Sydney remains open-minded to Tasmanian AFL team as D-Day looms

Decision day is fast approaching for presidents to rule on whether Tasmania will enter the AFL. And a vocal president has had his say on the issue.

Gillon McLachlan won’t walk away until his big-ticket items are in hand. Picture: AFL Photos/Getty Images

Sydney says it is still open-minded to helping green-light a Tasmanian AFL team as Brownlow Medal day looms as a potential D-Day for the historic decision.

The AFL’s 18 presidents are still in the dark about the timing of a meeting that will decide Tasmania’s fate, but are set to receive an information pack from the league no later than next Tuesday.

Sydney chairman Andrew Pridham told the Herald Sun on Friday a scheduled president’s meeting on the Monday of grand final week – also Brownlow Medal day – shaped as the best chance to assemble all 18 presidents.

At that vote the AFL will attempt to establish a consensus position but under AFL rules two thirds of presidents would be needed to vote down the proposal.

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Sydney is open-minded to a Tasmanian team entering the competition. Picture: Morgan Hancock/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

Pridham has been one of the four most vocal presidents in raising significant objections to a Tasmanian team given the economic case has not been proven and there is no stadium deal.

He said the Sydney board was in unison that it would support a Tasmanian team if the overwhelming case was made the league could financially support a 19th licence.

Pridham said a potential meeting of the 18 presidents by next Tuesday to receive the business case and evidence of the 11 workstreams that make up a Tasmanian bid was unlikely.

“My guess is we will get the papers next week and we will meet on Brownlow Medal day. We have a scheduled meeting then anyway and we have a president’s lunch on the Sunday before it anyway with only the presidents and not the AFL,” he said.

“They won’t get everyone dropping everything for a meeting in Melbourne next week.

“The board has the same view as me. Which is that we are very supportive of a Tasmanian team. But it has to stack up financially and operationally and that is not just a thing to say, it’s a real thing.

“It has to stack up financially and also in terms of talent, player retention, all those sorts of things. It is what we are focused on. Don’t do it if it’s not going to succeed. But if it is, we will be right behind it.”

Pridham said the total lack of information about the Tasmanian pitch and the stadium economics had made it hard for clubs to back in the 19th licence model.

“All we have got so far is a photo of a stadium. That’s it. Or not even a photo, a drawing. It would be hard to see the economics (of the stadium) working but ideally they would have a team. Ideally there would be fewer teams in Melbourne too, so there are a lot of dynamics at play.”

What Gill feels he must do before he can walk away

Gillon McLachlan has committed to remaining at AFL House as long as it takes to land a massive agenda of big ticket items even if it drags into the summer.

McLachlan has made clear to AFL commission boss Richard Goyder that he remains committed to landing the full suite of agenda items that include the TV rights deal, Tasmania’s licence, new collective bargaining agreements for AFL and AFLW as well as ongoing club funding.

McLachlan has no immediate plans to move into another role next year so will continue working until all of those deals are done.

The league is likely to announce his replacement a few weeks before his departure, which increasingly looks likely to be closer to the end of the calendar year.

Announcing a successor well ahead of his departure would raise speculation about why the new AFL chief executive was not tasked with landing those items.

Gillon McLachlan won’t walk away until his big-ticket items are in hand. Picture: AFL Photos/Getty Images

But a well-timed announcement just before his eventual departure would allow him clear air to bring home those deals then allow the new chief executive to drive his or her agenda into the future.

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The AFL is closing in on a TV rights deal, which will help the league land a 19th licence for Tasmania, with club presidents expected to meet early next week to receive the information pack on the 11 workstreams to underpin a new AFL club.

Those 18 presidents will have time to scrutinise the information and present it to their boards and then meet again with the league later in September, potentially in Grand Final week when the AFL Commission also has a meeting.

McLachlan must then start the complicated issue of landing a new pay deal with AFL players that in the past has taken the better part of a year to secure.

McLachlan will begin the process on a new pay deal. Picture: AFL Photos/Getty Images

The last pay deal was signed off in June 2017 — well into the next season after the previous CBA had expired.

It is understood the AFLPA wants to broker a joint men’s and women’s collective bargaining agreement, with the current one-season AFLW deal to expire at the end of this season.

