Tasmanian Government dropped ball on AFL steering committee, say O’Byrne and Colbeck
THE Tasmanian Government has missed a golden opportunity to join the AFL steering committee on the state of the health of the game according to both sides of politics.
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THE Tasmanian Government has missed a golden opportunity to join the AFL steering committee on the state of the health of the game, according to both sides of politics.
Opposition sport spokesman David O’Byrne and Tasmanian Liberal Senator Richard Colbeck said the state would have been better served with representation from locals and the Government.
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Senator Colbeck’s main criticism was aimed at the AFL — which announced a $48.8 million surplus for 2017 — with AFL-employed AFL Tasmania chief executive Trisha Squires the only Tasmanian-based member on the committee.
The prince has ridden into town, waved to us all with a promise of a solution, hopped on the plane and gone back again. It is really frustrating. – Senator Richard Colbeck
“I was pretty disappointed with what he (AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan) came up with quite frankly,” Senator Colbeck said.
“(Former St Kilda captain Nick) Riewoldt and (Carlton coach Brendon) Bolton are good value obviously, but to have nobody from outside the system doesn’t make sense.
“Who understands the communities and what’s going on in those communities?
“It just seems to be more of the same where the AFL tells us what medicine we need to take and that will be the story, rather than any genuine input from anyone who knows what’s going on in those communities.
“The prince has ridden into town, waved to us all with a promise of a solution, hopped on the plane and gone back again. It is really frustrating.”
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He said a member of Premier Will Hodgman’s Government should also have been on the committee.
“If the Government was involved it would give it that extra imprimatur,” he said.
Mr O’Byrne said the Government should have used its clout to demand a place at the table and to bring along key local football leaders in the process.
“Instead, despite the state holding significant leverage with deals for Hawthorn and North Melbourne up for discussion this term, and our existing investment into AFL Tasmania, the Premier meekly surrendered to the AFL’s flimsy effort to address the crisis in Tassie footy,” Mr O’Byrne said.
“It would be nice to see this Premier actually have a crack at winning a hard ball.”
We need strategic, passionate, local Tassie footy people at the table. To do otherwise consigns the sport to a deepening crisis. – David O’Byrne
Mr Hodgman said the AFL was in charge of football, so it is up to the league to fix Tasmania’s issues.
“We will continue to play a constructive role supporting Tassie football,” Mr Hodgman said. “David O’Byrne’s carping from the sidelines won’t achieve a thing.”
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Mr O’Byrne said there were complex challenges facing the code in the state which varied from region to region requiring a representative from the North, North-West and the South to be added to the committee.
“Tasmanians have had enough of the AFL patronising the state,” he said. “It shows a lack of respect to not have any key local, on-the-ground football leaders included.
“The money thrown at Tasmania this week was effectively change from down the side of the couch — $200,000 from a turnover of over $2 billion is pathetic.
“The fact that the money was narrowly targeted at the youth elite pathway, whilst no doubt welcome, is further evidence the AFL are ambivalent at best to the plight of Tassie footy and see our state as more of a harvesting strategy than a foundation AFL state deserving of respect.
“That’s why we need strategic, passionate, local Tassie footy people at the table.
“To do otherwise consigns the sport to a deepening crisis.”
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