Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett has blamed the AFL for the Gold Coast Suns’ struggles
HAWTHORN president Jeff Kennett says the AFL must take responsibility for Gold Coast’s malaise as chairman Tony Cochrane warns free agency raids by powerhouse teams will cripple struggling clubs.
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HAWTHORN president Jeff Kennett says the AFL must take responsibility for Gold Coast’s malaise as the embattled Suns called for help to stop a player exodus.
The troubled $200 million Suns, who have failed to play finals in eight seasons, are bracing for the departure of superstar co-captain Tom Lynch after revelations the gun forward had recently met with Collingwood and Richmond officials.
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Gold Coast chairman Tony Cochrane refused to criticise Lynch’s secret visits and called on the AFL to overhaul free agency to help save the Suns and other bottom clubs.
“We keep being raided by the top end of town. We better find an answer quick,” Cochrane told the Herald Sun.
Industry figures have declared a state of emergency at Gold Coast, saying the battling club needed a swath of top draft picks and up to $2 million a year extra in salary cap money to attract new talent.
But leading player agents have told the Herald Sun they would block any attempts to trade their players up north due to the club’s flailing on-field prospects.
Kennett said some club presidents strongly opposed the establishment of the two new franchise clubs and warned the league they faced significant challenges on and off the field.
“This is an issue, in one sense, of the AFL’s own making,” Kennett said.
“Not necessarily the current chairman (Richard Goyder) and to a lesser degree perhaps Gill (McLachlan), but it was certainly Andrew (Demetriou) and Gill and the former chairman (Mike Fitzpatrick) and therefore successors have got to take on board decisions of their predecessors.
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“So, what we are seeing today is a reflection of concerns that were raised when we were told there was going to be two new clubs.
“Now the AFL has got to deal with it, there is no way anyone else can.”
Gold Coast was admitted to the AFL with a first-time senior coach, football manager and captain and was initially given less first-round draft picks than Greater Western Sydney.
Kennett said Gold Coast would continue to cost the league.
“It was always known that GWS and Gold Coast were going to need a long-term investment, and that riled some presidents at the time,” Kennett said.
“Now the boards of these clubs struggling clubs have got to go sadly to the AFL, and the AFL don’t want any of the clubs to fail, so have therefore got to spend more money.”
Gold Coast chief executive Mark Evans yesterday said the club was keen to discuss the draft and player movement mechanisms which had hurt the AFL’s “competitive balance”.
Cochrane said yesterday Lynch’s meeting with Collingwood was a by-product of free agency.
He said it was a “part of free agency”, with the Suns anger dulled by the reality they long ago lost hope he would stay.
Lynch remains on the Mornington Peninsula, awaiting a surgeon’s tick-off to fly back to the Gold Coast and in all likelihood tell the Suns he is leaving.
Cochrane said a two-tiered system would destroy the value of AFL rights and condemn bottom-four clubs to years without playing finals.
“Free agency is slowly and surely going to do for the AFL what Colonel Sanders did for the super funds of chickens. He chops their heads off,” Cochrane told the Herald Sun today.
“It is one-way traffic. If we don’t come up with something to modify it or get it into balance it is slowly going to turn the AFL into the EPL.
“There will be five or six sides at the top who dominate the competition. There will be a bunch of sides who dream of making finals and that is about the best they can ever hope to be.
“The problem with that is over a long period of time media right start to slow down or start to go in the opposite direction.
“So media companies want to buy big games but if there are nine games every week, there are four or five they don’t give a s**t about.
“If you don’t believe that just pull out your AFL (ladder) from the last five or six years and have a look and there are four clubs stuck down there for a whole period of time.”
Leading player manager Liam Pickering said this week the league needed to award the Suns more cap space.
The Suns have lost hope Lynch will stay despite his manager Paul Connors on Saturday saying he was genuinely torn about his future.
“Tom talking to a club mid-season is all part of free agency,” Cochrane said.
“What I am saying to you is we are not going to end free agency now. That would be mission impossible. We need to find a way to counter free agency.
“We keep getting raided by the top end of town. We better find the answer quick.
“(Pickering’s idea) is a suggestion is one of three or four that people have come up with.
“Another suggestion is if you miss finals for five years in a row, you automatically get two picks inside the first 18
“You are all for Tom Lynch going to Richmond but they were top last year and are on top this year.
“So do they really need Tom Lynch so they can stay top for the next 50 years?
“That is fine, but get rid of the word competitive balance.
“If it’s going to be a free-for-all, make it a free-for-all. Then we will get to the stage where clubs at the very top are strong and stronger for longer and longer.”
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