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The fallout from the Lance Franklin move to Sydney has been extraordinary. For the Swans it was trial by jury, but there was no procedural fairness or natural justice in this case.
Instead, the fallout resembled another jury situation, that seen on reality series Survivor.
For those unfamiliar with the Survivor concept, in simple terms, it involves placing a group of strangers on a deserted island. They are then split into tribes, form alliances and compete to win rewards, immunity idols and the like.
At the end of the game, a group of contestants who have been eliminated from the competition come together to form a jury and vote for the most deserving of the remaining players, to win the game.
In the AFL version of Survivor, the prize was not one million dollars, rather it was Franklin, the athletic superstar from the Hawks.
The tribes were split.
On one side was Eddie McGuire, James Brayshaw and the other Melbourne club’s head honchos.
They formed a strong alliance with a collective goal of ridding AFL Survivor of the Sydney contestants and their Cost of Living Allowance.
Representing the Swans was Richard Colless, a veteran Survivor player of some 20 years.
A master strategist who had seen many other players voted out at tribal councils over the years.
In the past few years of AFL Survivor, the producers, in their wisdom, decided on a twist.
There’s nothing surprising about a twist in a reality program, but this twist would have Eddie and the cool kids alliance hopping mad.
The producers had handed Richard and his GWS counterpart an Immunity Idol at the start of the game.
This Idol was in the form of an allowance for the cost of living in Sydney. The producers intention, presumably, was to make the game more equal.
The idea was to give Richard and the GWS player a chance to be competitive.
As you could imagine, Eddie and the Cool Kids voiced their anger. “It’s unfair, it’s a rort,” they shouted, making sure the whole Survivor world could hear them.
But what Eddie and his mates needed to remember was that an Immunity Idol did not guarantee success in Survivor.
Sure it helps, but if not used correctly, it is little more than a shiny trinket with no value. In order to be of any use it must be played with intelligence, planning and timing.
Another thing that makes the protests so ridiculous, is that Eddie and his mates knew that the Sydney players each had an Idol. In fact, they had been blindsided by Richard in last year’s version of the game.
Last year, Richard had triumphed.
His prize? Kurt Tippett. He returned this year, seeking to win Lance Franklin, but his opponents had seemingly learnt nothing from his masterful game from the previous year.
Survivor truly is fascinating television.
And Richard Colless has pulled off the two biggest blindsides in the history of AFL Survivor.
Both involved a stealth mission, a covert operation kept secret from all the other contestants until, seemingly it was too late for them to do anything about it.
He had played his Idol superbly, blindsiding all players including the poor GWS fella who left the game with his own Idol in his pocket.
Richard had truly outplayed them all, and he did it two years in a row.
So as Eddie, James and the other beaten players gather to form the jury at the final tribal council they are understandably upset.
They are bitter. The feel betrayed. They are yelling and screaming. They are demanding the rules be changed.
But most of all they are jealous. Jealous that Richard won Kurt and Lance in consecutive years.
Richard simply needs to look across the campfire and smile. “Eddie” he says with a smile, “it’s very simple… I outwit, outplayed and outlasted you. I won and you lost and you can’t seem to handle that.”
What may please Eddie and the Cool Kids alliance, is that Richard Colless, a veteran of AFL Survivor is retiring.
He is not returning for an AllStars edition. Instead he is passing the reigns to Andrew Pridham, who will be the Swans contestant next year.
Also warming the hearts of the Melbourne head honchos is news that the producers are considering removing the Immunity Idols given to the Sydney players in the form of the cost of living allowance.
My guess is that even in the absence of an Immunity idol, the Swans will still be ultra competitive in next year’s game.
If they happen to win again I wonder what Eddie will do? Who, or what will he blame, for what are his own inadequacies and shortcomings?
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