By Peter Ryan
The shock resignation of Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein will not derail the state’s bid to have a standalone AFL team, according to Tasmanian AFL taskforce chairman Brett Godfrey.
The taskforce had a phone hook-up just 15 minutes after Gutwein’s announcement on Monday afternoon to discuss the ramifications of his decision and have already told the AFL that it is business as usual.
The taskforce is expected to meet again once the government determines who will be the next premier, with a decision expected to be made on the licence when AFL clubs meet in August.
Peter Gutwein watches his son Finn’s football game with wife Amanda at the NTCA Sports Complex in Launceston.Credit: Sarah Rhodes
“It’s been 30 years, so I don’t mind waiting another week for a new premier to be installed, given this has bipartisan support,” Godfrey said.
“This is not about one person. It’s about the entire state and the justification for [a standalone AFL team], which is both economic and justifiable, so on that basis we just move forward.
“Peter [Gutwein] has been an advocate and will stay involved in some shape or form. In 30 years there has been a lot of downs [but] this is not a down, it’s just a stumble. But we will pick ourselves up and get in the game next week.”
The Tasmanian AFL taskforce presented a business case to the league for a standalone team in Tasmania just before the pandemic hit in 2020 and the premier played a key role in reigniting the push when he threatened to stop committing funds to Hawthorn and North Melbourne for games played in the state unless the AFL assessed the bid properly.
Former AFL commissioner and Geelong president Colin Carter reviewed the business case and said it stood up. AFL CEO Gill McLachlan admitted in March the AFL was in a financially sound enough position to consider adding a standalone Tasmanian AFL team to the competition.
The AFL announced in November that executive Travis Auld and Sam Graham would lead the league’s work with the Tasmanian AFL licence taskforce, and have formed a working group to examine various aspects of the bid.
Former Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson is a consultant advising the bid, and Gutwein announced a month ago that the government would help fund a $750 million stadium in Hobart if the bid was successful.
Viewed as a straight shooter, Gutwein’s forceful style has given the bid momentum after his predecessor Will Hodgman supported the development of a taskforce to examine the bid’s feasibility.
Few AFL club presidents have made clear their position on the granting of an AFL licence to Tasmania.
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