Coaching great to talk footy with Tasmanian premier over AFL team
The biggest name in the AFL, Alastair Clarkson, will soon start discussions with Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein about what he can do to help the state’s big league push.
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ALASTAIR Clarkson has outlined his vision for Tasmania’s entry into the AFL as Premier Peter Gutwein prepares to meet the former Hawthorn mastermind.
As revealed by The Sunday Tasmanian, Clarkson is keen to play an active part in landing Tasmania’s entry into the AFL after finishing up his Hawthorn coaching career and turning down the top job at Collingwood and Carlton.
Mr Gutwein said as soon as this year’s season was finished on Saturday, he was ready to move onto the next phase of establishing a Tasmanian team by August 2022 at the latest.
“Following the conclusion of the 2021 AFL season I plan to engage with (AFL chief executive) Mr (Gillon) McLachlan in coming weeks to establish a process to work through the matters raised in the Carter report ahead of a final position being put to club presidents for a decision on a Tasmanian AFL team in 2022,” Mr Gutwein said.
“I will be having a discussion with Mr Clarkson shortly as well regarding his strong interest and support of a Tasmanian license.”
Clarkson said the AFL must take note of the hard lessons learned in the establishment of Gold Coast and the GWS Giants.
He also dismissed relocation or a quasi-team, such as Hawthorn has been, as an option.
“I think if they can establish their own brand, but it needs time,” Clarkson said on SEN radio.
“They need to set it up and my view is they need to establish is going to have a team, give them a licence but say OK you’ve got five or six years to prepare it.
“I think one of the mistakes that was perhaps made with Gold Coast and GWS, they came into the competition pretty hastily.
“It was lets bring them in and it was a two to three year window to prepare for those clubs. I think Tassie needs five to six years. They need to get their pathways right.”
He did not believe clubs would support a Tasmanian team if it resulted in another series of compromised drafts to give the next club access to the nation’s best talent.
“You need five or six years to build up the pathways programs and schools program, get the 13-14 year old kids now who can be players by the time they get to 18-20 … that list needs to be made up mainly of Tasmanian people,” he said.
“They will have to have some from the mainland without a doubt through drafting and sorts of things, but by and large if they can bring their own talent and they can do that.
“They are a footy heartland down there but they just need their motivation and the captivation of the Tasmanian market to give them a pathway and a sense of where they can go with their footy.”
Clarkson said he has significant knowledge and interest in Tasmania and been discussing a Tasmanian team for some time with his manager, Taskforce member James Henderson, and close friends and former colleagues Chris Fagan and Brendon Bolton.
Clarkson confirms Tassie AFL help
FOUR-time premiership coach Alastair Clarkson has confirmed he wants to play an active role in landing Tasmania its team in the AFL.
Speaking on FoxFooty’s AFL360 on Monday night, Clarkson confirmed the Sunday Tasmanian’s report of his desire to help the state reach its big league dream.
While also stating he would not be coaching Carlton next season, arguably the AFL’s biggest name said he would be using 2022 for a number of personal goals, including assisting Tasmania’s push to get the 19th licence.
“I want to do some study and live abroad, it is a little bit difficult with the circumstances at the minute, but living abroad would be great, I've done that plenty of times before and the other thing I’d like to do is give something back to the game,” Clarkson said.
“I’ve been involved in clubland for 35 years as either a player or a coach and there’s things I would like to be able to do to push back into (the game).
“I’ve got an interest in it and it came out in a report over the weekend in terms of doing some stuff with Tassie.
“I’ve got a long association with Tassie through the affiliation with Hawthorn but I’d like to see if I can help in some sort of way them being able to see the feasibility of them having a team in this competition, if I can contribute in some small way.”
Tasmania’s bid for a stand-alone team will need the support of firstly the AFL commission and then the backing of at least seven presidents to stop the clubs overturning the state’s entry.
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan announced on the weekend a final decision would be made by July-August next year – a slight delay on the original agreed timeframe with the Tasmanian government of early next year.
However, Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein has accepted the new decision date.
“As I outlined last month, the decision on a Tasmanian AFL licence will be made, once and for all, in 2022 in line with the finalisation of the funding model for the AFL industry for the 2023 and 2024 seasons,” Mr Gutwein told the Mercury.
“I would hope that this could occur as early as possible during 2022, however, if it takes till July/August I welcome the fact that a time frame … is firmly on the agenda.”
Tasmania’s entry into the league was on the agenda of Monday’s AFL commission meeting with the clubs.
AFL’s biggest name set to join Tassie push
THE biggest name in the AFL will help Tasmania’s push to join the big league.
The most sought-after man in the game, four-time premiership coach Alastair Clarkson is on board and is almost certain to be part of Tasmania’s lobbying of the AFL Commission and the club presidents to win the support required to earn the heartland state entry to the league.
Clarkson has a long affiliation with the state via his time as Hawks coach and is managed by prominent agent Tasmanian James Henderson, a key member of the state’s AFL Taskforce.
Mr Henderson confirmed Clarkson’s interest to the Sunday Tasmanian
“We are having regular conversations about Tasmania and our bid,” Mr Henderson said.
“He is very interested in getting involved and would add enormous value to our next steps.”
