Jeff Kennett recently charged the AFL with being an autocratic governing body that does not consult its constituents when making decisions that affect them.
Kennett was responding to comments made over the weekend by AFL chairman Mike Fitzpatrick, one of that rare breed of human beings, along with Tom Selleck, Alan Border and Janette Howard, who look much better with their mustaches than without. Fitzpatrick announced that the league was now firmly committed to expanding the competition to 18 clubs by 2012 by adding franchises to Western Sydney and the Gold Coast.
Labelling the AFL’s expansion plans as “embarrassing”, Kennett took issue with the AFL’s decision to bring forward its expansion plans without consulting the existing clubs of the change in time frame.
The Kennett/Victorian people relationship during his stint as Premier during the 1990s was more abusive and one-sided than any other relationship I can think of. Kennett made it abundantly clear that he believes the AFL is above the clubs it serves and essentially dictates rules without seeking their input.
“I guess the AFL have got to the stage where they believe they know enough about everything that they can make decisions independently of their stake-holders” Kennett sarcastically claimed without elaborating whether decisions his government made to decimate and unnecessarily close public schools and hospitals, privatise power and rail services at the expense of customer service, and turn Victoria into a secret state by flaunting freedom of information laws and disbanding the public’s sole mechanism for scrutinising government decisions (Office of the Auditor General) represented decisions made independently of his government’s stakeholders.
Kennett continued that “I am not opposed to expanding the league, but there is no business plan for either 17 or 18 teams and I would have thought Michael (Fitzpatrick), of all people, who is a very astute business person, is flying kites”, which is analogy I am not familiar with.
Then again, until Malcolm Blight ill-advisedly began speaking extemporaneously at press conferences, I had no idea what the saying “I don’t give a rat’s tossbag” meant either, so maybe Kennett has a well made point that is just lost on us.
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February 19th 2008 @ 9:21am
The Boar said | February 19th 2008 @ 9:21am | Report comment
Finally, someone from the VFL clubs willing to stand up and speak out.
How these supposedly proud clubs have stood by for over a decade, watching as the AFL has given salary cap and draft advantages to Sydney and Brisbane, so large that they have competed in and won premierships at the expense of loyal Victorian clubs, is totally beyond me.
FFS, Sydney league fans marched in the streets over South Sydney and the unfair treatment against all the Sydney clubs (plus Illawarra).
No doubt, part of the AFL’s plans for their new clubs is that they MUST have instant success and credibility as premiership contenders. Again, unless the Victorian clubs stand up for themselves, it will come at their expense, and their clubs and fans will spend another decade of being monstered (unfairly) by non-Victorian clubs.
February 19th 2008 @ 3:39pm
Michael C said | February 19th 2008 @ 3:39pm | Report comment
Not all the salary cap/concessions were ridiculous, just the extent – in that:
Fair enough cost of living allowance for a more expensive city,
however, why no decrease in salary cap for a cheaper city like Adelaide?
How come West Coast Eagles don’t now have increases?
but – the reality is, and the outspoken approach of Eddie McGuire is a little disrespectful given that -
many Victorians have come ‘back home’,
Collingwood pickup Anthoney Rocca and Paul Licuria. They did quite well from Sydney and the Swans obviously needed some assistance in that market. Fair enough.
Brisbane – no one really knew what would happen after the merge. Although, they made the Prelim final in ’96, they also had a wooden spoon in there, as it turned out, some home grown kids because superstars as did a skinny midfielder from Perth…and they managed a father son beauty in Jono Brown. The planets aligned for them – that’s for sure.
The AFL clubs love to whinge and blame others. Some, such as Carlton, have taken a long time to realise that they can no longer just buy success overnight. THey need to develop and nurture talent, and a list.
Anyway, with all this, the devil will be in the detail.
February 19th 2008 @ 7:07pm
The Boar said | February 19th 2008 @ 7:07pm | Report comment
Mate, any competition that has unequal rules for the compteting teams is a joke. Why is that Carlton “need to develop and nurture talent” while Sydney and Brisbane don’t? If these AFL fans really felt passion for their Melbourne clubs they would be up in arms at the advantages given to non-Melbourne clubs over past years. It is plainly wrong, and clearly wouldn’t be, and never has been, tolerated by Sydney RU or RL clubs.