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Dubai: Collingwood and Adelaide FC have promised a spectacle of Aussie Rules football when they face each other in the opening match of the NAB Cup at the Ghantoot Racing and Polo Club tomorrow.
"There will be plenty of action and it is going to be an event of great entertainment," promised Adelaide skipper Simon Goodwin.
"Yes, it will be a huge spectacle for all," chipped in Collingwood's new captain Tarkyn Lockyer.
The NAB Cup match will be preceded by a curtain raiser between local clubs Dubai Dingoes and Dubai Heat and the NAB Cup encounter will start at 1.45 pm, while Aussie players not involved in big the game will run an Auskick session for junior players.
Experiment
Michael Malthouse, coach for the Magpies, said they are hopeful playing at an outside venue will be good for the sport.
"These are certainly small beginnings for the game and I don't know what sort of future such an exercise holds for the sport," Malthouse said.
Adelaide coach Neil Craig hopes the experiment will trigger a ripple effect that will result in the growth of the sport here.
"You had Tiger Woods here last week and that has had a huge impact on the younger golfers. This can be said of the Aussie Rules match as well. Such a game will give the sport an impetus to grow," said Craig.
Meanwhile, the Emirates-sponsored Collingwood arrived yesterday morning from a two-week training session held in South Africa.
"South Africa, like Dubai, has been an experience for all of us," admitted Collingwood skipper Lockyer.
"From the reaction of the kids we realised that people are interested in our sport," he added.
"As a player you have a passion for the sport and you want to pass it on to the kids," chipped in Adelaide captain Goodwin.
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