Caroline Wilson slams ‘bad taste’ joke by AFL Commission chair Richard Goyder at Gather Round

Veteran journalist Caroline Wilson has laid into an AFL heavyweight over a remark at Gather Round she labelled ‘insulting’.

Caroline Wilson has hit out at a joke she branded “disgusting” by AFL Commission chair Richard Goyder at the Gather Round launch last week, and has torn into Footy Classified co-host Craig Hutchison in the process, calling him “disingenuous”.

Goyder has led the protracted process of replacing current AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan, who was set to step down from the top job at the end of 2022, but delayed his departure after revelations emerged of institutional racism at Hawthorn, as well as the development of what would become Gather Round.

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McLachlan was reported to have been planning to leave his post soon after Gather Round, but with the South Australian showpiece having come and gone, the football world is no closer to knowing his successor, and Wilson found the Commission chairman making jokes about it the week of to be in “bad taste”.

"No, I'm not going to cop that, Craig."
"It was just a joke!"

Things get heated as Hutchy challenges Caro over her criticism of AFL commission chairman Richard Goyder. 🔥#9FootyClassified | @Channel9pic.twitter.com/5nlv21aYSn

— Footy on Nine (@FootyonNine) April 17, 2023

“Richard Goyder, in that time honoured tradition of AFL bosses, tried to make a joke at the Gather Round launch last Wednesday night about a key administrative failing,” Wilson said on Monday night.

“In this case, his failure to appoint a successor for the man he reveres, Gillon McLachlan, and his cavalier treatment of the five other candidates for the top job.

“The problem was, it wasn’t funny.

“Waxing lyrical about the South Australian Premier, his good looks, and his amateur footy background, Goyder joked that Peter Malinauskas was not unlike Gillon McLachlan, and maybe he should be the next AFL CEO.

“Frankly, this was insulting.

“Certainly, to four of the five candidates who were in the room when he made that joke, all of whom have spent the best part of the last year devoting themselves for going for the job, and all of whom have had their brands tarnished by Richard Goyder’s performance.

“Not funny, Richard.”

Co-host Craig Hutchison defended the joke, and said Wilson may have been the only person who took Goyder seriously.

Gillon McLachlan, Chief Executive Officer of the AFL (left) and Richard Goyder, Chairman of the AFL Commission (right). (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

“I thought the Richard Goyder joke was funny,” Hutchison replied.

“Someone had to break the ice on the situation and it was a bit of a laugh.

“No one took it seriously, maybe other than you (Caroline).”

It was then where the discussion got heated, with Wilson taking Hutchison to task over what she saw to be disingenuousness.

“Craig, you’re being completely disingenuous, I’m prepared to cop some of your complete phony behaviour, but you were there, I was there,” she said.

“So many club bosses were disgusted by that joke, and you know they were, so don’t pretend you don’t know that.

“I’m not going to put up with it. I’m not going to cop that, Craig! I’m not going to cop it. “Many, many club bosses, all the ones I spoke to thought it was in really poor taste.

“Don’t be disingenuous.”

"As we sit here tonight, the AFL comission is divided."

Caroline Wilson says the AFL's search to replace Gillon McLachlan has led to tense divisions over two leading contenders.#9FootyClassified | @Channel9pic.twitter.com/32RbjAdM6g

— Footy on Nine (@FootyonNine) April 17, 2023

Hutchison then tried to underline the comical nature of the remarks, despite the protracted nature of the search.

“It was just a joke, though, at the end of the day,” he said.

“I think the process has been clumsy and too long, but I think having a joke about it was not the end of the world.”

Wilson maintained, however, that the joke was in “poor taste”, given the nature of the Commission’s search for a CEO.

“No one’s denying it was a joke, it wasn’t funny. It was in poor taste,” she said.

“And you agreed that all those candidates have had their brands tarnished by what’s gone on.

“Don’t be disingenuous, Craig.”

Former Essendon legend and co-host Matthew Lloyd said the AFL was lucky that the issue had not been picked up by a plurality of commentators, calling it a “dog’s breakfast”.

“What a dog’s breakfast it’s been...(there’s been a) lack of leadership from above with no decisions being made on a head of footy and a boss of the AFL,” Lloyd said.

AFL fixtures boss Travis Auld is also in the running for the top job. NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

Wilson took Lloyd’s remarks as an opportunity to have another jab at Hutchison and critique the close relationship between football media and the governing body.

“You can say that because you’re not a client of the AFL, like Craig is,” she said.

