Here we are, in the midst of the ‘Festival of Footy’. Thirty-three games crunched into 20 days.

Although we celebrated the Pride Game, as far as festivals go the final quarter against the Saints rated more like the Fyre Festival than Mardi Gras.

The third quarter was so full of promise as the Swans peppered away at the Saints lead but were left with little reward for effort. There is no pressure like scoreboard pressure.

I’m not one for excuses, but it was hardly an ideal preparation. From all reports it was Wednesday when the team was informed it was to be forced into AFL exile. With the Queensland border set to close to all Sydneysiders, the team had just enough time to grab their boots and mouthguards and give their significant others a peck on the cheek, before they jetted off to 2020’s home of football: Queensland. Date of return? Unknown.

That makes for a pretty unsettling week and so it is no surprise then, that after a spirited showing to three-quarter time, the wheels seemed to fall off in the last.

It was the Swans first taste of hub life. Their new normal for a while.

Hub life sounds glamourous. Who wouldn’t take a resort stay in Queensland at the height of winter? But apparently it isn’t all tennis, day spas and theme parks.

These are AFL High Performance Centres and there is a list of rules that reads longer than the current interpretation of holding the ball.

To keep the season rolling in Covid-2020, the restrictions on teams are onerous and the sacrifices they are making are significant. It’s not dissimilar to living in Victoria at the moment.

Swans fans south of Murray can feel part of the team by considering themselves not in lockdown but in a hub.

Curfews, bans, restrictions, essential activity only. That is hub life.

In the AFL context, hub life is necessary to keep the season alive and keep people safe. As Swans fans we should be grateful that our team – and all 17 others – have signed up to a locked down life on the road to keep footy kicking in 2020.

In Victoria, the hub life stakes are much higher.

So, to our players and Swans staff living the hub life, thanks for making 2020 a little more bearable and bringing us all – win, lose or draw – some much-needed cheer.

And to our South Melbourne brethren – we are two cities, one team. From all of your red and white friends in Sydney, please stay safe, stay positive and heed the restrictions. Hub life won’t be easy, but you’re not alone.