AFL made right call on virus: Swans boss

Swans chairman Andrew Pridham, who is part of the AFL’s war cabinet, said the right decision was made to play on.

Mitchell Crowden of the Dockers arrives with teammates at Perth airport before their flight to Melbourne Picture: Getty Images

Swans chairman Andrew Pridham, who is part of the AFL’s war cabinet steering the code through the COVID-19 pandemic, said the right decision was made to play on.

Pridham told The Australian the entire emergency committee of AFL powerbrokers, which included Collingwood president Eddie McGuire, Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett, Bulldogs’ Peter Gordon, AFL chairman Richard Goyder, chief executive Gillon McLachlan and commissioners Paul Bassat and Robin Bishop, all agreed the right thing to do would be to play.

While the decision was intensely debated the entire cabinet “were united” to start the season.

“There was a lot of debate but at the end everyone was like; right let’s do it,” Pridham said.

“It was a very difficult decision, extremely difficult, I think you could argue both sides of the debate, whether it was the right thing to do or not.”

“I backed the decision, I think that ultimately the players want to play. Obviously it is all based on detailed medical advice … the view was if there was unreasonable risks, we wouldn’t have done it.

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“The reality is, the way I look at it, from a player’s point view, is that it is their career.”

“People are being asked to go to work all over the country, whether they are working in supermarkets or hospitals, gardeners, people are still working. Why should footballers be denied the opportunity to earn their living?”

While McGuire and Pridham have clashed numerous times over the Collingwood president’s on-air gaffes they now get on “absolutely fine”. Kennett and McGuire have had harsh words about the Hawthorn president’s assertion that the AFL is a “boys’ club”.

“I get on absolutely fine with Eddie, I get on well with Jeff and Peter, there’s no animosity, that’s just bit of theatre,” Pridham said. “We are all working very well together, there’s a concrete sense of common objective; to help whatever we can do individually to guide the game through the biggest challenge it has ever had.”

“We all have a shared purpose to see the game survive and come out the other side.”

Pridham said the war cabinet is talking “constantly” as it continues help manage the game through the crisis.

Pridham, an investment banker, said the other obvious key component for proceeding is for the financial reasons.

“It’s critical to try and manage the financial position of the AFL and the clubs, ultimately the players, it’s imperative that the competition can continue in some form,” he said.

Pridham said it had been important to lift the spirits of the community in a time of high anxiety with the cases of COVID-19 rising daily.

“This sounds very grandiose, but the people of Australia have been kicked it the guts, it’s probably the most amount of national anxiety and fear the country has seen since World War II,” Pridham said.

“I think it is really important people have something to look forward to.”

Pridham said with a possible financial crunch facing the AFL players, he said his nine-year-old daughter had been “busily” making scrunchies to sell to support them.

“My daughter loves sport, she said the finances aren’t good, when I am on the war cabinet, she said to me; would that help to make scrunchies? I said it is a great thing to do but you’ve just got to make about $25 million dollars of them,” Pridham said.

“Even little kids care, they don’t not want footy to be there.”