South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas took a cheeky swipe at St Kilda star Jack Higgins after he appeared to infuriate an entire city with a bizarre post-match comment.
The Saints sealed a 10.12 (72) to 13.11 (89) victory against Port Adelaide on Sunday.
Higgins, 26, slotted three goals for the Saints during the match. But after the game, he arrived to conduct an interview with Channel 7 in which he was asked if he had any plans to explore Adelaide, with the Saints set to stay in the City of Churches ahead of Gather Round.
Bizarrely, he responded: ‘No. I don’t Like Adelaide.’
He added: ‘So I’ll probably be in my room playing Call of Duty with the boys!’
The comments now seem to have backfired on the 26-year-old goal kicker, with Power legend Kane Cornes biting back at the footy star.
‘Jack, get a life get out, go and see Adelaide, it’s magnificent, get out of your stinkin’ room. Get off the Playstation,’ he told The Agenda Setters on Tuesday.
South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas (pictured with his partner Annabel) took a cheeky swipe at a St Kilda star following his comments about Adelaide
Jack Higgins (right) poked a tongue-in-cheek sledge at the City following St Kilda’s victory against Port Adelaide on Sunday
His comments even attracted the ire of SA Premier Malinauskas, who issued a cheeky sledge back at Higgins.
Speaking on life in Adelaide, the premier said during Wednesday night’s Gather Round launch event: ‘We don’t like to be stuck in hotel rooms, we don’t like to be stuck on gaming consoles – we like to be out and about…’
The event was hosted at Penfold’s Magill Estate, with several big names in attendance including Eddie McGuire and his partner Carla, AFL CEO Andrew Dillon and the SA Premier and his partner Annabel.
It comes as it seems the AFL and South Australia appear to be keen to extend their Gather Round collaboration, with Dillon declaring ‘we like long-term partnerships’ on Wednesday night.
While Dillon and SA Premier Peter Malinauskas were also quick to insist that no announcement is likely this weekend, there was a definite sense at Wednesday’s launch that a lot would have to change for the fixture to move.
This week is the third edition of the successful concept, with all nine games of the round played in and around Adelaide. The deal between the AFL and SA runs for another year.
This year will feature the Barossa for the first time, with two games at Lyndoch.
Inevitably, the ongoing success of the concept means there has been speculation about other states trying to lure Gather Round away from SA.
Higgins had also taken to social media in recent days to publish a shot of himself playing Call of Duty from his room in Mile End, Adelaide
‘We like long-term partnerships, but that doesn’t mean we can’t look at other opportunities around the country,’ Dillon said, referring to the AFL’s key corporate sponsorships.
‘We have a great partnership with the SA government.
‘Gather Round is actually – and quite simply – the best of footy and the best of our game.’
Asked if Gather Round could work elsewhere, Dillon replied: ‘That’s a good question’.
Standing behind the AFL boss, Malinauskas chimed in with ‘a great question’.
But the Premier also made it clear that Gather Round has to keep succeeding, saying it is a privilege and not a right to be the host.
‘If we can make the third better than the second, that’s the best thing we can do to advance our cause,’ Malinauskas said.
‘All the numbers are pointing in the right direction.
It came as stars of the footy world gathered at Penfold’s Magill Estate in Adelaide for the launch of this weekend’s Gather Round (pictured: AFL CEO Andrew Dillon and partner Amanda)
Broadcasting star Eddie McGuire was also pictured at the event with his partner Carla McGuire
Hawthorn star Chad Wingard, who married fiancee Lily Lloyd last December, was also present
‘I don’t want to be misleading anyone – I wouldn’t have any expectation that there’s going to be a big announcement this weekend.’
There is also some risk, with Malinauskas at pains to implore fans to give themselves plenty of time if they head to the Barossa games.
Given the long waits for transport at Adelaide Airport on Wednesday morning, it begs the question of whether the state has the capacity to handle growing interest in Gather Round.
‘The market is catching up with demand, but that always seems to occur,’ Malinauskas said.
‘The AFL and state government have put a lot of effort into making sure the Barossa works well.
‘It’s one road in, one road out … we are asking people to get there early otherwise there will be a log jam.’
While speaking at the event alongside Dillon, there was a great sense that Malinauskas (pictured) and the AFL were keen to continue hosting Gather Round in South Australia
‘We have a great partnership with the SA government.
‘Gather Round is actually – and quite simply – the best of footy and the best of our game.’
Asked if Gather Round could work elsewhere, Dillon replied: ‘that’s a good question’.
Standing behind the AFL boss, Malinauskas chimed in with ‘a great question’.
But the Premier also made it clear that Gather Round has to keep succeeding, saying it is a privilege and not a right to be the host.
‘If we can make the third better than the second, that’s the best thing we can do to advance our cause,’ Malinauskas said.
‘All the numbers are pointing in the right direction.
‘I don’t want to be misleading anyone – I wouldn’t have any expectation that there’s going to be a big announcement this weekend.’
There is also some risk, with Malinauskas at pains to implore fans to give themselves plenty of time if they head to the Barossa games.
Given the long waits for transport at Adelaide Airport on Wednesday morning, it begs the question whether the state has the capacity to handle growing interest in Gather Round.
‘The market is catching up with demand, but that always seems to occur,’ Malinauskas said.
‘The AFL and state government have put a lot of effort into making sure the Barossa works well.
‘It’s one road in, one road out … we are asking people to get there early otherwise there will be a log jam.’
The Premier also took a playful swipe at St Kilda player Jack Higgins, who said after the weekend’s win over the Power at Adelaide Oval that he is not a big fan of the city.
‘We don’t like to be stuck in hotel rooms, we don’t like to be stuck on gaming consoles – we like to be out and about,’ Malinauskas said.
