Finals bird hasn’t flown
Cagey Magpies to land in familiar territory
COLLINGWOOD will charter a flight from the Sunshine Coast to Perth on Friday for one of football’s most daunting finals assignments.
The Magpies are using their Western Australian hub experience as they plot an elimination final boilover against West Coast on Saturday week.
The Pies will land in Perth on Friday afternoon after a sixhour flight and check in at the familiar surrounds of Joondalup Resort on Perth’s northern fringe.
They will spend seven days in hotel quarantine, but will be allowed to train.
Collingwood was finalising its travel party on Wednesday, factoring in capacity restrictions at the resort and COVID-19 requirements.
It is expected to send a squad of 32 players, allowing for depth and also the ability to conduct meaningful training sessions.
Family members are unlikely to go across. Remaining players will train on the Sunshine Coast.
Collingwood has kept a low profile around Maroochydore after Monday night’s loss to Port Adelaide at the Gabba.
Aside from standard reviews, recovery and light work at their Novotel Twin Waters Resort hub, the Pies are not expected to train until settling into WA.
Collingwood stayed at
Joondalup Resort from rounds 7-9, during which it underwent a 14-day quarantine.
“We’ll be familiar with the accommodation and we’ll be familiar with the ground that we trained at,” coach Nathan Buckley said.
President Eddie McGuire will not travel with the team, instead staying on the Gold Coast where he will meet his TV and radio commitments.
He is out of the Collingwood
bubble and not subject to the regular COVID testing and stage three-style restrictions imposed on players and staff.
The Eagles returned to Perth after Thursday night’s win against North Melbourne and are required to complete 14 days of home quarantine.
West Coast players are allowed to leave their homes only to travel to the club for training and are subject to random police checks.
The Eagles handed out a 66-point hiding in Perth when the teams met in Round 8.
“They’d be pretty confident coming up against us, I would have thought,” Buckley said.