Whingeing Demons have no leg to stand on

WHAT a disaster of a trip the Melbourne Demons had to Far North Queensland.

They lost against two teams lower than them on the ladder and seriously hurt their finals hopes across just five days.

They bounced back well on Saturday night against GWS, but they shot themselves in the foot while in Cairns.

The Demons were also quick to whinge about the conditions and facilities.

“We would have loved to have been up here before the day of the game to get a feel for the conditions,” Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin said.

“It is different. It’s windy every day, so we need to plan for that and be ready for that.”

Isn’t that the way the AFL has worked much of this season, away teams travelling the day of the game? Just a little bit precious from the Demons.

They have former players and staff of their club living and working in Cairns. Surely they could have made a few phone calls in the days leading in to ask about the conditions they were about to face?

They also had issues with training at Watsons Oval instead of Cazalys.

In contrast, local officials cannot speak more highly of their interactions with Sydney and Fremantle.

FORMER Geelong-listed VFL onballer Jesse Travaglini is enjoying FNQ life.

Travaglini had signed a VFL deal this year with Geelong and took part in two practice matches but was keen to continue playing interstate when the season was called off.

“The major difference was the weather,” Travaglini said about his first AFL Cairns game for Saints.

“I think it was about 27 and that got to me pretty early — and it’s pretty humid up here. Early on I was pretty spent.

“It took me a few quarters to adjust and I was pretty lucky it got a bit cooler throughout the afternoon.

“I felt like it was a combination of me getting used to it and the weather dropping a bit. That was probably the biggest adjustment and spending two weeks in quarantine in the lead-up in a hotel room wasn’t the best prep.

“I guess the excitement of looking forward to playing got me through the four quarters. I thoroughly enjoyed it and looking forward to the next few games.”

Travaglini kicked 13 goals, including two in last year’s GFL decider against Colac, and averaged 23 disposals across 16 games in St Mary’s premiership campaign last year.

WELL done to the Sydney Swans for taking a training session to Port Douglas today.

It will only be a light run at the Crocs’ home ground but the trip north will be worth it for the locals, who have struggled of late because Queensland’s border closure has limited their tourism opportunities.

The crew in Port Douglas has pulled out all the stops for the Swans. The ground is in top condition, the Swans will have lunch at a flash restaurant and get the red-carpet treatment.

ON THE topic of Port Douglas, there is momentum growing for local finals to head north to the Crocs’ ground.

Local finals are just a few weeks away and what a spectacle it would be for the four-time defending premiers to finally host a post-season game after all their recent dominance.