PORT ADELAIDE is expecting to fly in and out of Adelaide for its next two games, rather than set up in Queensland for another two weeks.
Port will play GWS on the Gold Coast as fixtured for Round 6 but under an update from the AFL on Friday will now play Carlton at the Gabba instead of St Kilda at Marvel Stadium in Round 7.
Reacting to the announcement, Port Adelaide General Manager – Football, Chris Davies said it was not a bad outcome.
“We knew that we were going to be away from Adelaide for the next couple of weeks so to have to come back here is not a bad outcome considering how we’ve been playing so far.”
Davies said it still hadn’t been confirmed whether Port Adelaide would be required to stay in Queensland after the end of its hub period on Sunday but its preference would be to return to Adelaide.
He said the club would likely have to vacate its resort accommodation in order for a Victorian club to move in anyway.
“We’re working through that with the AFL at the moment,” he said.
“I think it’s most likely right now that after the game on the weekend, we obviously go home on the Sunday and we’ll fly up on the Saturday for the GWS game, home again straight after that GWS game and then back the following week for Carlton.
“Our preference would be to come the day before and the AFL know that, but being back home at Alberton Oval, being able to train there week on week is going to be something that’s fantastic for us.”
The Crows will get to host St Kilda in Round 7 at Adelaide Oval and Davies was asked whether it was disappointing that Port would still be playing in Queensland.
He said the club was prepared to do what it had to, to ensure the AFL season continued.
“We’ve said all along that we wanted to do whatever we needed to do to get the season running – I mean it wouldn’t be the first time the Crows are looked after would it?,” he joked.
“We’re up here, we know what we’ve got to do and we’re ready to do it post this game against Brisbane on the weekend.
“Our players want to get back home and to play at Adelaide Oval but also for our members who have been incredibly supportive through this period, I think it’s a good thing that we get back in front of them and that AFL footy is played in front of crowds.
“Where there’s an ability to play games in front of people who actually want to come and watch, no doubt the AFL will be looking at that to maximise it as much as possible.”
Davies said Port would suffer a slight disadvantage in having restrictions on the clubs able to come into South Australia, particularly because players not selected at AFL level would only be able to schedule trial games against Adelaide every few weeks.
But he said he expected as border restrictions eased, the AFL would find a way to ensure Port Adelaide had a block of home games to even up the fixture, although the club had not made any specific requests.
“It’s more of an expectation,” Davies said.
“Right now, as I’ve said previously, both the Perth-based teams and us and Adelaide have done the hard yards early and I would expect we get some treatment towards the end of the year which means that we will be receiving some home games in a row.
“That’s the only way the fixture can be done in a fair way.”
