With just 24 hours to go until the biggest game of the year, the last thing either team participating in the 2014 AFL Grand Final needs is a nasty little unknown surprise disrupting their preparations.
But that’s exactly what’s happened to the Hawthorn Hawks, who found a nasty, sharp little surprise whilst attempting to smooth out their last minute training sessions in preparation for the clash with the Sydney Swans at the MCG tomorrow afternoon.
When the team arrived at their training ground at Waverley Park, officials inspecting the ground surface found that at some point during the night prior, someone had planted several razor blades on the ground’s surface.
The club believes the blades were deliberately planted and, if they hadn’t been found, could have caused serious to a player if they had fallen on one. Prior to a throng of Hawks supporters arriving at the ground for the club’s open training session, up to 40 club officials swept the ground to ensure the surface was clear of any additional unseen blades.
The razors were open bladed, and not merely disposable cartridge blades as commonly found in most shaving razors. Whilst club officials believe that they were placed with the intention to hurt a player, they decided not to involve police as they were unable to ascertain whether it was a stupid prank, or a deliberate attempt at sabotaging the club’s Premiership aspirations.
Waverley Park is a public facility and thus is unable to be locked down at nighttime.
Hawthorn takes on Sydney in the AFL Grand Final, beginning at around 2:30pm Saturday afternoon.
For what it’s worth? Sydney by 20.
Photo: Michael Dodge via Getty Images.
via Herald Sun.
