Eddie McGuire’s grandstanding against Sydney’s cap allowance leaves Swans chiefs exasperated

IT IS Grand Final week and yet again the Sydney Swans have to defend their COLA position.

Robbo: Pull your head in Ed

IT IS Grand Final week and yet again the Sydney Swans have to defend their COLA position.

This time it was SEN Radio and after a Dorothy Dixer first up, the next question to Swans chief executive Andrew Ireland demanded that he answer to Eddie McGuire's continual whinging about the advantages the Swans receive with the cost of living allowance.

“It's reasonably poor form from Eddie,” Ireland said, clearly exasperated with McGuire's grandstanding and campaigning.

It's been a long-time campaign from the Collingwood president. Even on preliminary final weekend, McGuire, who was wearing his Fox Footy hat and not his Collingwood president's hat, couldn't resist having two cracks at the Swans.

In the pre-match he predicted the Swans would win by $2 million, while the rest of the panel wavered between 10 and 25 points.

Ed cacked himself with his humour. Others panellists smiled. At home, I thought it was pretty pathetic.

Here we were two minutes before bounce down on the second biggest weekend on the AFL calendar, where the underdogs were taking on the champs, and McGuire's making political statements.

Kurt Tippett and Lance Franklin at Swans training. Picture: Phil Hillyard

In that role, and so close to bounce down, he should leave his personal agenda at the front door.

Then, straight after the game, after the Swans dismembered North Melbourne, McGuire immediately mocked them as the Bondi Billionaires, the clear implication being Swans and their extra money.

After a thoroughly breathtaking performance from the premiership favourites, McGuire began the post-match with more political verve. Indeed, it was poor from Eddie.

McGuire's argument, meanwhile, does have tremendous support.

He wants COLA disbanded, which is happening, and wants an uncompromised draft.

He bellows from the nearest mountain top the need for a level playing field. He wants an uncompromised everything. No extra draft picks. No priority picks. No free picks. The salary cap and the national draft has to be squeaky clean and fair for everyone.

You want to talk about compromised, Eddie?

McGuire's company — McGuire Media — produced an enormously successful show called The Recruit.

Hosted by Michael Voss, the show was “a reality football entertainment show” that gave “one player the opportunity of a guaranteed contract with an AFL Club”.

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Each week a player was delisted until there was a winner and that winner had the opportunity to pick the club he wanted to play for.

The AFL loved the concept.

I really liked the show.

And McGuire loved the ratings because he spruiked them on Fox Footy every Sunday night.

The thing is, McGuire made money out of a reality TV show which in my view compromised the integrity of the AFL draft.

For the first time in history a player got to choose the club he wanted to play for, a player from a reality TV show.

Think about it. Marcus Bontempelli had no choice but to go to the Bulldogs. James Aish had to go to Brisbane. Dyson Heppell had to pack for Essendon.

The Recruit winner, Johann Wagner, was able to choose Port Adelaide. Part of me says it’s terrific that a young man whose AFL dream was over was able to get a second chance.

But another part of me says the AFL has gone too far with gimmicks.

All of me says Eddie McGuire can’t complain about not having an uncompromised competition in any fashion, when he’s making money from a TV show which absolutely compromised the integrity of the national draft.

Originally published as Eddie McGuire’s grandstanding against Sydney’s cap allowance leaves Swans chiefs exasperated