Why not Waverley? Demons should take over Hawks’ nest

Melbourne remain focused on building a training and administration base at Caulfield Racecourse and will tell their members that at their AGM on Tuesday night.

Last week’s surprise announcement that Mount Scopus Memorial College had purchased from the Melbourne Racing Club the parcel of land adjacent to where the Demons want to build new facilities did not deter departing CEO Gary Pert.

Departing Melbourne chief executive Gary Pert is determined to get the Demons to Caulfield.Credit: AFL Photos

The reservations MRC chair John Kanga raised on radio after he sold the land – a parcel many expected to be sold to developers for housing – about the likelihood of Melbourne joining the party also did not change the Demons’ vision.

That’s fair enough. The club is developing a business case with Development Victoria, has support from the Caulfield Racecourse Reserve Trust and the local council and also has a contested board election looming, where it has endorsed candidates, including future president Stephen Smith.

Caulfield is also close to the area the Demons have coveted since Collingwood beat them to the punch back in the late ’90s and secured the ovals at Olympic Park, which allowed the Magpies to move from Victoria Park.

But the Demons should take the blinkers off and assess the viability of moving their training and administration base into Hawthorn’s Waverley Park when the Hawks relocate to Kennedy Community Centre at Dingley at the end of 2025.

Before the Demons throw pitchforks at this proposal – the clubs’ 1996 merger talks and Melbourne’s 1987 preliminary final loss to the Hawks are still fresh enough to haunt many – the idea has merit.

The Hawks are in the process of determining whether to sell their asset or lease it, so the time for any prospective buyer or tenant to get involved is now.

The ground is pristine, players don’t complain about being there and, although the Hawks outgrew the space, they did not have access to Casey Fields as Melbourne do for their VFL, VFLW and, when appropriate, AFLW teams. The administration space has been adequate for Hawthorn to function successfully enough to win four flags and rebuild under Sam Mitchell. Everything is solvable.

And let’s not forget when Waverley Park (or VFL Park) was originally built in the early ’70s it was because the region was going to be the centre of Melbourne by now, so you could argue, on that basis, the club would be, eventually, home.

Sam Mitchell taking Hawthorn through training at Waverley Park.Credit: Getty Images

The code’s demand for government funds has been relentless, and Melbourne will continue that trend when the business case is finalised.

The 10 Victorian clubs have all received their fair share of government funding for facilities and the purse strings are tight.

The AFL watched clubs invest in non-revenue earning or neutral assets all over town in an ongoing arms race that clubs justify by arguing that their facilities are vital to make them destination clubs, as though each club needs to be a resort with a concierge at the front to turn the head of impressionable athletes.

Waverley has some issues as training under lights is not possible, so Melbourne’s AFLW team would probably have to continue their time at Casey Fields. But the half-hour drive from Waverley Park to Casey is an improvement on the 50-minute drive – a couple of Gawny darts – from Caulfield or AAMI Park to Casey. A feasibility study could ensure no ghosts of Jeff Kennett – who once riled the Demons by offering to become their president – remain.

An artist’s impression of the proposed Melbourne training and administration facility at Caulfield Racecourse.

Whatever money Melbourne would need to pay Hawthorn to either lease or buy – the preferable option – the asset would remain in the AFL, and would be a fraction of the outlay they would need to build the $100 million Caulfield facility the Demons are planning. Waverley Park is also close enough to Melbourne’s traditional zones to enable their supporters to watch training and socialise at the club.

Hawthorn’s plan was to move the statue of John Kennedy Senior to Dingley. The site would be perfect for a statue of similar gravitas of Jim Stynes or even Neale Daniher to look over the Demons’ training.

The AFL could provide an incentive for the Demons to make the move, unless the league wants to make a bid of its own. The AFL umpires would be a logical tenant if no club stepped forward, and the league should guard against the asset falling into the hands of another code, as might have happened if the Melbourne Rebels were still operating. The Waverley ground is in top condition, and surfaces of this quality are not easy to find, so it should be incumbent on the AFL to have a stadia and training strategy to avoid duplication.

Of course, the Demons would need to swallow their ego to approach the Hawks, as it might initially look as though they are getting a hand-me-down, however it wasn’t a problem when Jordan Lewis arrived.

And they should not put their head in the sand when it comes to Caulfield.

Their bid became more complicated after Mount Scopus Memorial College’s purchase of land next to the Crown land Melbourne hope to not only occupy but revitalise. That is reality. Even if successful, Melbourne are years away from realising the dream.

Pop the question, Melbourne. The option should not be dismissed.

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