Fresh tension between Greg Swann and Laura Kane sparks unrest at AFL House
As a result of the working relationship between Laura Kane and Greg Swann, one industry figure said the workplace environment at league headquarters was becoming untenable.
The AFL’s bold mid-season shake-up of its struggling football operations department has triggered fresh tension at league headquarters.
Months after Brisbane Lions CEO Greg Swann was parachuted into AFL House to take charge of the football department, multiple industry sources say the move has sparked unrest among staff.
Swann’s arrival saw Laura Kane’s responsibilities essentially cut in half, after she was first made the league’s footy boss in August, 2023.
Swann took responsibility for match reviews, umpiring, game analysis, player movement, laws of the game, innovation and club engagement, leaving Kane managing the operations of the AFL, AFLW, VFL, VFLW, Coates Talent League and the game’s response to health and concussion.
That split has led to some crossover in tasks between the two branches of the football department and caused strain between the two teams, with clubs unsure who to contact when reaching out to league HQ.
One industry figure said the workplace environment was becoming untenable.
Another league source said: “Greg Swann and Laura Kane don’t even talk...they don’t like each other, they don’t get along.”
Others have pointed to the top-heavy nature of the league’s organisational structure with veteran football administrator Geoff Walsh working at AFL House four days a week while Emma Moore is the general manager of women’s football and falls under Kane’s purview.
The AFL’s game development GM, Rob Auld, also took on extra football duties in the restructure.
Kane appointee Nick Carah was also brought in as general manager of football operations in April before Kane’s job was split and she was handed the operations portfolio.
Both league and football department staff have frustrations around the arrangement, signed off by AFL CEO Andrew Dillon and the Richard Goyder-led commission.
One club source said there was still confusion on who to contact out of Swann and Kane with any concerns or questions and described the adding of layers and staff within the football department as like “band-aids on top of each other”.
While Kane has been praised by clubs for her communication, her job split has left some in ‘clubland’ considering her as sidelined.
Kane described on Wednesday the split of her role as “sensible” and said that her team was working separately from Swann’s.
“It’s been really good. The splitting of football on and off the field I think is sensible and it certainly helped both Swanny and I but also our teams to really focus on particular areas,” she told ABC Radio.
Kane has been seen less in the media since the restructure and when asked on the ABC about her absence said: “I am still here, still enjoying it and happy to talk to you guys any time”.
“A little bit less media but it has been really nice to actually share the load,” she said.
“The job was so big, there was so much to do and so now to have Greg Swann and Rob Auld also looking after components of what we used to have in footy, it is really good.
“We can focus on new things like portfolios, as well as some of the existing ones and obviously can spend a considerable amount of time focusing on AFLW.”
Swann was handpicked by Dillon to help bolster the league’s executive team after a string of controversies including umpiring, the handling of the Willie Rioli saga and the league’s match review process.
The AFL also appointed Tom Harley as chief operating officer in June.
Swann has brought dramatic change since joining AFL HQ, introducing rule changes including a last disposal out-of-bounds free kick, the binning of the substitute and ruck changes, as well as an impending revamp to the MRO rules around head knocks.
Swann also ruffled feathers by insisting on having an office after he arrived despite the workplace being largely open plan.
Change has moved through AFL House since the end of the men’s season with several staff made redundant in a pivot in the media arm, to close down a broadcast studio and outsource content.
Long-time staffer and conduit to clubs David Grossman has resigned and will depart the AFL in the new year, with industry speculation pointing him to a new role with Gillon McLachlan’s Tabcorp.
Goyder will vacate his post early next year with clubs expressing hope that incoming Drummond will address some of the football issues that are frustrating clubs.
In an interview with the Herald Sun last week, St Kilda president Andrew Bassat said he was optimistic with what Drummond would bring to the chair role.
“He’s a smart and sensible person and so I’m hoping he will come up with some smart and sensible outcomes,” Bassat said.
The AFL was contacted for comment.
Originally published as Fresh tension between Greg Swann and Laura Kane sparks unrest at AFL House
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