The man who led AFL’s initial expansion and a strong believer in equality to review Tasmania’s business case

One of the AFL’s most high-profile operators has backed the appointment of former Geelong president Colin Carter to undertake Tasmania’s push for big league inclusion.

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TASMANIANS should take great confidence in the appointment of “courageous” Colin Carter to review the state’s AFL business case.

Mr Carter was president of Geelong for a decade with the AFL’s longest-serving chief executive Brian Cook working alongside him.

Mr Cook said Mr Carter was the ideal man to review Tasmania’s AFL Taskforce case, to be submitted to the league mid-year.

However, it won’t be considered by the commission until after this season where there was a clearer picture of the COVID-19 impact.

Colin Carter. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Mr Cook, who has been Cats’ CEO since 1999, said there was no fear of Mr Carter being given a conclusion to the review before it had even begun.

“He’s got a fantastic set of values, and if someone said to me what are the two or things he concerns himself with it is fairness, reasonableness and equality so you couldn’t get a person with a stronger set of values,” Mr Cook said.

“Apart from that he’s quite a courageous sort of a guy — he can’t be shaped quickly or easily by other factions. He has always been a very independent thinker.”

Cats CEO Brian Cook. Picture Getty

Before his tenure as Cats president (including overseeing the 2011 premiership), he was an AFL commissioner, where he authored the strategy that laid out the national competition and designed the league’s equalisation strategies (draft, salary cap, revenue sharing and reduced list sizes).

“He has always been very passionate and capable around football matters, part of the AFL commission for a long time,” Mr Cook said.

“He’s very data driven. On one hand he’s got a great set of values, but on the other he is very much evidence-based.

“If he believes at the end of the day after he’s seen all the evidence and spoken to the right people and he makes a recommendation, he will do what he believes is best for the industry, there is no doubt.”

“You are going to be OK, you couldn’t get a better person.”

Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein has welcomed Mr Carter’s appointment and said the time frame should allow the state to move forward with negotiations with Hawthorn and North Melbourne.

“I am of the view he will provide a fair and balanced assessment of our business case, which will confirm that the inclusion of a Tasmanian team will not only stack up financially, but also complete the AFL by making it a truly national competition,” Mr Gutwein said.

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