Clarkson left the Hawks at the end of this season and despite strong attempts from Carlton and Collingwood to lead those clubs, said he would take a year off from coaching and it now appears he will set his sights on joining Tasmania’s campaign.
It comes as momentum continues to grow behind the push, with the state closer to joining the league than previously believed.
Tasmania would need as few as seven votes from AFL clubs to join the AFL in what could be a game changer for the state’s campaign.
And Tasmania could be as little as just two votes away from reaching this goal.
It has been widely believed and reported that for the AFL to expand past its 18 teams, it must have the support of at least two-thirds (12) of the clubs.
But the Sunday Tasmanian can reveal this is a misinterpretation of the AFL constitution.
The constitution actually states if the Commission recommends expansion, it takes two-thirds of the member clubs to reverse the Commission’s decision, not two-thirds to support it.
This means if just seven clubs supported the state’s inclusion, Tasmania would become the league’s 19th licence in the near future.
This week, grand finalists Western Bulldogs joined Hawthorn, North Melbourne, Richmond and Adelaide in publicly backing the state’s campaign in principle, while outspoken Suns president Tony Cochrane is the only one to have voiced his disapproval to expansion.
Bulldogs president Kylie Watson-Wheeler threw the club’s conditional support behind a Tasmanian team.
“At the Bulldogs, we’re supportive of a truly national competition, including Tasmania,” Ms Watson-Wheeler said.
“However, this needs to be done in a commercially responsible way that does not put any existing teams at risk.”
The AFL has set a timeline of early next year for a decision to be made on Tasmania’s entry.
Prominent sports barrister and former AFL football operations general manager Adrian Anderson confirmed the votes required for Tasmania to finally achieve its dream.
“The widely held view that Tasmania requires the votes of at least 12 of the club presidents is incorrect,” Anderson said.
“The AFL constitution says if the Commission decides to grant a licence to a new club, it would take two-thirds of the existing clubs to overturn that decision. So, under the AFL constitution, Tasmania could join the competition with the support of seven clubs.”
However, entering the competition without most of the clubs on board could result in a backlash.
“Politically, it would obviously be preferable to have the support of at least the majority of clubs,” he said.
But first and foremost the state must secure the support of the Commission.
The AFL’s report from Colin Carter, the former Geelong president and AFL commissioner, stated a Tasmanian team would be viable as the 19th licence – the state’s preferred option.
Tasmanian AFL Taskforce chairman Brett Godfrey said if the clubs voted against the state’s entry after the Commission recommended expansion, it would be more of a slap in the face for the Commission than for Tasmania.
“The AFL Commission is not just responsible but best placed to assess the affordability question,” Godfrey said.
“Its own review (the Carter Report) was clear that the case for a Tasmanian team was strong.
“If the Commission – post its funding review – supports a proposition to the presidents that the league can sustain a Tasmanian 19th team, without detriment to the other to 18 clubs, it would take a particularly hard heart or closed mind to reject.”
Mr Carter was also unaware of the constitutional requirement until contacted by the Sunday Tasmanian.
“I had thought 12 of the 18 clubs had to support a new club but the AFL Constitution says something different,” Carter said.
“That said, it would be better to proceed with the support of most of the clubs.”
It is understood the AFL is aware of the votes required but is yet to publicly correct the commentary, while a request from the Sunday Tasmanian to speak to the AFL’s general counsel Andrew Dillon received no response from headquarters.
The Tasmanian government is putting together a small working group to work with the AFL on funding and stadium deals and lobby the clubs, and will most likely include key Taskforce members Mr Godfrey, Mr Henderson, ex-Woolworths chief executive Grant O’Brien and former St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt — and now possibly Clarkson.
Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein will also be heavily involved and said he had started talks with the club presidents.
“I’ve already spoken to some of the club presidents and I’ve had some really positive feedback from them,” Mr Gutwein said.
“As we put together the program, and there will be a program we work through over the period until we get the opportunity to put the option to them, I’m certain that I’ll have more to do with the AFL club presidents around the country.”
WHAT THE CLUBS HAVE TO SAY
FOR
Adelaide Crows chairman John Olsen: “The in-principle position is for Tasmania to have its own licence. We take the view that like South Australia, Tasmania is a traditional Aussie rules state and with Western Australia, South Australia and Victoria being the traditional Aussie rules football states that Tasmania is entitled to join the national competition with a licence.”
Western Bulldogs president Kylie Watson-Wheeler: “At the Bulldogs we’re supportive of a truly national competition, including Tasmania.”
Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett: “We have always said to Tasmania we have supported its ambition.”
Richmond president Peggy O’Neal: “My view would be ‘yes’, but I haven’t read everything or received all the information yet. Overall, I’m a big fan of Tasmania and what it has brought to football over all these years so, from that perspective, they should (grant a licence).”
North Melbourne Football Club statement: “We hold firm that we are supportive of Tassie having its own team.”
AGAINST
Gold Coast Suns president Tony Cochrane: “The money is not there, the depths of playing group is not there, and at the end of the day, thank God, that decision has to go to the 18 existing presidents. I doubt there would be anybody who would move a motion. At best there might be somebody who moves a motion and seconds it. It will not get more than three votes out of 18. It will not get up.”
UNDECLARED
Brisbane, Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Fremantle, Geelong, GWS, Melbourne, Port Adelaide, St Kilda, Sydney, West Coast.
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