Tiger army set to be locked out of open training

UPDATE:

Twenty minutes after gates opened at 8.30am, they were quickly closed, with plenty of disappointed fans locked out.

Some fans had been lining up since midnight last night to secure a spot inside Punt Road.

EARLIER:

Richmond has warned some of its fans they could be locked out at the week’s only open training session tomorrow.

Friday morning will be the final chance for the yellow and black faithful to cheer their heroes before the premiership decider.

But Richmond CEO Brendon Gale has told Tony Jones as the ground only holds 5000 spectators, some fans inevitably won’t make in into Punt Road Oval.

“With limited capacity, we expect the 5000 to fill up pretty quickly,” Brendon said.

“We’re doing our best to make sure there is a range of different options.”

Gates open at 8.30am tomorrow with training beginning at 9.45am, fans are encouraged to arrive early.

There will also be no car parking available at the oval.

“Punt Road is a car park at the best of times, we encourage public transport where possible.

“There’ll certainly be no car parking available at Yarra Park.”

Brendon also said he’d received a text message from Ben Cousins’s father, saying Ben wanted to express his best wishes to Damian and the team.

Click PLAY below to hear Tony’s chat with Brendon

The players will take part in the annual Grand Final parade, along with the Adelaide players – through Melbourne’s streets as part of the Grand Final eve public holiday.

Security measures are also being stepped up for the parade, with temporary bollards to be erected along the route.

Police Minister Lisa Neville said the bollards are not a response to a direct threat but a precautionary measure.