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Safety first for Swans
December 04, 2003
THE AFL has pencilled in the Sydney Swans to play a pre-season game in Newcastle.
But Sydney won't agree to the match until the Hunter city's No.1 Sports Ground has passed the club's inspection.
If the Swans don't make the final of the Wizard Cup pre-season competition, the AFL wants them to play an elimination game on the same weekend in March as a follow-up to the code's successful national community camps program.
The AFL will announce tomorrow where all the teams will be going for the 2004 national community program.
Sydney are booked in to spend February 3-6 in Newcastle for a pre-season training camp aimed at helping to promote the club and AFL in the regional areas.
But Swans director of football Andrew Ireland told The Daily Telegraph that the team was happy to train in Newcastle but that they would not commit to a game before he had personally inspected the No.1 Sports Ground.
Ireland said it was just a precautionary measure following injury concerns about the ground a few years ago when the Swans played Brisbane in a trial game.
"I'm going to head up to Newcastle next week just to make sure that the ground is right," Ireland said.
"It's not unusual for clubs to inspect other grounds, especially when they are used week in week out, just to ensure there's a suitable surface for us.
"The AFL is keen for us to do this because they want the participating clubs to be comfortable with the grounds they are going to play on."
Ireland is confident, however, the No.1 Sports Ground will more than measure up after speaking to Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse, whose Magpies played there since the Swans-Lions trial.
The Swans open their Wizard Cup pre-season tournament against Carlton at Telstra Stadium on Sunday, February 22.
If Sydney win, they will face the winner of the Port Adelaide-Geelong clash in the second round of the winners group.
Sydney's all-Australian representatives Barry Hall, Brett Kirk, Leo Barry and Jared Crouch will start to increase the pre-season workload from next week.
The quartet, coming off the recent International rules series against Ireland, have been on modified training programs for the first two weeks of pre-season to ensure their bodies have fully recovered from the extra workload.
December 04, 2003
THE AFL has pencilled in the Sydney Swans to play a pre-season game in Newcastle.
But Sydney won't agree to the match until the Hunter city's No.1 Sports Ground has passed the club's inspection.
If the Swans don't make the final of the Wizard Cup pre-season competition, the AFL wants them to play an elimination game on the same weekend in March as a follow-up to the code's successful national community camps program.
The AFL will announce tomorrow where all the teams will be going for the 2004 national community program.
Sydney are booked in to spend February 3-6 in Newcastle for a pre-season training camp aimed at helping to promote the club and AFL in the regional areas.
But Swans director of football Andrew Ireland told The Daily Telegraph that the team was happy to train in Newcastle but that they would not commit to a game before he had personally inspected the No.1 Sports Ground.
Ireland said it was just a precautionary measure following injury concerns about the ground a few years ago when the Swans played Brisbane in a trial game.
"I'm going to head up to Newcastle next week just to make sure that the ground is right," Ireland said.
"It's not unusual for clubs to inspect other grounds, especially when they are used week in week out, just to ensure there's a suitable surface for us.
"The AFL is keen for us to do this because they want the participating clubs to be comfortable with the grounds they are going to play on."
Ireland is confident, however, the No.1 Sports Ground will more than measure up after speaking to Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse, whose Magpies played there since the Swans-Lions trial.
The Swans open their Wizard Cup pre-season tournament against Carlton at Telstra Stadium on Sunday, February 22.
If Sydney win, they will face the winner of the Port Adelaide-Geelong clash in the second round of the winners group.
Sydney's all-Australian representatives Barry Hall, Brett Kirk, Leo Barry and Jared Crouch will start to increase the pre-season workload from next week.
The quartet, coming off the recent International rules series against Ireland, have been on modified training programs for the first two weeks of pre-season to ensure their bodies have fully recovered from the extra workload.
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