PORT ADELAIDE young gun Xavier Duursma will fly the flag for the club on AFL Grand Final day, with the AFL announcing he will be one of eight players to represent their clubs in the Colgate Grand Final Sprint.
The annual event will take place at quarter time of the Grand Final on Saturday night and is always hotly contested.
The eight players will be looking to claim bragging rights in the 100-metre sprint at the Gabba.
Duursma will be aiming to become the first Port Adelaide player to win the sprint but will be up against some of the fastest players in the competition including Brisbane’s Charlie Cameron and St Kilda’s Brad Hill.
Matt White, who played 48 games for Port Adelaide between 2014 and 2017 won the sprint while playing for Richmond in 2008.
Gold Coast’s Ben King became the first player from his club to win the event last year.
The sprint was first run in 1979 and was not run in 1986 or between 1988 and 2001.
AFL General Manager of Commercial, Kylie Rogers, said the Colgate AFL Grand Final Sprint will add to the excitement of the league’s first-ever night Grand Final.
“Our fans always look forward to the Grand Final Sprint, to see which of their favourite players will take out the win,” said Ms. Rogers.
“For the first time ever, it will be under lights, followed by a packed entertainment billing, so fans can sit back and enjoy the evening.”
Colgate will make a $5,000 donation to Ladder, an AFL player-led charity tackling youth homelessness, in honour of the winner.
The following players will take part in the Colgate Grand Final Sprint:
- Port Adelaide – Xavier Duursma
- St Kilda – Bradley Hill
- Brisbane – Charlie Cameron
- Adelaide – Ben Keays
- Geelong – Jordan Clark
- Gold Coast – Ben Ainsworth
- Collingwood – Josh Thomas
- Richmond – Bigoa Nyuon
