Power turns to Broncos

AFL club seeks restart edge

MANY in the AFL industry have been all too ready to take pot shots at the NRL in recent weeks over return-to-play date, but Port Adelaide head of high performance Ian McKeown has been picking the brains of his rugby league counterparts.

The May 28 resumption date by Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys was widely panned by those in the AFL after he made the ambitious declaration early last month.

But McKeown is interested in how NRL clubs have approached the resumption of training and games, and has been in constant contact with Brisbane Broncos high performance staff to try to get an edge for the Power.

“We are talking all the time, seeing how people are challenged,” he said.

“It’s more about how things are around the periphery.

“We need support as well, so having that community around us has been really, really strong and I’ve certainly leant on that.

“We have strong relationships with the Broncos’ boys, and they are a week ahead of us, seeing how they felt it went, and we have been able to give them our feedback as well, so it all works together really.”

McKeown spoke as Port players engaged in full group contact training for the first time in months.

“We’ve been waiting for a long time for this,” he said.

“It’s the smashing and the physical contact, but it is the pressure, the perceived pressure also goes up.”

Power players were split into two groups.

Ollie Wines and Brad Ebert were among the “white group”, while the “black group” had a higher intensity in contact drills.

Premiership ruckman Scott Lycett trained inside, as part of being “managed”, while Riley Bonner and Xavier Duursma were among a small group that did only running.

McKeown said Robbie Gray was recovering well from a broken right big toe and giving himself every chance of playing in the Round 2 Showdown.

A trip to the Gold Coast follows and the Power are in talks about training arrangements in the city.

McKeown said there would be some aspects the club would push for strongly with the AFL.

“That we have exactly as we would have here,” he said

“Happy to work around that and be realistic, but as soon as they step on to the oval or step into the training facility, have exactly as they would have here.”