Coronavirus drags Tassie AFL team dreams back 10 years

AFL taskforce chairman Brett Godfrey is not concerned about the momentum behind the state’s push to join the league being sapped by the coronavirus pandemic.

AFL taskforce chairman Brett Godfrey is not concerned about the momentum behind the state’s push to join the league being sapped by the coronavirus pandemic.

Godfrey and Premier Peter Gutwein met with AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan late last month for the first time since the taskforce released its business case for a team in early February.

Club presidents then met last week to discuss the merit of a Tasmanian team

Speaking on Fox Footy during the season opener between Richmond and Carlton on Thursday night, Collingwood president Eddie McGuire said the overwhelming view from all 18 clubs was positive.

However McGuire believes the impact of coronavirus — which has forced the league to reduce the season to 17 games and play matches in empty stadiums — could now set both Tasmania’s push and the competition back a decade.

“What’s heartbreaking, on last Tuesday week we had the presidents meeting and it was a really good discussion,” McGuire said.

“We put it on the agenda and debated and really got stuck into it and there was a real feel that the time is there. And you know what, we said we’ve nearly got enough dough to look at this. Gone. Gone. It’s all gone.”

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 08: Eddie McGuire, President of the Collingwood FC is seen during the 2020 AFLW Round 05 match between the Collingwood Magpies and the Western Bulldogs at Morwell Recreation Reserve on March 08, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

“I think at least [back 10 years]. Not just Tassie, the whole game.

Tasmanian and St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt, who is also on the taskforce, echoed McGuire’s sentiment.

“I was part of that taskforce and genuinely a month ago when the question was asked, you could genuinely say with the 260 page document, all the feasibility that had been done,” he said.

Nick Riewoldt at the St Kilda Football club. Tuesday, February 3, 2020. (AAP Image/David rosling)

“You could genuinely say we are as close to a team in Tasmania as we have ever been in the history of the game. The ramifications of this are going to be far reaching.”

However despite the setback as the world deals with the COVID-19 outbreak, Godfrey is not reaching for the panic button.

Instead he remains confident the time frame is achievable.

“Eddie’s very buoyant summation from the president’s meeting in ‘normal’ times should be seen very positively by Tasmania and it’s supporters,” Godfrey said via a statement.

“Of course, now, we are in anything but ‘normal’ times.

New Tas AFL project team chairman Brett Godfrey at a press conference at Blundstone Arena, Bellerive. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

“I think though it is fair to say that we are talking about a 2025 scenario and the AFL rightly have a more pressing immediate issues to consider.

“The taskforce certainly understands the priority and will be both patient and continue to push Tasmania’s case when appropriate. That time will come.”

Mr Gutwein was also upbeat while acknowledging the unprecedented circumstances.

“The AFL is in the same position as many businesses around this country.

“Whether the season even proceeds past this next week is a question I’m sure will need to be answered soon.

“We will continue to work on our aspiration, at the end of the day we will get through this, we will come out the other side and again the reasons for us wanting a Tasmanian team have not changed.”