Greg Swann’s biggest priorities for his first year at AFL House
It’s one of the AFL’s biggest shake-ups in decades. But what changes can we expect to see to our game? From mid-season trade to rule changes, these are Greg Swann’s top priorities.
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Andrew Dillon is on the brink of orchestrating one of the biggest shake-ups of AFL House in recent memory.
Having arrived as chief executive in late 2023 amid a staff exodus — Gillon McLachlan, Kylie Rogers, Travis Auld all gone – he has hired Lions CEO Greg Swann and has Tom Harley in his sights.
As GWS boss David Matthews said this week, the AFL has never parachuted two club CEOs into such important positions as the football boss and chief commercial officer.
So what are the items on Swann’s to-do list in the next 12 months and why is he so perfectly suited to the position given his 26 years as a club CEO at Collingwood, Carlton and Brisbane?
1. A MID-SEASON TRADE PERIOD
Essendon this week threw its support behind the prospect – which already has AFLPA-approval — and the Lions also have given it cautious optimism.
As Lions football boss Danny Daly told Fox Footy last week, non-Victorian clubs would just want some help to ensure they are not financially disadvantaged.
Swann is in charge of player movement but would have to work out the salary cap ramifications of clubs taking on bigger contracts.
Players couldn’t be traded without their permission so the early iteration of a mid-season trade might be with mid-tier players unable to get a start at their current club like Hawthorn’s Sam Frost or Essendon’s Dylan Shiel.
“It is challenging but we are not anti it by any stretch. The AFL would need to come up with a policy that takes into account what it means getting guys interstate. It might be working through the TPP and other things,” Daly said.
“There is an advantage for Victorian teams so you would need to come up with a solution for interstate clubs. It might be about having stuff outside the TPP, some extra salary cap to enable you to relocate a player. It might be some extra flights and extra bits and pieces so you could move them quickly and allow their families to move north.
“You would have to make sure there is a way interstate clubs weren’t disadvantaged.”
2. GETTING THE UMPIRES BACK ON SIDE AFTER SCHULTZ-GATE
Umpires including Simon Meredith were disappointed after initial accusations they had told the AFL they had not seen Lachie Schultz get concussed.
As recently as Friday the league would not clarify if it had apologised to those umpires.
Put simply, those umpires want a bit of love.
Swann will quickly get to work apologising if need be, and then find out what support they need.
3. FINDING A HOME FOR THOSE UMPIRES
A permanent home builds culture and elite standards.
Options including Windy Hill, the redevelopments of Caulfield or Moonee Valley racecourses.
But umpires want something permanent where they can build their culture with little things like lockers that reinforce the history of umpiring and those who came before with their numbers. They are interested in a Hall of Fame.
Being treated like second-class citizens who can’t access all of Marvel Stadium for Tuesday night training is a poor start.
Dillon said on Friday finding that home is a high priority for the AFL.
4. ACADEMIES AND FATHER-SON BIDS
The AFL is on record as considering whether more changes will be made to the bidding system ahead of this November’s draft as the June 10 commission meeting awaits where Tasmanian list rules will be decided.
Swann’s Lions are about to get access to midfielder Daniel Annable, who starred for the Allies on Sunday as a top-five draftee.
Surely the AFL will not tip those rules on their head after they were reviewed so recently.
But could there be a cap reintroduced on the number of father-son or academy picks given the Suns have three likely first-rounders – who all starred on Sunday?
Or could the 10 per cent discount for matching bids be removed, even though it only came down from 20 per cent last year?
5. LISTENING TO NON-VICTORIAN SIDES ABOUT THE TRAVEL BURDEN
The AFL’s competitive balance review is still yet to hand down any resolutions.
Both Fremantle and West Coast received what in essence is an extra home game after the Roos sold a pair of games to West Australia.
But Swann is fully aware of how travel interstate can be streamlined given issues like curfews and poor scheduling that at times requires the Lions to fly back into the Gold Coast before peak-hour commutes up the highway to Brisbane.
Little things add to more hours on the road, as do short breaks between games with travel attached.
6. MEDIA RELATIONS WITH SWANN AS THE FIRE BLANKET DOUSING CONTROVERSIES
There isn’t much Swann hasn’t encountered in a quarter of a century in CEOs role – the good, the bad and the ugly.
But in putting out fires at three different clubs – everything from the early antics of the Magpie ‘Rat Pack’ and a near sacking for Dane Swan before he became a superstar, to Brendan Fevola sacking at Carlton, the challenges of Dayne Beams’ recruitment and time at Brisbane, and even question marks over the Lions’ post-season 2023 trip to the United States — he’s maintained many close connections with the media.
It could be argued that no senior footy official in the land has been as accessible as Swann, and that presence when in front of the cameras or in regular communication with the media, will be invaluable for an AFL executive which has struggled with clear, concise talking points.
7. MRO REVIEW
The clubs were furious that they raised the idea of a change to better equip the MRO for Paul Curtis-style tackles last year at a grand final week rules summit.
Their idea was that Michael Christian would have some more powers to reduce a three-week suspension to one or two weeks for a near-perfect tackle where the punishment didn’t fit the crime.
Swann will consider common sense solutions to help Christian with the league already on record that it is open to that kind of change.
8. IMPROVING THE GOAL REVIEW TECHNOLOGY AND INTRODUCING BALL TRACKING TECHNOLOGY
Swann is often tagged as a steady-hand and a calming influence in a sea of troubles.
But those close to him maintain that he is undersold in his willingness to embrace innovation and change.
At 63, he might not be at the cutting edge of technology but has shown he is considered and consultative, and willing to make bold decisions.
In a footy sense, he championed AFLW long before others, including setting up a program and coaching structure that is still the envy of the competition, and most notably appointed a 55-year-old Chris Fagan – who had never played VFL-AFL football – as Lions coach. In a fan-engagement sense, he and his ideas team at the Lions helped turn the songs after goals into an event at the Gabba, starting with Take Me Home, Country Roads accompanying Charlie Cameron goals.
Innovation is needed at AFL HQ, with ball tracking and goal review the most urgent requirement, and AI also providing opportunities now and into the future. He won’t be daunted by the need for change … nor the importance of getting the right people around him to tap into cutting edge technology.
9. RULE CHANGES
The AFL has chosen to retain its set of rules across the past few seasons with very few changes since the introduction of the stand rule.
Clubs and coaches are calling for more consistency on the insufficient intent rule and prior opportunity.
Good luck on fixing holding the ball, but getting umpires boss Steve McBurney to give clarity on it as a greater media presence would help.
The league told clubs all summer the rules weren’t changing then cracked down on the 15m mark rule, seemingly days ahead of the 2025 season.
It was an AFL own goal.
The rules will always be a bugbear of fans but transparency on when they are changed and how the umpires interpret them will help the punters understand, even if they don’t like it.
Originally published as Greg Swann’s biggest priorities for his first year at AFL House
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