Peter Smith's Tour Diary: Aussie rules in Melbourne despite Storm's dominance

Wander alongside the Yarra River from the city centre to the Melbourne and Olympic Parks and you’ll come across the Rod Laver and Margaret Court Arenas – home to Australian Open Tennis – plus the Hisense Arena (which stages basketball, netball, tennis and cycling), AAMI Park, the Holden Centre (base for the Collingwood AFL team and where Leeds Rhinos have trained this week and the Olympic Park Oval. Close by, overshadowing the other venues, is Melbourne Cricket Ground (the ‘G’).

Unfortunately, what you won’t see is much publicity for tomorrow’s Downer World Club Challenge.

Though Rhinos and Storm have both worked hard to promote the match, this reporter hasn’t spotted any advertising for the game. Melbourne is – above all else – an Aussie Rules hotbed.

Rhinos have made the most of their time here. Fans already in the city were invited to watch training yesterday and the players and supporters mingled at a barbecue after the captain’s run – which is the final rehearsal before gameday.

Among the fans here are members of Anthony Mullally’s family. He didn’t travel after suffering a fractured finger against Hull KR last week, but it was too late for his relatives to cancel.

As well as the players, members of Rhinos’ backroom staff have made the trip. They took the opportunity to spend a morning with their Storm counterparts before an afternoon at AFL club Essendon.