PORT ADELAIDE vice-captain Ollie Wines says he is almost scared of playing in front of 40,000 vocal club members at Adelaide Oval in 2021 after the move was officially confirmed today.
The biggest crowd Port Adelaide played in front of last season was the 24,292 that attended the Preliminary Final against Richmond.
The Oval has confirmed it can return to 75 per cent capacity this season but patrons must wear masks when entering, exiting and moving around the venue, and they will have allocated seats in pods of 120 people.
Wines says it is fantastic news for supporters and players.
“Our final last year was only around 23,000 but it was probably the loudest I’ve played in front of so we’re almost a little bit scared of what 40,000 Port Adelaide fans will sound like,” he said during a press conference at Adelaide Oval on Thursday.
“We’re really excited, they obviously give us an enormous boost and help with our momentum throughout games so we’re really excited for them.
“We’re so keen for them to come back to the footy.
“Obviously, it’s hard to get as many fans in if there’s only 23,000 seats available so to have more seats available just means more people can come along and support their team.”
Wines admitted that 2020 took a toll on many players with strict rules regarding where they could go and their exposure to people outside of the AFL ‘bubble’.
The 26-year-old said it made players rely on each other a lot but that had helped build an even stronger family environment at the club.
While things aren’t quite back to normal just yet, Wines explained the current rules were a lot more relaxed.
“There are some rules we have to follow more so around the club and once we’re away we have to abide by the state government protocols,” he said.
“It has been a nice changeup from last year where we weren’t allowed to do too much and it probably took a bit of a toll on a few guys at times.
“It’s good to be in South Australia where we have a lot of freedoms – obviously with the Oval going back to 40,000 supporters and what we can do outside now – we’re really lucky.”
Wines has suffered shoulder injuries in each of the past two pre-seasons, limiting how much training he has had and impacting on the start of his season in each of those campaigns.
Ahead of the club’s final pre-season encounter – Sunday’s AAMI Community Series game against the Crows at Noarlunga - the Echuca product says his body has not felt this good for a couple of years.
“I’m flying at the moment so I’m ready for Sunday and ready for Round 1,” Wines said.
“We’re in a good spot with a couple of more guys coming in this week in Tom Jonas and Robbie Gray so we’ve pretty much got a full squad to pick from so it’s good to be healthy this time of year and take the momentum into Round 1.”
