Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir concedes early begin time for Geelong conflict is ‘awkward’ | USAEMALL.com

Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir admits the early start for their clash with Geelong on Saturday is “awkward” after a former West Coast gun revealed just how hard it is to adjust to a new timezone.

The Dockers’ round one meeting with the Cats on Saturday begins at 1.20pm (AEDT) — which is 10.20am in Perth — despite their being only four games for the day.

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The West Australian columnist Xavier Ellis explained on The Hard Ball Gets AFL Show teams operate in Perth time, rather than making adjustments, for trips to the east coast.

“You don’t naturally just fall into a different timezone. A three hour time difference is a remarkable time difference to just flick into different timezone, so those boys will still be on WA time,” he said.

“Matter of fact I think most Victorian clubs that come to Perth will stay on eastern standard time and a lot of WA players would stay on western standard time when they’re in Melbourne, because it’s such a short time.

“They are in the changerooms at 8am. It’s Auskick hours.”

Longmuir conceded the early start time was “awkward” for his team who will fly out on Thursday for the season opener.

“It is what it is, we’ll prepare. We’ve done all our intraclubs early in the morning so the players have got used to playing early,” he said.

“It’s something that we have to adjust to but it is a little bit different early in the year the three-hour time difference.

Temperatures are set to reach 36C in Geelong on Saturday as Victoria goes through a heatwave.

Longmuir said the Dockers were conditioned for the heat though after a long, hot summer in Perth.

“I think we’re well conditioned for it,” he said.

“It’s been a pretty hot summer, trained in 35C plus, up around 40C days so we’re well conditioned for it.”

Longmuir said he was not yet if the heat policy would be implemented yet.

The AFL can introduce longer breaks in between quarters, extra water carriers and no limit on the timing of when water carriers can enter the field of play as part of the heat policy.