In July 2012 Andrew Demetriou took an extended break from the game – during the season, no less. Sure, the Olympics were on and that explains two weeks, however the break was more like two months.
This long break certainly raised a few eyebrows. For mine, Demetriou has been off his game ever since. In my opinion, a number of factors add up to his likely resignation in the not too distant future, but not without some collateral damage for another along the way.
Firstly, I think he is tired and ready to move on after 10 successful years at the helm.
With comparisons to Jeff Kennett’s reign as Victorian Premier (ironic, yes), Demetriou took some major decisions and has presided over a significant development phase for the code.
The next few years will be much tougher and less interesting in a positive way. They will be about consolidation, not expansion. They will be entangled in a complicated landscape of drugs, both illicit and performance enhancing, issues around betting integrity and player injury management.
None of those issues are easy to navigate but easy fodder for critics. And you have to admit to a problem to be dealing with it.
Media foot soldiers like Francis Leach will regularly take their stick to whack the big AFL piñata, as Leach himself called the AFL administration on the ABC’s Offsiders last weekend.
The AFL CEO has been like the big dog of Australian sport with the little dogs always barking at his heels. In the past, the big dog would laugh and trundle off with his head held high, often justifiably.
Even the staunchest of AFL fans, though, are questioning how Demetriou has handled the tanking fiasco.
The second factor revolves around Gillon McLachlan, now number two at AFL House. According to media reports, the NRL went after McLachlan to secure him as their CEO following the dumping of David Gallop last year.
This seems to have prompted a Kirribilli-type agreement between Demetriou and McLachlan to ensure he stays in the AFL and is groomed as the next AFL CEO.
There is no public evidence of this agreement beyond the elevation of McLachlan and the departure of Adrian Anderson in December 2012. However, most people have read between the lines and it’s pretty obvious a succession plan has been put in place.
This leads to the third factor, centered on the handling of tanking.
It makes sense that if your grooming a CEO you get him out in the public eye as much as possible. This enables the fans to become familiar with McLachlan as the face of the game.
It was McLachlan who a few weeks ago held a press conference to provide an update on ASADA’s investigation into Essendon and at least one other player from another AFL club. This is a matter of the highest priority for the AFL.
It was McLachlan again on his own who conducted a presser to announce the fine and suspension at Melbourne FC for “not tanking”.
It is fact Demetriou’s own denial of tanking in the past that gave the AFL a much bigger headache from a PR perspective.
I’m sure the legal ramifications of admitting tanking occurred are far reaching and need to be handled carefully.
However, McLachlan was not only given a difficult message to sell, he botched it through poor preparation by denying tanking occurred and then suggesting he doesn’t know what tanking is.
McLachlan should have been prepared on the tanking question and made a statement to the effect that whilst ‘tanking’ is American slang, the AFL deems its use by the media to mean tanking by players on the field.
He did say there was no evidence of the players deliberately trying to lose games but should not have insulted everyone’s intelligence by feigning ignorance of tanking, which has so permeated the game’s vernacular.
The upshot is Demetriou’s tenure as CEO is seriously in doubt beyond this season. However, his natural successor in McLachlan has taken an enormous public perception hit by association and also by his own doing.
Perhaps the fans are better off knowing that McLachlan is not up to the task as AFL CEO, one of the most difficult jobs in the sporting world.
The AFL Commission, though, has the biggest issue, finding a successor for both.
