AFL 2021: Nick Riewoldt has called out AFL club presidents for being ‘irresponsible’ over Tasmania.
Nick Riewoldt has warned AFL club presidents are being “a bit irresponsible” putting their flag in the ground over Tassie’s bid for a stand-alone team.
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St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt has warned AFL club presidents are being “a bit irresponsible” putting their flag in the ground over Tasmania’s bid for an AFL team before the Colin Carter report is handed down.
The Tasmanian AFL taskforce members said he hoped clubs kept an open mind about the state’s bid for a stand-alone team and the “mutual benefits” it could deliver the league.
Carter’s comprehensive review into the viability of a Tasmanian team has been tabled to the AFL Commission where it will be discussed as part of a two-day meeting on Wednesday and Thursday before being taken to the club presidents.
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Gold Coast chairman Tony Cochrane has already voiced his concerns, claiming a Tassie team would be “insanity” and the AFL industry cannot afford a 19th franchise.
Riewoldt said some clubs were operating in “self interest” and there could be wider benefits for the whole competition.
“It’s a really interesting one, clearly there is going to be some self interest,” Riewoldt said on AFL 360.
“Some presidents have already put their flags in the ground before the findings have even been handed down from Colin, which is a little bit, I think, irresponsible given the position that the presidents hold in the game, not just for their own clubs but for all stakeholders in the game.
“So you would absolutely hope that there would be a level of open mindedness to mutual benefits.”
Riewoldt said the Tasmanian bid remained cautiously optimistic about the contents of the Carter report and the state’s prospects of securing an AFL licence.
“We have been (optimistic) the whole way through and that’s because we know the work has been done and we know what is contained in that report,” Riewoldt said.
“The level of confidence hasn’t wavered.
“It felt like a really thorough process which means I think we felt like we were getting treated with the level of seriousness and respect the topic deserves and requires.
“At the same time I think AFL were in really good hands as well because ultimately we are
talking about the greater good of the game, not just in Tasmania and for a Tasmanian team but nationally as well.
“We’re absolutely hopeful that Colin’s findings are such that validate the work independently that has been done and from there if that’s the case the conversation quickly moves from if to when.”
Riewoldt said it would be “eutopia” if the AFL were to recommend to clubs - rather than put to a vote - to allow entry for Tasmania.
“That’s the AFL’s prerogative to do that or not do that,” Riewoldt said.
Riewoldt said the Tasmanian bid was ready to tackle any challenges raised in the Carter report if it meant getting its own team.
“I think ready and would welcome those challenges within the report because clearly there are going to be some areas that are either riskier or require more work than others,” he said.
“To then go in armed with that knowledge and information it puts you in a much better position to be able to address it at the outset rather than deal with them along the journey.
“Absolutely would welcome any feedback that Colin has because I think his track record speaks for itself on matters such as these.”
Premier’s firm belief on Tassie AFL team
Premier Peter Gutwein will not “speculate or hypothesise” what Colin Carter’s report into a Tasmanian AFL team contains but is unwavering in his belief the state will be handed a licence.
Mr Carter’s review into the viability of a Tasmanian team has been tabled to the AFL Commission, but no decision will be made until the end of the 2021 season.
The league’s 18 clubs will also not be briefed until the completion of this year.
Mr Gutwein, who has already called for the report to be made public as soon as possible, will not buy into speculation the report is set to provide positive news about the state joining the competition in the next four to five years.
However he has reiterated his stance the business case stacks up.
“My view through this has been consistent, I believe we should have a team and I believe that we will get a team,” Mr Gutwein said.
“There’s obviously a lot of speculation about the Carter report at the moment, until I have got a copy in my hand and I understand what Mr. Carter has to say, I’m not going to speculate or hypothesise in terms of what might be in it.
“But I would hope, based on the very strong position that we outlined in our business case, I think the very positive feedback that Mr. Carter received when he was here in the state earlier this year, that report would be positive in terms of Tasmania’s progression to a license.
“The point I have made is we currently have contracts in place with Hawthorn and North Melbourne and I’d like to see that report so that we’ve got clarity in terms of what direction it proposes, before we finalise those contracts for next year.”
As mentioned in Wednesday’s Mercury, Mr Carter is expected to detail the significant upside for participation rates if Tasmania had its own team, as well as the traditional football state’s right to have its own club.
He will also chart the challenges of generating enough income for the team to be sustainable, which would need a minimum of $45m in revenue and $11m of annual government investment.
