that didn’t mean there was any extra burden on his side going into Saturday’s rivalry game, which he described as “unusual”.
“It doesn’t really stand for much now, it’s basically a reset of the season,” he said.
“Besides maybe a little head start on the premiership table, it’s as good as round 1 again and you know going into a Showdown form traditionally means nothing and we’d expect a typical showdown.
“It’ll be right up there with the first one at Adelaide Oval – a lot of unknowns surrounding it but at the end of the day, there’s going to be 18 blokes out there for each side, there’s going to be a footy there to be won and goals to be kicked so it’ll feel like normal pretty quickly.”
Jonas revealed the club was working on a plan for a trial game against Adelaide for the players who weren’t selected for Saturday night’s Showdown, to allow them to get some game practice in.
