Fox Footy Jury: Should the Gabba be a lock to host this year’s AFL Grand Final?
It is going to be a very different looking last day of the season, with the MCG seemingly out of the running to host this year’s Grand Final. But is it as simple as declaring the Gabba a lock to step up? We’ve asked the experts.
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The biggest issues out of Round 9 were arguably off the ground, as Brisbane firmed to host this year’s AFL Grand Final, Richmond skipper Brooke Cotchin was publicly named for breaching league protocols and Collingwood president Eddie McGuire found himself under fire when coach Nathan Buckley also broke protocols.
We went to two Fox Footy experts for their take on the hot talking points.
Should the Gabba host this year’s Grand Final?
Ben Dixon: One hundred per cent. In the current climate, it’s the obvious choice. Queensland has been central to a number of hubs and the Gabba is a good venue. It would be the best possible thing, given the year we’ve had, to have it at the Gabba. For years footy has been pretty stagnant in Queensland, but to have an AFL Grand Final might really spark people up. And I think the Brownlow Medal, given all the clubs are in Queensland, should be in Brisbane the week after the home-and-away season’s finished.
Nick Dal Santo: It’s dependent on what states are able to host football and if it’s out of them, Adelaide and possibly Perth, then I’ve got no issue with the Gabba hosting the Grand Final. It’s a good venue and it would have done a load of the work getting us to that point. The weather should be good so whoever’s playing should be able to show why they’re good. So I’ve got no issue if Brisbane gets the rights.
Should Trent Cotchin’s wife have been named publicly for breaching AFL COVID-19 protocols?
BD: I don’t think so. I honestly don’t. If someone hasn’t intentionally done the wrong thing, I don’t think it should be a name and shame. I know she posted on social media and we’re in an environment where the social ecosystem exposes people. But to the best of our ability, there’s no way she should have been named and shamed. You’ve got to take into account these partners and these wives have moved their whole family up to Queensland to accommodate an AFL season.
NDS: I’ve got no issue with her name getting released. She was the one who posted it on social media to start with. There’s been a bit of fallout with Mitch Cleary and everything that goes with it, but we live in this world of naming names anyway and if someone’s prepared to put it on social media then I think they give up that right in certain ways to try and keep their name private or anonyms. I don’t see why it’s a huge deal anyway. If they’re going to cop a fine then you’ve got to penalise somebody.
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Would Collingwood be better served by having Eddie McGuire hand over the president’s role?
Ben Dixon
200-Game Hawthorn hero
Absolutely not. He is the best possible thing for Collingwood Football Club. Eddie is the ultimate professional, he is as loyal as you’ll ever get, he has more integrity than anyone you’ve ever met. Eddie McGuire to be the front man and the president for that football club is the best possible thing of all time. Yes, he’s got a role in the media and his opinions. But he’s also got a role within his club as president. Ed’s got to have a balance but I think he finds it really well. His media hat is an opinion and his president’s job is a separate role. People say the wires are crossed. No they’re not. As a president he’s doing an unbelievable job. I couldn’t back Eddie McGuire enough. His presidency role is 12 out of 10 in my book.
Nick Dal Santo
Three-time All-Australian
Collingwood supporters would know this a lot better than I do, but I think if you’ve got him leading the club then you’re in really good hands. Unfortunately with the amount of media and crossing over the platforms that Eddie has, he’s always going to be put in the hot seat. But in saying that, I don’t have any issue. That club’s led really well, he’s as good as anybody in regards to making money and running a business. I can remember being at the Saints and we had a few incidents and I remember having a conversation with players at the time and we said, ‘If we had Eddie as president, this would have been handled differently’. If I was a Collingwood player, I think I’d take the good from Eddie over what might be considered the bad.
Originally published as Fox Footy Jury: Should the Gabba be a lock to host this year’s AFL Grand Final?
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