Gather Round has a momentum that won’t be stopped and it’s hard to see the location being anywhere but Adelaide, with the push sure to be on for a contract extension before the agreement runs out in 2026.

The move to extend the venues to the Barossa Valley only adds to the attraction, with Adelaide Oval a perfect centrepiece of a football festival that celebrates the game and connects fans to the circus that surrounds it.

Footy fans prepare for the Gather Round clash with Fremantle.Credit: Getty Images

Adelaide was abuzz. There was live music, activities for families, the Norwood food and wine festival and games at suburban venues between traditional Victorian teams; meanwhile a throng of AFL identities strolled the CBD among fans who emerged from accommodation in club colours to soak in all that was happening around them.

The only sour note was the news that Port Adelaide player Jeremy Finlayson had used a homophobic slur to denigrate an Essendon opponent in an outburst he said he instantly regretted. It was an action well out of step with the atmosphere surrounding the town in what has become a winning addition to the AFL calendar.

Hopefully, however, its success doesn’t trick the AFL into believing that the glitz and glamour is all that people who follow the game want.

The AFL should stand for more than that.

It wasn’t a winning edition of Gather Round, however, for Essendon. Wise heads in the rooms after the game acknowledged the powerful statement Port Adelaide’s midfield had made in their 69-point demolition of the Bombers on Friday night.

QOSHE - Essendon the big losers, Blues’ Houdini strikes again: Key takeouts from round four - Peter Ryan
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Essendon the big losers, Blues’ Houdini strikes again: Key takeouts from round four

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08.04.2024

Gather Round has a momentum that won’t be stopped and it’s hard to see the location being anywhere but Adelaide, with the push sure to be on for a contract extension before the agreement runs out in 2026.

The move to extend the venues to the Barossa Valley only adds to the attraction, with Adelaide Oval a perfect centrepiece of a football festival that celebrates the game and connects fans to........

© The Sydney Morning Herald


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