Sam Walsh, Adam Cerra and a slew of Carlton players ventured down to AAMI Park on Tuesday night for Tottenham Hotspur open training, where they participated in a guernsey swap but didn’t break the “No Sherrin” rule.
Around 7500 fans braved the Melbourne cold to catch a glimpse of the Spurs stars in person, with the biggest cheers reserved for manger Ange Postecoglou, upon his return to his home city, and superstar captain Son Heung-min.
Son Heung-min at the Tottenham open training session in Melbourne.Credit: Getty Images
South Korean flags for Son could be seen throughout the crowd.
The appearance mirrored Postecoglou’s 2015 visit to Ikon Park, when he was the Socceroos coach and met with then-Blues coach Mick Malthouse and players, fresh off lifting up the Asian Cup.
The Hotspur players are in town for Global Football Week, where they will play Newcastle United at the MCG on Wednesday evening in front of an expected 80,000-strong crowd. Newcastle play again on Friday against an A-League Men’s All-Star side in a double header headlined by Arsenal Women and an A-League Women’s All-Star side.
Ange Postecoglou and Son Heung-min at the press conference in Melbourne ahead of the MCG clash.Credit: Getty Images
The Spurs squad that touched down in Melbourne included a mixture of big names, including captain Son and his deputy James Maddison, fringe players and youth from the academy and under-23s.
They boarded the plane Down Under straight after beating Sheffield United 3-0 in their final Premier League game on Sunday, securing a place in the UEFA Europa League next season. When asked in a press conference how the jet lag was treating him, Postecoglou replied “as expected”.
“I’ve said to the lads, you know, it’s a long way, but they’ll enjoy playing in the G. It’s a great stadium,” said Postecoglou, to nods from Son regarding the long flight.
Son added he was ready for a break after the Newscastle clash.
“I mean, this is the last game of the season, I want to go home as well, so as soon as possible when we finish the game,” he said.
Postecoglou is a lifetime Carlton supporter who in 2015 sat on a panel alongside Chris Judd, Ken Sheldon and others that selected Brendon Bolton to succeed Malthouse.
Carlton players, from left, with Ange Postecoglou (middle): Sam Durdin, Adam Cerra, Brodie Kemp, Sam Walsh, Elijah Hollands, and Ollie Hollands.Credit: Cristian Filippo
The Blues players are not the only ones enchanted by the Spurs coach, though, with Collingwood premiership star and 2023 best and fairest winner Josh Daicos having taken a behind-the-scenes tour of Tottenham in London post-season last year.
That visit, organised by a mutual sponsor shared between Tottenham and Collingwood, included a meeting with Postecoglou. It’s expected there will be another meeting between the clubs on Wednesday through the sponsor.
The No Sherrin rule, unofficially enforced, put an end to the time-honoured tradition of foreign celebrities from touring EPL teams taking photos with an Aussie rules ball for promotional reasons.
Football Australia tightened its agreements with event promoters to prohibit this in 2022, according to sources with knowledge of the federation’s plans in 2022.
It came after Manchester United star Marcus Rashford posed with a shiny new Sherrin, which was posted to the AFL’s social media accounts.
Blues player Brodie Kemp, a mega fan of Hotspur, said: “I’ve been a Spurs fan for about five or six years now. So, I’ve seen a lot of games overseas, but [this is the first time] seeing them pitchside, which is pretty cool, and obviously meeting Ange.”
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