South Australia’s home Sheffield Shield final will be played at the Karen Rolton Oval, after a push for the Adelaide Oval to play host to the match was scuppered by the AFL.
After the Redbacks secured top spot on the Shield table with one round to go, SA Premier Peter Malinauskas led calls for the game to be played at Adelaide’s primary venue in between AFL matches involving Adelaide and Port Adelaide.
While the oval’s drop-in pitches had already been taken out in preparation for the upcoming AFL season, there was belief that a pitch could be re-installed for the five-day match and then quickly removed, in between the Power’s clash with Richmond on March 22 and the Crows’ fixture with North Melbourne on March 30.
However, the AFL, which has rights to the ground for the football season, blocked the push amid fears about player safety, in particular the outfield needing to be cut for the Shield final and not having sufficient time to grow back, and concern about whether the major ground transformation of re-installing the drop-in pitch and then removing it again could be completed in time.
Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg confirmed the denial in a statement on Friday morning, saying it was ‘disappointing’ to have the bid rejected.
“We are disappointed South Australia has been prevented from hosting the Sheffield Shield final at Adelaide Oval,” Greenberg said.
“The Sheffield Shield final is a significant event for Australia’s national sport, and we believe Adelaide Oval would have been the most appropriate venue.
“I would like to thank Premier Malinauskas for his advocacy in this matter and his passionate support of cricket and the South Australia Cricket Association which made an extremely compelling case to host the final at Adelaide Oval.
“March is a very important month for cricket including the Sheffield Shield and Premier and club cricket finals.
“We will continue to work collaboratively at all levels to ensure cricket gains and provides appropriate access to shared venues across the country.”
Crows CEO Tim Silvers said the ‘health and safety of the players’ was the main factor.
Adelaide Oval. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
“In the perfect world, we would all like to see the Shield final played at Adelaide Oval,” Silvers told The Advertiser
“I think all the stakeholders involved have been open-minded and are actively exploring every avenue to try and make it happen.
“However, it can’t come at the expense of the health and safety of our players.
“Nor should our club be exposed financially, if for some reason our game of footy can’t go ahead, or there’s unforeseen issues.”
The Crows were also reported to have requested a financial incentive from the SA government in order to comply, which Mr Malinauskas shot down as ‘galling’.
The Shield final will take place at the Karen Rolton Oval from March 26-30, with the Redbacks a whopping 15 points clear on the table.
Queensland, NSW, Western Australia and Victoria are all in the running to face them, with Western Australia looking to defend their three consecutive Shield titles.
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