Hub living just leaves us so far removed
NATHAN Buckley has acknowledged that players were questioning whether they should be living in interstate hubs away from their families.
The Magpies coach said they were all “going through that process of, ‘where do you need to be right now’.”
His comments come as three players — Gary Ablett Jr, Carlton’s Liam Stocker and St Kilda defender Nathan Brown — have abandoned hubs to fly back to Victoria in the past week. Western Bulldog star Lachie Hunter, 25, withdrew from playing on Wednesday to deal with personal issues but stayed on the Gold Coast.
Richmond’s Bachar Houli and Shane Edwards stayed home to support their families.
“You can’t ignore the challenge and the discomfort that is caused when you are away from your family,” Buckley said. “Some of our staff, some of our players will feel that more keenly than others due to circumstances. The reality is we have come over here (to Perth) and our families haven’t been able to come over.”
The Magpies will be reunited with partners and children when they leave Perth after their Round 9 August 2 clash against Fremantle and resettle in a Queensland hub.
“There is blue sky on the horizon for a lot of our people,” Buckley said. “And there will be a second wave of families that if they want to come up there on August 1 they can start a quarantine from then. We are optimistic about it. “That’s another fillip for us understand why we are to making those sacrifices, to succeed on the football field.”
Buckley had a one-hour zoom maths lesson with son Ayce yesterday but did not know if his boys would be going to Queensland.
St Kilda coach Brett Ratten said Brown’s decision to return to Melbourne to be with his wife and daughters on Thursday did not come as a shock.
“We’ve said to all our players if they want to go home, footy is a big part of their life, but it’s not their life, families are,” he said. “He wanted to be around his girls, he’s a star and such a good person and that was his desire.”
Brown has not played a game this year and is not contracted for next season.
Carlton coach David Teague said he was unsure as yet if or when young midfielder Liam Stocker would be back to rejoin the team after he returned home for personal reasons.
“When that has been sorted out and everything is OK, he may or may not,” Teague said. I’m not sure, we’ll play it by ear.”