Port Macquarie faces what is now the AFL North Coast version of the dreaded double.

Having travelled to Lismore last week, this Saturday the Magpies are on the road again to face a similar length trip to face the Casino Lions.

When the 2021 fixture was originally released, the Magpies' travels weren't on there. Last week's match against the Lismore Swans was originally scheduled to be played at Wayne Richards Park.

But the match had to be moved as last weekend coincided with the massive Ironman event conducted each year in Port Macquarie.

As luck would have it, the Ironman was postponed until Father's Day due to the impact of the recent flooding in the region.

Be that as it may, the Magpies are about to be like Willie Nelson and "On The Road Again".

Port Macquarie coach Matt Clarke said the club has been lucky due to one member of its senior team.

"We ended up hiring a bus as one of the boys has a licence to drive one," Clarke said.

"It was $40 each for bus hire and petrol and the club helped put us up for the night. After last week's match we spent time with Lismore and we kind of just made it a bit of a bonding session."

The bus will be back in action this week for the almost five hour trip to Queen Elizabeth Park. That's no problem for Clarke, particularly in the early stages of the season.

"Some would say it's a tough draw but we see it as a bit of a blessing," the coach said.

"Early in the season is a good time to get together and get to know each other because everybody is on board as compared to the end of the year when the injury list mounts up.

"We're enjoying it and making the most of it."

What else is happening in news, sport?

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: