Collingwood president Eddie McGuire has described the scheduling of a rugby Test in Perth during the AFL finals as an act of treachery.
McGuire is angry that the Wallabies are scheduled to meet Argentina at Patersons Stadium on September 14.
That means Fremantle could potentially be scheduled to host Collingwood in the second week of the AFL finals series on Friday September 13, only six days after the Magpies play Port Adelaide in Saturday night’s elimination final at the MCG.
“That is a perversion of the finals fixture,” McGuire said in his president’s address before Collingwood’s last-round clash with North Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday.
“I have a very, very, very (strong) burning anger – I’ve got to be careful what I say here – of an act of treachery by the West Australian Football Commission and the West Australian state government.”
Collingwood’s first final next Saturday comes after a six-day break.
Then if the Magpies beat Port, they’ll possibly face another six-day break and a trip to Perth to play Fremantle, if the Dockers lose to Geelong next weekend.
Fremantle would also have only a six-day break in that instance.
“Let me give the tip to the AFL to governance around the AFL. We won’t stand for this rubbish,” McGuire said.
“I ask for the AFL to plan 12 months ahead, for the AFL to work out that in September we might need some grounds.
“We won’t cop this going forward.”
Earlier this week WAFC chairman Frank Cooper said the AFL had known about the rugby union international for a year, according to the afl.com.au website.
McGuire says he assumes the West Australian government has told Fremantle and West Coast to “put up and shut up” on the basis of a threat not to fund the proposed new stadium in Perth.
“The football public that puts time and effort in to our game every year, for this club (Collingwood) and every other club that has been training since November should not have their chances of winning the premiership compromised because of this nonsense,” McGuire fumed.
He also queried the scheduling of Saturday’s Geelong-Fremantle qualifying final in Geelong.
“I don’t know why they’re playing down at Simonds Stadium,” McGuire said.
“I’ve heard all the reasons. I still don’t understand it.”
BruceM
Guest
Hey Eddie, don't worry mate - you don't have to worry about that trip to Fremantle anymore!!
Connor
Guest
Melbourne Rules final- well at least they get bigger crowds than the Sydney League finals
Connor
Guest
game of AFL- its a final, and international rugby match involving Argentina(!?) is not nearly as important as what a final is, especially in a ground that the AFL assumed (correctly) at the start of the year would be used in september. Ive been told there is a decent amount of brits in northern perth- but how will Aus VS Argentina interest them?
kunming tiger
Guest
Hambone +1 The large ex pat communities across Asia tune into games like this that's why Setana bought the rights . That doesn;t take into account the number of people downloading it afterwards etc. Back to the the original issue what was the WA government to do ban all sporting and/or entertainment events in September to allow an out of town team a seven day break? I see the Dockers aren't complaining yet their turnaround is supposely the same. If representing your country in Perth in September is a treasonable offense then what's the punishment? Apart from making a mountain out of a molehill what else has he achieved? The Wallabies game is being broadcast across at least four continents maybe more and there are people who tune in just to see the Aussies lose whether it be this sport any other team sport. Eddie just comes across as a poor sport If the game was moved back to Victoria he wouldn't have any objection to the six day turnaround. The guy should concentrate on the here and now (this weekend) instead of distracting his playing group with issues beyond their control.
Justin Thighm
Roar Guru
Agree Eddie, this is an absolute disgrace. The AFL owns Australia. No sports in Australia should be allowed to be played on the same weekend anywhere in Australia as a Melbourne Rules final. No Exceptions!
Comrade
Guest
I wonder if Argentinians have even heard of AFL at all? I'm willing to bet that the number of people in South America who have heard of AFL would be under 100.
Bayman
Guest
Sam, Probably the same way they spell it in Melbourne.....e,,d,,d,,i..e.
Carl
Guest
You wouldn't have to hope mate.
Brad
Guest
You'd hope so, given that the AFL grand final is an annual event and the Wallabies making a WC final hasn't happened for 10 years and counting.
Brad
Guest
haha touche
Brad
Guest
"more and more people moving in from other parts of the world where AFL is non-existent." And that differs from the past 150 years how? All migration to Australia is/has/and always will be from places where football is non-existant. Hasn't seemed to hurt the growth of football in Australia thus far.
Brad
Guest
"the “Asians” has you so eloquently put it brad have a healthy club competition running across st east asia." Ummm, you mentioned ratings would be coming from Asia. Asians live in Asia. There is nothing ineloquent about what I said. And just to clear up any confusion, Europeans live in Europe too. Anyway, let me know how the ratings go for the Australian v Argentina blockbuster. I'll bet millions will tune in on free-to-air TV in Australia.... oh wait. "the ‘asians’ are getting a grasp for it, let alone all us expatriates living abroad, playing and supporting.." If you say so... I guess if a few expats watch RU in a bar in Cambodia then it must be becoming massive with the locals! "as in afl you dont really have international fixtures ..do you.." No we don't. But I'm ok with that. Im also ok with the increasing irrelevance of RU in the Australian sporting landscape. Does anyone other than Sydney and Brisbane private schoolboys still play RU in Australia? "the game that is played in heaven.." That's such an embarassing saying. It's right up there with the "beautifal game".
Samual Johnson
Guest
Ironically the Aussie/Argie rugby test match will only get small crowd that could easily be accomodated in the Perth Oval. The good old WA tax payer shells out a mint to build the facility but they still move the matches it was built to hold. How do you spell idiot in Perth?
mark
Guest
By chasing money first and treating football second, of course the story is that the WA Government had a hand in it, but who really knows. The home of football in WA should be kept free for footy, allowing for the different permutations that finals throw up.
Stavros
Guest
56,000 turned up to watch the Wallabies in Melbourne, so I guess it must be pretty big there as well.
Emric
Guest
Would a collingwood supporter know what a World Cup is?
James P
Guest
The 53,000 who turned up to watch the all blacks last year probably know. Rugby is pretty big in Argentina. It has been held back the last decade as they haven't been in a regular competition (which changed last year). Even with that, they still manage to get o a World Cup semi in 2007.
Justin3
Guest
Yet the game will still be played? Haven't they actually made money by hiring the ground out to another business? So how have the wa commission stuffed exactly?
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Lesser sports ? You should hear him when it's suggested that lesser clubs than Collingwood play on Anzac Day !
mark
Guest
The face of Australia has been changing since the Rum Rebellion and federation, and yet Australian Football has always changed with it, in fact, out of all codes of football more immigrants attend Australian football than any other code. Read this http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4156.0.55.001Feature+Article1May%202009 "Of the four main football codes, the highest attendance rate was reported for Australian Rules football for all three birthplaces; people born in Australia (19%), people born overseas in main English-speaking countries (12%) and people born overseas in other countries (5.8%)."