The hope is the deal will be brokered more easily given the 2017 agreement which saw players receiving 28 per cent of AFL assessable revenue and 11.2 per cent of unbudgeted club revenues.

The AFLPA is currently speaking to players across the country to acquire feedback about the priorities in both the men’s and women’s codes.

The league must also secure a funding model for AFL clubs as well as work through a concussion fund for players battling the effects of head knocks.

AFL sets date to present case for Tassie team

—Lauren Wood

AFL club presidents could be armed with the full case study on a Tasmanian team by next Tuesday, with a vote on the competition’s 19th team looming.

And league chief executive Gillon McLachlan has affirmed his belief that a stadium remains essential for the bid to succeed.

The Tasmanian state government has estimated that a new stadium in the Apple Isle could cost in the realm of $750 million, but McLachlan said on Monday that “nothing’s changed” in relation to the league’s position regarding a showpiece venue for any potential team.

“What form that takes, whether it’s a conditional issue or something more definitive, we’ll work through that,” he said at the launch of the AFL finals series.

“This is our national game with incredible facilities and I know the Tasmanian government and Tasmanians expect to have that centrepiece of a functional facility of pride, the way Adelaide Oval is in South Australia, the way Optus (Stadium) is in Perth, the way the MCG and Marvel (Stadium) are for Melburnians.

AFL boss Gillon McLachlan launches the 2022 finals series. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“I don’t think Tasmanians would want a team without a new stadium.

“That’s what the deal’s going to be and nothing’s changed about that.”

Previous indications had pointed to an August vote by clubs on the Tasmanian team, but that has been pushed back, with McLachlan revealing that he intended to meet with club presidents – who remain yet to sight the state’s comprehensive proposal for the team – before September 6.

“We just need to finalise a couple of things internally and some stuff with the Tasmanian government, and I’m optimistic that it’ll get done and we’ll meet with the clubs on that basis,” McLachlan said.

He would not address whether the league would press the Tasmanian government for more money in the deal, with the state body having previously offered $150 million in funding including some $10 million over 10 years.

GILL ON …

THE PRE-FINALS BYE

McLachlan backed in the week’s break for men’s sides before the finals series, despite suggestions it had led to a loss of momentum and disadvantaged higher ranked sides.

“Since we’ve done it, the top-four teams have won every time except once. The fact that a team could win outside the top four, if that’s what is generated, that’s a good thing,” he said.

“I know that it’s still better to finish top four than bottom four.

“We’re able to set up a lot of things – we had an incredible opening to AFLW on the weekend.

“In terms of a lack of momentum, which is an argument … people are building, talking – it actually generates momentum. I think it’s actually been a good thing.

“We have good squads – football is better for it, because people are rested. The only argument I can hear – apart from that no one likes change and they want to bleat about stuff – is maybe the concept of the advantage of being a top-four team is less than what it was. But if it means that one team can get up in that period and win, I think it’s a good thing.”

THE NEXT TV RIGHTS DEAL

Free-to-air footy is here to stay, McLachlan has emphatically declared, as negotiations on a new broadcast rights deal roll on.

“What I can guarantee is it will be wall-to-wall free to air coverage like there is now,” he said.

“Free-to-air coverage is a cornerstone of the way we talk to our supporters and the way they get to enjoy it. There’s 77 free to air games, we play all the slots that people want to play. Whatever happens going forward, free-to-air will be a critical part of our broadcast.”

He said the league did not feel pressured by federal communication Minister Michelle Rowland’s involvement and concerns that more games could be put behind a paywall.

Brisbane captain Dayne Zorko was at the centre of an AFL sledging storm. Picture: Albert Perez/AFL Photos via Getty Images

SLEDGING

The chief said he had not felt the need to remind players where the line is on sledging opponents in the wake of last week’s Dayne Zorko-Harrison Petty drama.

“I think that it’s clear from the feedback and the commentary that Dayne will have reflected on that,” he said.

“Being competitive and combative doesn’t excuse talking nonsensically. I think players need to own what comes out of their mouth. We all own our behaviours, and I know that people make mistakes, they reflect and get better.”

PLAYING AFLW GAMES AT STADIUMS

McLachlan backed calls for big AFL Women’s games to be played in stadiums such as Marvel Stadium, which set the stage for Essendon and Hawthorn’s inaugural clash on Saturday night, but said there remained a place for smaller venues.

