David Koch fires back at Eddie McGuire in ‘prison bars’ guernsey fight
David Koch has taken another swipe at Eddie McGuire – saying the ex-Pies president just ‘makes stuff up’ as the prison bars jumper fight continues.
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Port Adelaide chairman David Koch says he isn’t expecting any action from the AFL for the “player decision” to wear the historic prison bars while singing the song after beating Adelaide in Showdown 49.
And Koch says former Collingwood president Eddie McGuire “believes he can speak on behalf of the AFL” after his sparring partner on Port Adelaide’s push to wear the jumper said the club was playing with fire by antagonising head office.
After their request to wear the prison bars jumper on the field in Saturday night’s Showdown was rejected by the AFL, Power players changed into the black and white guernsey after making their way in to the rooms to sing the song.
Koch said it was about honouring the history of the club.
“Basically it was a player decision to wear the guernsey in the song, it wasn’t about Eddie, it wasn’t about the AFL,” he said on FIVEaa.
“It was about our fans, it was about our members and it was about the history around the club.”
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It is understood the AFL took no umbrage from the move by the Power because from the league’s perspective, Port followed the directive not to wear the jumper in the game.
Koch said he had heard nothing from the AFL and it would be “strange” if anyone was sanctioned by the league for it.
“You are allowed to wear anything in the changerooms,” he said.
But on Sunday McGuire said on Fox Footy Port’s move was a “direct poke in the eye to Gillon McLachlan and the AFL commission”.
“They are playing with fire on this because they have signed an agreement that they would not manufacture any of those jumpers for merchandise and the crowd. They are starting to overplay their hand,” he said.
“It has moved out of Collingwood and Port Adelaide and moved onto City Hall.
“That is fire. So there you go. David Koch is sticking his nose into the AFL territory. It’s a big nose. I hope he doesn’t get it broken.”
Just when you thought a Showdown win couldn’t get any better... 🖤🤠#weareportadelaidepic.twitter.com/6D28GgIsKt
— Port Adelaide FC (@PAFC) May 8, 2021
Koch said McGuire needed to realise he didn’t speak on behalf of the AFL, and the former Collingwood president was showing his “nasty streak”.
“As is usual he just makes stuff up again and some of it, Einstein knows I’m no oil painting but Eddie has form,” he said.
“He has this nasty streak when he is under a bit of pressure he comments on people’s physical appearance. I’m big enough and ugly enough and I know I have a decent size honker.
“It’s fine but to make comments like that I think it is uncalled for, he has form in that area which I think is a nasty streak.
“He believes he can speak on behalf of the AFL and the AFL should be following exactly what he says.
“He has this enormous sense of self-importance that he runs the game and he can tell the AFL what to do.”
Koch told a SA Press Club function on Friday that he was going to meet with Collingwood about the push to wear the jumper, and would lobby the AFL to bring back Heritage Round – which the Power have an agreement to wear the prison bars in.
Power coach Ken Hinkley described the decision to wear the historic jumper after the game as a “sweet little moment” when speaking on 3AW radio in Melbourne on Sunday afternoon.
Hinkley said the club didn’t discuss their decision with the AFL.
“I don’t think there needed to be,” he said.
“You can wear what you like in your own rooms I think.
“Only a handful (of players and officials) that would have had some awareness of what was hopefully planned, but the jumper though is always real in our rooms, so to see the jumper there wasn’t surprising to the boys but the opportunity in a Showdown, which is the reason we want to wear it, it’s a state showdown, it’s a game where our history and our heritage is real and we want to represent it in our home Showdown at the very least and we feel like if that was the way we had to do it … you can take something away but you can’t take it all away is our attitude and we’ll represent it and respect it as best we possibly can.”
Hinkley said the guernsey also represented the fight Port faced to enter the AFL in the first place.
“If we go back to when Port first tried to become part of the AFL and things got in the way and didn’t quite get where they wanted to go and they had to keep fighting and they kept fighting and they eventually got there and our history as a football club is so proud, so strong and we don’t let things go very easily and you’ve got to be very proud of the club for wanting to take up the fight,” he said.
But not everyone is a fan of the club’s decision to wear it.
Collingwood legend Dane Swan was among a chorus of footy fans voicing their disapproval.
“Please don’t tell me that they put this on after the game? If so this may be the most cringe-worthy thing I’ve seen at AFL level,” he tweeted.
“Absolutely no way it was a player driven idea and FYI I have no problem with ‘em wearing it in a game, so save that retort please.”
But Port captain Tom Jonas said the significance of the moment was important to the players.
“It was only a small statement for the significance of what the jumper means to our club and our people and we wanted, as players, to show them how important it is to us too,” he told the Sunday Footy Show.
Power midfielder Karl Amon alluded to the players not knowing about the surprise guernsey swap until entering the change rooms after the final siren.
“We didn’t really know what was happening, and we walked into the rooms and all the prison bars guernseys were laid out,” he said in a radio interview post-game.
“It was really good by the club to organise it, it’s such a proud jumper of the club.”
Port Adelaide has worn the guernsey five times at the top level, including last year against the Crows, and since 1902 in the SANFL.
WHERE DOES BOAK SIT AMONG PORT GREATS?
Is Travis Boak the greatest Port Adelaide player since the club joined the AFL?
It may come down to whether he can taste premiership success with the Power.
