Gillon McLachlan and other AFL leaders dodge media at AFLW draft amid Shane Mumford scandal

CEO Gill McLachlan and other league hierarchy raised eyebrows for a sudden disappearing act at the AFLW draft. No sooner had Nina Morrison’s name been called, they all made for the exit avoiding any questions about the Shane Mumford’s drug video.

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA - SEPTEMBER 20: AFL Chief Executive Officer Gillon McLachlan speaks before unveiling the first ever large-scale murals showing eight of this yearÕs Finals Series players during the Virgin Australia AFL Finals Mural unveiling at Melbourne Airport, Melbourne on September 20, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/AFL Media/Getty Images)

LIPS were pursed at the AFLW draft after the disappearing act of the league hierarchy.

All the head honchos were there for the big event at Marvel Stadium with CEO Gillon McLachlan leading the posse which included football boss Steve Hocking, Andrew Dillon and Patrick Keane.

They were front and square for the first round of the women’s draft but as soon as the name of the No.12 selection was read out they were on their feet.

The timing was interesting given their departure out a side entrance coincided with the media pack being called out to the balcony to interview No.1 pick Nina Morrison.

They’d been waiting patiently to interview McLachlan about the breaking story involving Shane Mumford’s drug binge.

It wasn’t just the media who were miffed by the exit with club officials bemused by the league boss walking out early from one of the biggest events on the women’s calendar.

Even if there were more pressing meetings scheduled, the optics of the disappearance in the current climate was seen as being far from ideal.

AFLW draft 2018: Follow every pick live

Former AFL premiership player Shane Mumford filmed snorting drugs off a table

Shane Mumford still likely to make AFL comeback with GWS Giants after drug video emerges

Gillon McLachlan made a swift exit form the AFLW draft

FIERY END TO THE DAY

SOME high-profile media types weren’t the only ones to catch fire at Metropolitan during Monday’s World Cup of Golf celebrity day.

The actual trophy itself literally burst into flames.

While celebrities such as Shane Warne, Brendan Fevola, Damien Fleming and Keith Schleiger, the foreman from ‘The Block,’ were lighting up the course, there was some unwanted heat emitting out of the trophy case.

The sizeable trophy had been on display near the opening hole baking in the 29 degree heat with a perspex cover over it.

After a few hours organisers noticed it appeared to be fogging up and went to investigate.

Once the lid was lifted, breaking the seal and allowing some oxygen in, the trophy ignited into flames like a scene out of ‘Chicago Fire’.

As you can see the gloves, which are a requirement for touching the trophy, fared the worst.

Some water was quickly found to put out the flames with the trophy now requiring some minor repair work and polishing before next month’s event.

Burnt gloves that handled the trophy that caught on fire at the World Cup of Golf celebrity day

WINNING NAME STAKE

WE might be battling to hold them out in all the big races but at least we’re forcing the international raiders to lose something . . . their names.

Australia is one of the few countries in the world not to adopt the international agreement to allow visiting horses to keep their own name.

According to Racing Australia if there is an active horse racing in this country under the same name, the visitor is forced into a change.

Melbourne Cup favourite Yucatan has been forced into a name change and will now be Yucatan Ire on the first Tuesday in November due to the existence of a three-year-old Murray Bridge-trained maiden who has had just one start.

The Mike Moroney-trained Sound Check, who ran in the Caulfield Cup, is now called Sound because there is a Soundcheck racing in Perth who has won just one race from 12 starts.

Aidan O’Brien’s star Idao, who has raced in seven countries around the globe and won $2.2 million in prizemoney, is now known as Our Idaho.

His namesake is a winner of one of 20 starts who ran last in Strathalbyn at its most recent start back in March.

THE WHISPER

THE dreaded cloud has claimed another victim. We hear an AFL star had saucy messages on his laptop discovered by his jilted partner who took exception to the content and decided payback was best served by spreading them on social media.