Sydney Swans co-captain Luke Parker has labelled the coronavirus threat “rare in the history of football”, but he says his side is fully invested in the season-opening challenge that awaits.
All 2020 AFL games, beginning with Thursday’s clash between Richmond and Carlton at the MCG, will be played in front of no crowds until further notice, while there’s also a chance the league will postpone the start of its revamped 17-game season.
But as the Swans zero in on a Round 1 duel with the Adelaide Crows at Adelaide Oval, Parker says they are single-minded about the mission ahead.
“We’ve got to focus on the game as though it’s business as usual and try to make sure the boys are focussed on the task ahead,” Parker told SwansTV.
“We’re really looking forward to the challenge. We know it’s always a challenge going to a team’s home ground and trying to get a win. Obviously it’s going to be different with no fans there. The energy the Adelaide fans create down there is pretty special and to not have that is disappointing. I’m sure our fans are disappointed as well, but we’ll continue to thank them for their support and go down to Adelaide ready for the challenge.”
Parker has seen a long list of players join and depart the Swans since he was drafted to the club with pick 40 overall at the 2010 AFL Draft.
Club greats like Adam Goodes, Jude Bolton, Jarrad McVeigh and Kieren Jack have all retired in Parker’s nine seasons in red and white, and names like Mitch Morton, Lance Franklin, Jeremy Laidler and Callum Sinclair have arrived from other AFL clubs, while a host of players have been delisted, traded out or drafted.
When Parker returned for the 2020 pre-season, he was joined on the track by new recruits Sam Gray (Port Adelaide), Lewis Taylor (Brisbane) and Kaiden Brand (Hawthorn), as well as six new draftees: Dylan Stephens, Will Gould, Elijah Taylor, Chad Warner, Brady Rowles and Barry O’Connor.
It remains to be seen if any Swan is set to make his Sydney debut on Saturday, but Parker pointed out a couple of new teammates in contention for a call-up.
“The nature of football is in the majority of years we lose 10 players and 10 close mates,” Parker said.
“It’s always hard to move on but we’ve got a really strong group and new faces who will no doubt help our team grow and improve.
“Guys like Sammy Gray and Lewy Taylor will hopefully be out there this week, and they’ve shown what’s made them such terrific footballers in their careers. It’s great to have them on board at the Swans.”
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