Russell Ebert’s status as the greatest ever Port player is entrenched – that’s what three SANFL premierships, four Magarey Medals and six best and fairests earn you.
But the title of the greatest ever Port Adelaide player in the AFL, well, Boak might be giving that a shake-up.
After a third Showdown Medal on Saturday night, the 32-year-old is further building his case and his resume should only get better this year.
Following a 28 disposal, 10 contested possession and six clearance performance in game 290 against Adelaide, Boak is now only 10 behind Port’s AFL games record holder Kane Cornes.
When he reaches that mark Boak will have that honour, a second place in the Brownlow Medal, three All-Australian honours, three Showdown Medals and two club best and fairests.
So where does/will Boak rank among Port Adelaide’s modern greats?
Power coach Ken Hinkley said it wasn’t his place to comment on it, but did predict Boak to have more milestones to come.
“Trav is a long way from being done, I think he’s planning on playing his 400th not just his 300th,” he said.
“So, he has a bit in front of him, but he has been outstanding and I talk personally he has been a great person as a coach.
“I came in about nine years ago and made him captain and every time I’ve asked him to be the player, he has always done that for us.
“And that’s what you can mark them on, when you need him he is there.
“He is a fantastic person and also equally a great player.”
Former Port Adelaide vice-captain in the SANFL Dwayne Russell remarked after the match that Boak was “up there” along with Tom Jonas as “all time great leaders” of the club.
Teammate Todd Marshall said he did feel like he was witnessing a legend at times.
“Yeah, you do, there are a few boys like that,” he said.
“Especially playing with (Justin) Westhoff and (Brad) Ebert last year and this year with Boaky and Rob (Gray).
“And you do sit back at training and think how incredible it is that you get to be a part of a group with them.”
Last year The Advertiser and key figures from Port Adelaide’s history ranked the club’s 150 greatest players to mark its 150th anniversary.
Unsurprisingly Ebert was No. 1, but out of players to play in the AFL for the club it was 2004 premiership captain, four time All-Australian, four time club best and fairest winner and eight time leading goalkicker Warren Tredrea ranked as the highest – No. 6.
Brownlow Medal runner-up, 2004 flag winner and inaugural AFL captain for Port Gavin Wanganeen came in as 12th, five-time Showdown Medal winner, four time All-Australian and three time club best and fairest Robbie Gray was 14th.
Chad Cornes was No. 22, Kane No. 26, with Boak slotting in at No. 33.
But that was before Boak won back-to-back Showdown Medals and finished second in the Brownlow with the AFL games record to come shortly.
So whether Boak can challenge Tredrea or Wanganeen as the greatest Port Adelaide player in the AFL may simply come down to whether he can emulate their premiership success.
The good news for Boak is he may still have plenty of attempts to do this.
It says a lot about the respect the footy world has for the way Boak takes care of his body and mind, and how well he has played since hitting 30, that when he said he wanted to play until he was 40 it wasn’t dismissed as fantasy.
Travis Boak is now a 3x Showdown Medalist ðŸ…#AFLPowerCrowspic.twitter.com/mP80I8trZu
— AFL (@AFL) May 8, 2021
“He’s going to be the Tom Brady of the AFL, that’s the word on Travis Boak,” Melbourne legend Garry Lyon told Fox Footy.
“He wants to play until he’s 40, and he’s getting better and better every year he comes back.”
Marshall said Boak’s thirst for improvement was incredible.
“Travis is just a really good person which makes it even more important, he is caring and when he crosses that line on the footy field he is an absolute beast winning Showdown Medals and getting all the accolades,” he said.
“He is so professional the way he goes about it and he is a really good role model for all the younger guys coming through.
“He is always coming up with new gym drills and always finding a way to improve.
“He is getting better with age.”
The forward line future is now
The young guns of Port Adelaide’s attack helped take the game away from the Crows in the third quarter, and Hinkley loved it.
An “angry” Charlie Dixon, after Harris Andrews got the better of him in the heavy loss to Brisbane, was back to his damaging self at Adelaide Oval.
But it was Marshall (22yo) and Mitch Georgiades (19yo) who kicked four goals between them in the third, when the Crows were trying to get back into the match to set-up the ultimately comfortable win.
Marshall finished with three goals and 14 disposals, Georgiades 2.3 and 14 disposals while Dixon had two goals, 14 disposals, four marks and five tackles.
Marshall said the trio were getting better at playing together.
“We built a pretty good connection us three over the summer and it takes a bit of time to really gel how we wanted but I thought the last month we put in a pretty good block, although last week we got a bit of a lesson,” he said.
“So it is always good to hit the scoreboard as a trio and just do our job as tall forwards as well.”
Lyon said the “future of Port Adelaide” in Marshall and Georgiades worked well with Dixon.
“I love the mix they have, they all have different things you can bring,” he said.
Marshall said he was starting to get some consistency after a cheekbone and ankle injury so far this season.
“I was a bit on and off this season with injuries,” he said.
“It’s good to have a little bit more continuity in the body, and just playing with Charlie and Mitch and learning as a trio.
“It’s a bit of a different role for me, playing higher up the ground but hopefully we can make it work and keep pushing on.”
Hinkley said Marshall added a lot to Port Adelaide.
“Sorry if I’m smiling but I love him, he’s a great young person and he does everything that I ask him to do,” he said.
“He is an incredibly young talented player who gets missed because of the team stuff.”
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