Hutchison took umbrage at the jab, asking for Wilson to respect his views.

“He said a joke, Caro. I have a different view to you, I hear yours. Hopefully at some point you can respect mine,” he said.

Wilson also revealed that the AFL Commission remained “divided” over their choice of CEO, despite being at the end of the public timeline to appoint a successor for Gillon McLachlan.

“As we sit here tonight, the AFL Commission is divided, and my understanding is they’re divided between Andrew Dillon … and Kylie Watson-Wheeler, who has been a firm favourite of at least the chairman, Richard Goyder and I understand at least one or two other commissions including Paul Bassat,” she said.

“What we saw last week as Gather Round was launched in South Australia was a story break by News Limited that Kylie Watson-Wheeler, who has been denying that she was a candidate for a year, and we’ve mentioned it on this show, and been told flatly by her club, the Western Bulldogs (that she chairs) that she’s not in the running.

“Kylie Watson-Wheeler has been named as one of the favourites for the job, she went to the function at the Gather Round launch at Magill Estate, walked away from journos who came up to ask her about it, and continued to refuse to talk about it over the weekend.”

Kylie Watson-Wheeler is the Managing Director of the Walt Disney Company, as well as the President of the Western Bulldogs. Picture: Daniel Pockett

Andrew Dillon, Executive General Manager Football Operations/General Counsel of the AFL. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Wilson was highly critical of Commission chair Goyder and the manner in which he has dealt with prospective candidates for the role.

“(This is) one of the worst processes I’ve ever seen in a CEO search in the AFL,” Wilson said.

“I’ve never seen an AFL chairman so underwhelmingly received by the rest of the clubs.

“The clubs are very disappointed in Richard Goyder and not happy with the process.

“We had one-on-one meetings during the weekend broadcasted, lobbying the AFL, and not necessarily thinking Kylie Watson-Wheeler should get the job, fairly or unfairly.

“We had candidates with Richard Goyder, meeting him one-on-one, including Andrew Dillon, trying to convince the chairman because there is a suggestion that Andrew Dillon doesn’t want (the job) enough.”

Wilson said that Goyder’s vote was, as of last week, with Watson-Wheeler, who is also the Managing Director for the Walt Disney Company in Australia.

“(Goyder’s vote) was (with Watson-Wheeler) last week. Where this leaves Brendon Gale, Travis Auld and Kylie Rogers is anybody’s guess,” she said.

Richmond CEO Brendon Gale seems to be out of the running for the role despite being an early favourite. Picture by Michael Klein

“As we sit here tonight, they have not been told they are out of the running. The other person who is a big player in all of this is Gillon McLachlan … it’s been really difficult for Gillon to leave, the Commission don’t want him to leave, Richard Goyder, and others including Robin Bishop have been trying to convince him to stay.

“I can’t definitively say he’s going. I think he will - there’ll be good news for the AFL and Tasmania next month, and there’s so much unfinished business to do.

“We had one club president a year ago, Andrew Pridham (of the Swans) saying ‘you can’t rule from the grave,’ well, that’s exactly what’s going on.

“Yesterday, Gillon McLachlan did another three-year deal with the South Australian government for Gather Round, a deal that you would think he won’t be there to see out.”

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas (left) has secured Gather Round for South Australia until 2026 Picture: Emma Brasier

Wilson noted that Watson-Wheeler had been put in a particularly difficult position, especially if she doesn’t get the job, with her position at Disney Australia a tricky one to navigate given the company’s involvement in sporting media rights deals around the world.

The Walt Disney Company, through its ownership of ESPN and Star India, own the television rights to the biggest games across the four American major sporting leagues, as well as the Indian Premier League through Star India.

“The view of the clubs is that Kylie Watson-Wheeler did not want this to come out that she was in the running. She’s been highly embarrassed by the fact it has come out, particularly if she doesn’t get the job.

“She’s also the CEO (Watson-Wheeler is in fact the Managing Director) of Disney in Australia … I think the AFL have embarrassed her.

“I’ve never seen an AFL chairman so disregarded by the clubs.

“Gillon McLachlan didn’t have a strong succession plan … however I don’t think the Commission has a succession plan either.

“I think it should be Andrew Dillon or Brendon Gale, but … I believe it’s going to go to Andrew Dillon now.”

The AFL has been contacted for comment.

Originally published as Caroline Wilson slams ‘bad taste’ joke by AFL Commission chair Richard Goyder at Gather Round