Dogged faith and the PM’s football club loyalty

The Western Bulldogs president wants the PM to repledge his allegiance to the Melbourne club.

“Keep the faith!” That’s the message from Western Bulldogs president Peter Gordon to Scott Morrison, in an effort to get the Messiah from the Shire to repledge his allegiance to the plucky club from Melbourne’s west that he abandoned. As Strewth noted last week, Morrison claimed to have no AFL allegiances after his ascension to the Liberal leadership last year, despite previously declaring himself to be a theme song-singing Bulldogs supporter. Gordon told gun political reporter Greg Brown — who has been actively pursuing the case of Morrison’s feigned AFL fandom and rebrand as a rusted-on Cronulla Sharks fan for two years — the Bulldogs were a “broad church” that welcomed people from “all political persuasions”, despite their working-class roots and links to Labor. “I can understand it being three years since winning a premiership that he may have cooled on us a little. But I will urge him to keep the faith because we will be back,” Gordon said. “When our former prime minister Julia Gillard said, before she became prime minister, that there was more chance of her playing full-forward for the Bulldogs than becoming prime minister, the club promptly offered her that position. I will simply extend the invitation to Mr Morrison that if he is prepared to swear the same allegiance he can have his choice of position next year as well. We’d be very pleased if he’d be prepared to tag Toby Greene next time we play the Giants.”

Stood up at the dance

Morrison wore an orange tie to the big dance on Saturday, but skipped the traditional North Melbourne breakfast and sent an elated Treasurer Josh Frydenberg in his place. Deputy PM Michael McCormack and Nationals deputy Bridget McKenzie also scored an invite. The Prime Minister was spotted briefly during the broadcast drinking a beer and sharing a laugh with AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan. Also in the VIP seats was a Giants beanie-and-scarf-clad NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian sitting next to Frydenberg; Foreign Minister Marise Payne with her partner, NSW Jobs and Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres; NSW Energy and Environment Minister Matt Kean; and former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett. Morrison kept a low profile during the game and as of yet hasn’t posted anything on social media. Possibly due to the big, big sound of defeat from the GWS change room after their epic grand final loss to Richmond … or maybe because of the Strewth spotlight on his football fidelity?

Code of conduct

Scott Morrison prepares to put the boot in. Picture: Getty Images

When we asked the Prime Minister’s office, his press secretary didn’t want to play ball (pun intended) and instead referred us to Morrison’s previous answers about league loyalty. So here they are. “I don’t have a team, my team is the Cronulla Sharks up in Sydney,” he told Melbourne radio during the election campaign this year. “I like AFL but I am not a phony. I’m not going to go around pretending I’m something I am not. I grew up in NSW, a suburban boy, I’ve been following (rugby league) ever since I was a kid and I am who I am. I’m never going to be someone I’m not. I’m not going to be inauthentic. What you see is what you get.”

But in 2009, Morrison claimed that he was a fan of the Western Bulldogs and called the AFL grand final the “greatest show in Oz”. He tweeted he supported the Victorian team instead of the Swans because he was introduced to the “great game” by the club’s former coach, Rodney Eade, “and loyalty counts”. He also tweeted: “Not thonking (sic) about the fact that Julia Gillard is also a dogs fan. They say you should always look for the good in people.”

Marles attacks

Deputy Labor leader Richard Marles (a fan of the Geelong Cats, who bowed out to Richmond in the finals) didn’t hold back when he accused Morrison of committing the “greatest sin within footy” of dumping a team. “If the PM was true to his word and was a true supporter of a footy club, he would know this.” For his sins, Marles drew the short straw and fronted up for an Insiders grilling on Sunday morning.

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