Kane Cornes admits he is “furious” with the AFL for scheduling the Round 18 clash between Collingwood and Port Adelaide at the Gabba, rather than Adelaide Oval.
The Magpies home game will close the home-and-away season on Monday September 21st, with the Adelaide Oval being used on the Saturday for Adelaide versus Richmond and Sunday for Hawthorn, who are based in South Australia, versus Gold Coast.
Cornes believes it is a massive missed opportunity to close the season with a big rivalry in front of a big crowd.
“Why would Collingwood play Port Adelaide at the Gabba?” he told SEN SA Breakfast.
“You have the Adelaide Oval, 25,000 people, two rivals in Collingwood and Port which is a significant rivalry with the prison bars and everything going on off the field.
“That is a great rivalry. Monday night, it’s going to be a game where Port Adelaide is trying to hold onto top spot and Collingwood is trying to get into finals so it is the marquee game out of that Round 18 fixture and you’ve got it at the Gabba?
“I understand travel and all of that, but you’ve got Hawthorn playing the Suns at Adelaide Oval and you’ve also got the Crows playing Richmond at Adelaide Oval. Am I missing something?
“I think it would have been a great time to farewell the fans and for the Port Adelaide fans who haven’t seen their team play much at all this year, playing against Collingwood, 25,000 at the Adelaide Oval would have been magnificent.
“It’s a massive missed opportunity for the AFL to put the game at the Gabba and not Adelaide Oval and I’m a bit furious about that.”
West Coast was similarly denied the chance to close their season at home after offering to buy the Round 18 home game off North Melbourne.
That game will also take place in Queensland.