TW
Guest
Interesting Video slant on our game around the world - As the article says not that many people know about it but obviously some have watched it at times. The latest AFL Promo video for 2013 - Very sensibly promoting "Its our game". http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/the-afl-releases-its-season-launch-advertisement-that-shows-the-game-being-watched-across-the-globe/story-e6frfkp9-1226588218598
oikee
Guest
It is a shame, a shame really. If Demetriou leaves before he has a chance to take on the NRL CEO, it will just mean a tail between the legs job. As we have seen Gil McLachlan is obviously no match after seeing and realising that Sydney is a place where you can be literally eaten alive. ask Eddie Maguire. The writing was on the wall, he must have gone to London, seen the force of international sports and understood what he really was up against with the push of internationals into the Australian market. The "made in Australia" campaign fell down, met a spectacular end. governments understand the cashflow of sport, motor racing, Football, (soccer) Rugbies and Golf Tennis ,etc,etc,etc. With a person such as the NRL ceo, Dave Smith, a international banker with world skills running rugby league, i would be ready to retire as well. Good luck to him, maybe he gets a job in poliitics in this country, where he might become a well known public figure like jeff Kennett. Good luck with that, as for the next CEO of AFL. That will be a poisoned Challice. They will never live up to Demetriou's run he had in Australia, but the landscape has changed. Rugby league is already a 2 billion dollar code, and the Europeon and International report is looking very good. Russia and Serbia are now doing well. :)
Jason Cave
Guest
Greg Hobbs told Ross Oakley he received very strong info that Oakley was to be the new chief commissoner of the then VFL. According to the book Football Ltd, the reason why the XXXX-CUB was such a mess was because Jack Hamilton took the unique step of announcing that XXXX and Carlton & United Breweries were to be the joint sponsors of the VFL. However, that marriage quickly turned into a divorce after a pre-season game at VFL Park, where CUB executives noticed the XXXX signs on the goalposts. CUB ordered that the XXXX signs be taken down, much to the anger of its XXXX counterparts. The VFL had no choice but to follow suit, which ultimately led to Hamilton's resignation.
Floyd Calhoun
Guest
The Herald was the evening edition of the Sun basically. Great paper for footy previews on Fridays. Ron Carter and others provided great analysis of Saturdays matches. But, are you saying Greg Hobbs told Oakley that he was in charge? What was the XXXX-CUB fiasco? I don't recall that.
Jason Cave
Guest
If Gil McLachlan thinks he is a shoo-in for the CEO job, he's sadly mistaken. An incident from 1986 sum up why the no.2 sometimes never gets the coveted job. In 1986 the late Jack Hamilton announced he was resigning as the Chief Commissioner of the then VFL, after only 18 months in the job. Everyone expected his deputy, the late Alan Schwab to get the top job. Everyone, except Graeme Samuel and Peter Scanlon who was on the VFL Commission. They had serious doubts about Schwab handling the role, and his ability to negotiate a high profile sponsorship package, because the VFL was damaged by the XXXX-CUB fiasco. So Scanlon and Schwab found another person who was, in their minds, better in doing the job than Schwab. His name was Ross Oakley. Oakley was told of his impending appointment by the then chief football writer for the Herald newspaper (remember The Herald-now long forgotten?) Greg Hobbs, who later was to receive the VFL award for the best news story of 1986. Sadly, Schwab never got another chance to get the coveted job of AFL CEO.
Basil C
Guest
And competing with 3 other football codes in a saturated market. Most nations have one dominant football code and thats it and the other codes are niche sports eg England, USA, France (to a lesser extent) the rest of Europe...
Redb
Roar Guru
Brewski, I've always been a fan of his overall efforts for the game. The tanking issue though has been a dogs breakfast and the CEO must be accountable for the damage to the games image regardless of how pragmatic the AFL were endeavouring to be. It's time for a change.
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
The AFL is also directly responsible for the operation of AFL 9s, 5 of 7 state leagues, the Foxtel Cup, National championships at U16 and u18 level and International Rules matches.
Harry
Guest
It would be more accurate to say he has one of the most difficult jobs in Australian sport. AFL is big in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth - hardly enough to rate in global terms of administration. As for Gillon I think they should have let him go to the NRL - I don,t think he's got the kahuna,s for the top job.
Brewski
Guest
Maybe he will ride it out, i actually think he has done a good job, i like him, yep sure he appears arrogant, rubs people up the wrong way, gets people offside, maybe even bullys, and even occasionally can be charming, is dead right on many issues, but from time to time is dead wrong. All that means, is that he is human like anyone else. Its all good, most other sports would take him in a heart beat. Maybe just maybe he is bit bored with it all, maybe he needs to find his mojo back.