Mr Gutwein said Government financial support was locked in.
“The taskforce report actually proposed somewhere between eight and 12 million dollars in terms of ongoing support, obviously we provide about $8 million at the moment each and every year [to the Hawks and Roos],” he said.
“That support for AFL, moving forward, is locked in. It is a commitment by the Government that we want to see AFL played in the state and importantly, we would use that money to support our own AFL team when we get one.”
D-Day: Most important moment in Tassie footy
— Jon Ralph and Glenn McFarlane
Tasmanian AFL greats say they will never stop fighting for a stand-alone team in their state as the league sits down to discuss the Colin Carter report.
The AFL Commission will use Carter’s comprehensive review to chart a way forward for football in the state as part of a two-day meeting on Wednesday and Thursday.
If the league did approve a 19th team, it would seek to avoid putting a vote straight to clubs for fear of presidents knocking back a Tasmanian licence.
Instead, the league will seek to reach a consensus position with clubs on the possible introduction of a new licence.
The league will also assess the four submissions for new AFLW teams from Hawthorn, Port Adelaide, Sydney and Essendon as it considers their bids for entry from late 2022 onwards.
Carter is expected to detail the significant upside for participation rates if Tasmania had its own team as well as the traditional football state’s right to have its own club.
But he will also chart the challenges of generating enough income for the team to be sustainable, which would need a minimum of $45 million in revenue and $11 million of annual government investment.
Tasmanian stars Rodney Eade and Alastair Lynch on Tuesday urged greater clarity surrounding a pathway towards a 19th AFL side.
Eade, who moved from Glenorchy to Hawthorn as a teenager and went on to a successful career as a player and coach, said it was time for Tassie to have a timeline on when it can have its own side.
“I don’t know how the report will go, especially now with Covid, but there is certainly enough passion (for a Tasmanian team),” Eade said.
“I think economically it would be more viable than what people think it might be. People think the north-south thing is a barrier. It can be in certain situations, but I’m certain they would get behind their own team.
“I’m sure if the AFL gave the team a green light, it would work.”
Carter has spent months on his report canvassing key stakeholders and considering the financial case for a 19th team as well as the code’s responsibility to a national game.
AFL legend Peter Hudson again threw his support behind a team for his home state.
“I’m like all people with a Tasmanian connection and I think most other people in the footy world … we’d love to see a Tasmanian team in the AFL at some stage,” he said.
“It has been a long time talked about … to me, the Carter Report should hopefully bring it to a head.”
Gold Coast chairman Tony Cochrane said a Tasmanian team would be “insanity” and to approve a new AFL clubs the league would need the vote of 14 of 18 presidents in a super majority.
That vote could come as early as September but the league believes it must find a way for the clubs and administration to come together to work out whether a Tasmanian team is sustainable.
The AFL Commission will discuss whether or not to release the Carter report publicly this week after Tasmanian premier Peter Gutwein demanded to see its contents this week.
Lynch, who was recruited to Fitzroy from Hobart and went on to become a three-time Brisbane Lions premiership player, said it would be “magnificent” to see Tasmania accepted into the AFL, given it had been one of the foundation footy states.
“I think the most important thing right now is to get some direction from the AFL,” Lynch said.
“We need to know what (targets) we need to meet to actually get a team. At least you know what is exactly going on then …
“The disappointing thing for everyone looking at Tassie footy is we don’t know that yet. Tassie has been kept at arm‘s length.
“If it is not on, then come out and tell us. If it is on, but we have to jump through some hoops, then tell us what the hoops are, and we will jump through them.
“And if we can’t jump through it, we will have no one else to blame.
“Whether it is a negative or positive response, Tassie deserves the right to know what is the foundation behind the AFL’s decision.
“I haven’t seen the business case, but the people involved are smart people who know the industry, know the business world, and I think they will be looking for direction (from the AFL).”
The 2019 Tasmanian taskforce report stated the Tasmanian government would need to fund the team with $11 million of annual investment, with the league giving $17.1 million as part of its annual funding.
Tasmanian would be the “most likely team base”, and while the league would need to find that extra $17 million per season the extra 11 home-and-away games would help increase the TV rights package.
McLachlan said in 2015 he believed Tasmania “deserves its own team” but said “the brutal reality right now (is) the economy and scale of growth mean they financially can‘t support their own team playing 11 games, you need $45 million”.
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Originally published as AFL 2021: Nick Riewoldt has called out AFL club presidents for being ‘irresponsible’ over Tasmania.
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