AFL offers to help Roos find a head

THE AFL will help North Melbourne find a new chief executive if the club asks for assistance.

Eugene Arocca

THE AFL will help North Melbourne find a new chief executive if the club asks for assistance.

AFL chief Andrew Demetriou said “we have offered to help, if they want our help” in the quest to replace Eugene Arocca, whose shock resignation this week has put the Roos under the public microscope.

Demetriou said that despite Arocca's departure, the club was on target to meet all of its off-field objectives this season.

“The AFL sat down with every club and the end of last year. We gave certain clubs significantly more money than others but they have to meet certain targets," he told SEN.

“North Melbourne are hitting all their targets."

Demetriou said the job of chief executive at North, and the Western Bulldogs, would be the most challenging in the competition.

“It would not matter if the best CEOs went there, it would be tough. If I went to run the Kangaroos or the Bulldogs it would be a hard task,”he said.

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Demetriou, a former North Melbourne player, said he remained “dispassionate” about clubs because of his position.

“I have never sought to favour any club because of emotional attachment. In this role you must be dispassionate,” he said.

Demetriou also said the AFL was looking at options for two byes next season, backing up the exclusive story in today's Herald Sun.

He suggested pre-Easter matches to be played at Etihad Stadium, with interstate matches possible in Sydney away from the SCG and in Brisbane away from the Gabba to accommodate an earlier start to the season.

The MCG, SCG and Gabba cannot be used at that time of the year because they must be kept available for a possible Sheffield Shield cricket final.