Redb
Roar Guru
Don't agree. The AFL does not just preside over 18 teams it presides over the whole sport (700,000 players), rules of the game, stadiums, TV rights, grass roots funding like Auskick. As one of the the big dogs in Aust sport it is more open to criticism and accusation than most. AFL athletes in the traditional footy states are household names they only need to spit in the wrong direction and it's front page news. Every societal problem is played out in the AFL, whether its racism, drugs, alcohol, drink driving, etc The CEO needs to be across it all whilst keeping the clubs and fans happy with a revenue base of $340M pa (the biggest in OZ). It is no easy job.
Matthew
Guest
"One of the difficult jobs in the sporting world" - give me a break! The AFL CEO presides over only 18 teams with very little cultural, religious or racial diversity amongst the playing/coaching/backroom staff. No international rep teams, no champions league, no other country poaching players, no woman's teams, no other football confederations to deal with & a media so friendly where the game is popular. I would say its one of the easier sports to manage.
TW
Guest
I for one will be pleased to see him go - He has had a good run as they say and he did successfully oversee the transition to a much bigger AFL than the one he inherited from Wayne Jackson. The guy has a flair with money and that was needed at the time. As an international footy fan I hope his successor has a bit more focus on that part of our game - AD only worried about the International Rules Series because it is a money spinner in Ireland -Less so in Australia. He has pushed the the two new teams concept hard - They will be his legacy -Good or bad along with Mike Fitzpatrick the Commission boss. Gillon MC--The apparent heir in waiting looked like he had just got out of bed with his general appearance the other day when he fronted the media about the Melbourne affair - Not very professional at all. However he deserves another chance I suppose.
Redb
Roar Guru
Can't say I agree on Anderson. Too much lawyer speak not enough football nous. We need a balance between corporate smarts and football fan - someone in the AD mould but a little less divisive.
Basil C
Guest
I think the AFL has come thru their lowest patch OK. Thats as bad as its going to get and they went OK but perhaps its time for Vlad to move on - he looks stale...
Bunny Colvin
Guest
Demetriou has made a real mess of things and should go. They have attempted to cover up things on too many occasions at the AFL. Enough is enough. As Kennett said, the culture needs changing and Demetriou is all about the old ways of cover ups and controlling the image. The image now is ugly and needs a new face to alter the perception. The 2 months holiday to go to the Olympics and Lake Como in Italy mid season last year was arrogance and contempt. It also said we do not need him around because it works perfectly well without him.
Andy_Roo
Roar Guru
I think Adrian Anderson is a big loss to the AFL. He is a bloke who was given the big jobs and always seemed to get them done. I think he would have been a good choice as the next CEO. With McLachlan being anointed as the next CEO you can't blame Anderson for looking elsewhere to further his career. As for McLachlan I think he will probably take time to emerge from Demetriou's shadow, much as Demetriou took time to emerge from Ross Oakley's shadow.
Cameron Rose
Expert
Yes, McLachlan seems more of the softly-softly type rather than a voice of authority. Too much of a nice guy perhaps. It will be interesting to see if he grows into it.
Redb
Roar Guru
LK, Agree on the mini-me. One thing for sure the AFL Commission are no dills they are the most experienced people in the land in their sport commission roles and will find the right person to lead our game in the next stage of it's development.
Redb
Roar Guru
I'm far from a usual critic of AD, here's my piece from only 8 months ago. http://www.theroar.com.au/2012/06/08/demetriou-stay-top-afl/ I think much has changed in that time. The tanking issue illustrates poor management from the early evidence in 2007 to 2009, AD's blatant denial of tanking and continued support of the priority pick (albeit good intended) has worked against the game. There has been ample evidence in US sports of the same problem. . I think AD needs to move on. Sure he wont spit the dummy and walk out tommorrow that would be more damaging, but a staged exit has been put in place and so far they've botched it as McLachlan has been made to look like a dill.