The debate over the state of the Etihad Stadium surface has seen the key stakeholders in the debate take on contrasting positions.
The AFL has taken the position of burying its head in the sand so far down, its head will come out in China.
Ian Collins and the Etihad Stadium management have taken on the persona of the North Korean government, threatening all who dare question it (Collins phoned in 3AW on Saturday after Jeff Kennett questioned the surface with an uncomfortable rant about the integrity of the Hawthorn President).
Meanwhile, the players and coaches continue to rightfully question the surface to no avail further frustrating the clubs.
However, one key stakeholder has been missing from the debate; that stakeholder is the AFL Players Association (AFLPA). As the players union, I expected the AFLPA would have been on the front foot with the issue possibly threatening to boycott the surface. Instead, it has left the argy bargy to seasoned argy bargy experts like Jeff Kennett and Eddie McGuire.
This is an interesting ploy in the whole conflict; it seems the AFLPA is failing in its duty as a union.
If there was in the real-world an unsafe workplace like Etihad, a union like the AWU or the CFMEU would have been all over the issue and would have forced changes. The AFLPA’s strategy is to sit back and let the argument and debate get ugly with the player’s safety seemingly overlooked to save face.
The AFLPA must step up soon to force change; otherwise this debate could continue to fester on with more player injuries the price paid.
It seems uncomfortable to name Etihad as a workplace.
However, no longer is sport a recreation. It is a workplace and Etihad is a workplace that is technically unsafe. As a union, the AFLPA must intervene soon to prevent a calamity that will cost the sport and the stadium creditability.
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