Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks hopes the choice by the Crows and Port Adelaide to spend greater than per week in WA whereas enjoying pre-season video games in opposition to Fremantle and West Coast will result in the Dockers and Eagles re-paying the favour in South Australia subsequent 12 months.
The Crows and Power got here to an settlement with the WA golf equipment to compete in a match simulation session final week earlier than a extra formal apply match forward of spherical one.
Instead of flying residence between the video games, the South Australian groups skilled and lived in Perth. Nicks stated the distinctive expertise had offered loads of positives which he hoped could possibly be repeated because the internet hosting membership in 2024.
“It’ll be 10 nights by the time we get home. I think it was a great process. I think it was a really good exercise for us to go through,” Nicks stated.
“We appreciate what Fremantle, West Coast and Port Adelaide were happy to do in this pre-season period. We hadn’t had the chance to get away over the last three or four years. The timing of it was spot on for our group. Next year we’ll have a look at hosting and do something for the Perth teams.”
By bringing giant squads to Perth, the golf equipment have been capable of choose their most popular groups for the principle sport after which give fringe gamers the possibility to compete later within the evening.
Adelaide’s reserves beat West Coast’s reserves by 56 factors after the principle sport on Friday. That contest included a big group of gamers with AFL expertise.
The Eagles and Dockers attempt to keep away from including to their in-season journey burden all through the summer season and can already should spend prolonged time in South Australia this 12 months as a part of Gather Round.
But groups learnt rather a lot about how one can modify to being interstate for prolonged durations throughout COVID. Adelaide beat each the Dockers and Eagles whereas dwelling in Perth and Nicks stated the journey was one other probability to offer the gamers’ expertise as they give the impression of being to rise again up the ladder.
“We trained exactly the way we do back home,” Nicks stated.
“The difference is you are in a hotel room and you’re on your own and not with family, or for those who don’t have family you are not in your own bed. There are some challenges that come with that but we felt we were well prepared for it.”
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