“The atmosphere at Marvel Stadium for Essendon v Hawthorn was fantastic, but also the uniqueness of the Sydney game at North Sydney and those bespoke venues … I don’t think we want to give that up too easily,” he said.

“I think people love going to Whitten Oval, to Moorabbin … that has a special energy and a special atmosphere. For the games where the crowd is big enough, like it was on Saturday night, we should move it.

“And I also think we should maintain that intimacy and that special inclusive atmosphere that is at the core of AFLW.”

The Bombers and Hawks AFLW sides attracted a big crowd at Marvel Stadium. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

HIS FINALS FORECAST

McLachlan noted Collingwood’s surge to the top four as his finals feel-good story, but declared the Demons undersold.

“They’ve all got their stories, but I do feel like Collingwood has got something special going at the moment,” he said.

“When the guy where I get my coffee in the morning is saying as long as they’re more than 25 points down at three-quarter time he feels like they can win – and that’s what he meant to say – that’s a special story. I know they believe they can win, and that will carry them a long way if they can.

“I think obviously Geelong have been great. I feel that Melbourne a bit (undersold), frankly. They’re the current premiership team – they were 10-0. Everyone’s got to have their wobbles, but clearly Geelong look great and I think Melbourne are a bit (underrated).”

Why Fagan wants pre-finals bye scrapped

Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan has hit out at the timing of the pre-finals bye, claiming it does not deliver an advantage to the top-four teams.

As the Lions prepare for an elimination final against Richmond at the Gabba on Thursday night, Fagan said top-four teams could be at a disadvantage by having two games off in the space of three weeks following a qualifying final win.

The AFL reverted to a week off before the finals in season 2022 after the bye was moved to the week before the grand final last year.

Fagan said he would prefer the top-four teams to have just one week off after a qualifying final win to capitalise on their ladder position.

“I must admit I’m not a huge fan of it,” Fagan said on 3AW.

“I think particularly for those teams that finish top four, I think if you win in that first week then you have got another week off.

“And then fundamentally what that means is you have worked hard all year to finish top four but you have played one game in roughly 24 to 27 days by the time you have played that prelim final, and that isn’t always an advantage I don’t think.

The Lions and Tigers will face off in the first week of finals for the third time in four seasons. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“I thought it was better when the teams that finished in the top four played in their qualifying final, if they won, then they got a week off, which was an advantage.

“So, I think all the advantage should go to the teams that finish in the top four. They have worked hard for a six-month period to get there and that should be what they receive.”

Fagan’s Lions finished sixth on the ladder after falling out of the top four in the final round following a heavy loss to Melbourne.

The Lions suffered a one-point semi-final loss to the Western Bulldogs at the Gabba last year.

Cats have final say on ‘home’ final drama

– Sam Landsberger

Chris Scott’s long campaign for Geelong to host finals at GMHBA Stadium appears to have been overpowered by new club boss Steve Hocking, who doesn’t want thousands of Cats fans locked out of September action.

Geelong’s record membership of 71,257 this season includes almost 30,000 Melbourne-based supporters and the club requested a Saturday twilight (4.35pm) qualifying final so their regional supporters could travel to the MCG and back home at a reasonable time.

GMHBA Stadium’s capacity will swell to 40,000 when the redevelopment is completed early next season and Hocking said the Cats had “a foot in each camp”, given they have a 9-2 split between games down the highway and at the ’G.

“I have a different view on that and so does the board,” Hocking said on 3AW when asked whether the Cats would renew their push for home finals at the renovated GMHBA Stadium next year.

“I’m really big on you’ve got to win finals at the MCG (and) we need to support our Melbourne supporters as well, which we have a big contingent of.

“Come finals you can’t be locking out a lot of people. Our final against Collingwood is sold out.”

The Cats have been spruiking their growing membership base in Melbourne and ware trying to cater for them more while Hocking understands that the AFL is in charge of deciding where finals are played.

The minor premiers could play MCG tenants Collingwood (qualifying final), Richmond (preliminary final) and Melbourne (grand final) at their home ground in September.

But the Cats have won 10 out of their past 12 matches at the MCG.

Hocking also backed the pre-finals bye because it allowed players to get in “tip-top” shape and gave the AFLW clean air to launch its season this weekend.

Originally published as Sydney remains open-minded to Tasmanian AFL team as D-Day looms