NEW DIRECTION: Scott’s men to head north, then west as Vic gets the flick CO MPASS CATS Geelong to face Lions at SCG on Thursday in fixture flip Players urged to keep focus ahead of crucial Suns clash

GEELONG players and staff will fly to Sydney on Monday unsure of exactly when they will return as the AFL leaves Victoria.

The Cats will attempt to remain focused on today’s clash with Gold Coast despite fixture chaos resulting in them leaving home a week earlier than planned.

The club will have one day off on Sunday before flying to New South Wales and preparing to play the Brisbane Lions on Thursday night at the SCG.

The players and staff will then fly to Perth on July 11 to join Collingwood and the

West Australian sides in a hub.

All Victorian clubs will leave the state on Monday for the foreseeable future, with the game to be played away from its heartland due to a rise in COVID-19 numbers.

Geelong was informed of the changes by the AFL yesterday morning.

Players were told during staggered team meetings in small groups on the GMHBA Stadium turf, while coach Chris Scott spoke to players on the big screen.

General manager of football Simon Lloyd said the Cats needed to keep their focus on the task at hand against the Suns before switching to the travel plans.

“We’ve understood all along that we all have to remain flexible and agile,” Lloyd said.

“It’s that type of season. There are unique challenges that have been thrown at us daily and we are just having to cope with them as they appear.

“We just need to adjust quickly and for us we are heavily focused on the game against the Suns and we will move on to the next part of it, which is Brisbane next Thursday.

“The way (the players) trained ( on Thursday), they were very focused on the task at hand, and post that, we start to focus on being on a plane Monday morning and heading to Sydney.”

The AFL will work through with Geelong what regulations it will face in Sydney next week, with the club unsure where the Cats will train in the lead-up to Round 6.

Club sponsor Morris Finance organised a truck to stop in at GMHBA Stadium that was filled with gym equipment, surfboards, golf clubs and drinks.

The truck is on its way to Perth and will meet the players and staff there.

Geelong expects all players to put their hand up to travel to both destinations but will also help if players need to leave a hub for any reason.

The AFL has told clubs the maximum stay on the road at this stage is 32 days — meaning the Cats should return home by August 7.

But that may be adjusted should Victoria’s coronavirus cases rise.