Coaches Fume Over Heat

The Sunday Age

Sunday March 5, 2006

By MARK DUFFIELD

ST KILDA coach Grant Thomas and West Coast assistant coach Peter Sumich have called for greater consideration for player welfare after their teams played in searing heat at Mandurah's Rushton Park yesterday.

After the Eagles had survived a searching test from the undermanned Saints to win by eight points, both Sumich and Thomas said more needed to be done to protect players from the heat.

Temperatures climbed into the high 30s at Mandurah at the time the game started at 4.15pm. It had originally been scheduled for 3.45pm but was delayed for half an hour because of the fear of hot weather.

Rushton Park, the home of WAFL club Peel Thunder, has six light towers and is regularly used for night matches in the WAFL but the lighting was not deemed of sufficient standard for an AFL practice match.

"It would have been great if we could have delayed the game and played under lights," Thomas said. "Our players were pretty much on the edge and I think that some of West Coast's players were, too."

"I think the well-being and the health of the players should receive the utmost priority."

Thomas had left 13 of his best 22 out of yesterday's match, wary of the cumulative effects of travel and heat on players in the pre-season.

He urged the AFL to "apply a bit of logic" when lights were available.

Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse had earlier spoken out on the same issue as his team prepared for today's match against Fremantle. Malthouse said logic should override television demands in scheduling the AFL's pre-season competition, with temperatures in Perth set to hit 38 degrees today.

Despite beginning training at Subiaco Oval at 9.30am yesterday, the Magpies had to endure 33-degree temperatures. The match against Fremantle is at 4.10pm Perth time (7.10pm Melbourne time).

Malthouse said yesterday he would prefer late summer pre-season games to be played at night.

"Of course it would be (preferable to have pre-season games at night), but we are only dealing with players," he said.

"If you go back a few years ago, Collingwood played West Coast in Darwin at 12 o'clock because it was the coolest part of the day, we were told.

"So we know there are a lot of Rhodes scholars and geniuses making those decisions.

"There have been very few Sunday night games, haven't there? So let us assume it is a (TV) scheduling thing." In inimitable Malthouse style, the coach blamed the sweltering conditions on US President George W. Bush.

"Thanks to George Bush and the rest who haven't signed Kyoto (agreement), we now find that autumn is being pushed out to June - you can see I'm filthy on the greenhouse gases," he said.

"Logic says this should have been played at night."

Collingwood has come to Perth after a win against St Kilda last week, while Fremantle is riding a wave of optimism after a 62-point belting of West Coast.