Grant O’Brien remembers when football was the essence of Tasmanian life.
He won Penguin’s best and fairest award 30 years after his late father Vic. His older brother Michael also played in two premiership teams.
“When we played it involved the entire town,” Mr O’Brien recalls.
“Everyone had a role to play.
“It was a glue for the community.
“The bloke who was on the gate taking the money was the newsagent and the fella on the ladder plugging in the speakers was the mayor of the town.”
That’s why the 61-year-old father of three and former CEO of Woolworths has taken on the position of chair of Tasmania’s AFL team, he says – to bring the state together.
“If I can do something through the footy team to ensure that community sport is as good as it can be, then I do that because I know the benefits of it.”
PLAYING CAREER
On the field, Mr O’Brien was no slouch.
Mr O’Brien represented the ACT twice, played for Glenelg in South Australia, Ainslie in the ACT and then Clarence for a couple of years.
“I was a backman, I couldn’t kick goals,” he laughs.
The middle child of five boys and two girls, he now has two daughters aged 29 and 24, and a son 26 who has also played football, and is now studying medicine.
PAROCHIALISM
When he played there was no statewide competition and the three regions were very competitive.
“For years and years and years, that rivalry was encouraged.
“When we were working on the task force it was really clear when the process began that everyone wanted a team.
“It didn’t matter whether you’re from the North-West or North or South, there was overwhelming support for us to have the team that the locals perceived was owed to them.
“When things become a little more divided is when there was talk of where a stadium might be or where facilities might be.”
It must be accessible for everyone, he says.
“The JackJumpers play in Hobart substantially. They don’t play in the North-West and their stadium is in the South.
“My family that is still on the North-West travel down regularly to see the JackJumpers.”
TEAM FOCUS
Mr O’Brien says the focus has been too much around the stadium and not the team.
“Absolutely. No doubt about that. It is important to remind people that what the AFL gave us was a licence to form a football team.
“I’m hopeful that with the team being built, there’ll be a little more balance in the narrative around our team.
STADIUM A MUST
Mr O’Brien stresses the importance of having a top notch stadium like Adelaide and Perth and is confident it will get built at Macquarie Point.
“In an elite competition, like the AFL, you’ve got to be competitive on the ground and you’ve got to be competitive off the ground.
“Look at South Australia and Western Australia they get an enormous amount of revenue from their stadiums, not from when just when football is played there, they get an enormous amount of revenue from other events, and conferences, and all of those sort of things, which gets poured back into the AFL team.
“So if you don’t have facilities that are sensibly similar to those, then it’s going to be hard to imagine that we’re going to be able to be as successful on the on the field as we might have been.
“That’s why the stadium is necessary and that’s why the AFL and the government have agreed it’s part of the deal.
“I know, it’s not clear to everyone why that’s required. But it’s clear to me and it’s our job to make sure that everyone sees the fairness of it and reason for it.”
UNITED TEAM
Mr O’Brien knows he has to get Tasmanians on board with the stadium which has caused deep division.
“At the moment, there’s been no club, and therefore no evidence of the value that a club will bring.
“I think by the club existing and people starting to talk about the name and the colours and starting to wear the colours and talk about the club and when the first game might be, who the coach might be and all those sort of things – that momentum will be hard to stop.”
POLITICS
“I’m not distracted by the political too-ing and fro-ing. That belongs in Parliament House.
“We’ve got to do the work with the people.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for the state, our communities and particularly our youngsters, which is where our conversation started.
“It’s not just about an elite team and it’s not only about a stadium for an elite team. All of these things have to have a community benefit and that’s how the team will be built.”
BROTHERLY LOVE
Julian O’Brien, former editor of the Advocate newspaper who now lives in Wollongong, was coincidentally visiting when his brother was named chair.
“It was a huge moment for the family and we’re immensely proud.
“We’re very happy Grant has taken this job on because he will do a really good job.
“It’s a voluntary position and his sole motivation is for the betterment of the state and sport he loves.”
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