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AFL commission lacks courage when it counts

Roar Rookie
7th February, 2016
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The end of the Essendon saga looks to be nearing. (AAP Image/Julian Smith)
Roar Rookie
7th February, 2016
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1224 Reads

The captain of a football team is the face of the club, and is the overarching leader of all people involved within the organisation.

Gillon McLachlan assumed the role of captain at the head of the AFL in 2014 but along with his leadership group, in this case the AFL commission, has recently lacked conviction to make decisions without consultation from outside parties.

Firstly, when the Court of Arbitration for Sport handed down their findings of guilt last month for the Essendon 34, a suspension for all players involved was attached.

Then questions started being asked regarding the Brownlow Medal that Jobe Watson received for being the fairest and best player in the league in 2012; the year the supplement program was in effect.

Will the AFL force him to give it back? The current answer is no.

Instead, the AFL commission have invited Watson to attend a meeting later this month to address the issue, and state his point of view on why he should or shouldn’t get to keep the medal.

Right now the 2012 Brownlow medallist is a convicted drug cheat, which is in contradiction with the idea of being the best and fairest player. Yet the AFL are still affording Watson the chance to put forward a case to keep it.

Only last week, the AFL decided that the Western Bulldogs, Port Adelaide, St Kilda and Melbourne won’t get any top up players following the suspensions of players on their list.

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But surprise, surprise, it was only after consultation with the other clubs that they made the decision.

Of course the 13 other clubs were going to be bullish on allowing their competitors the option to bring additional player(s) into their squads after knowing the risk when they traded for the players in question.

Both times, the AFL will have consulted with other people who have clear conflicts of interest. Watson with his own medal and the other clubs preventing a competitive advantage to teams losing players through suspension.

It’s time the AFL and the commission develop enough conviction in their thoughts to back themselves to make the right decisions without weight added from people on the outside.

And if the AFL commission allow Watson to keep his medal, they will surely be the only sporting organisation in the world to allow a drug cheat to keep any awards won while under the influence of performance-enhancing drugs.

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