Being top dog is never easy. The climb to the top is steep and protracted, so when you finally arrive, there is a tendency to relax, become complacent, and forget that tenacity, hard work and dedication got you there in the first place.
Gillon McLachlan played second fiddle to Andrew Demetriou for many years, having joined the AFL in 2000.
Like Prince Charles waiting on his mother to abdicate the thrown (or die!), McLachlan sat patiently in the wings.
His patience was tested. He was offered the position of CEO at the NRL, but declined the position after Demetriou reminded him of his love and commitment to AFL and amateur football. It was a shrewd ploy by Demetriou, who was aware of McLachlan’s talents.
After all, McLachlan was key in the latest AFL’s expansion on the Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney. If McLachlan had accepted the job, his vision to view leagues through a national lens would have boosted the profile of NRL around the country, to the detriment of AFL, particularly in expansion areas.
It’s unclear whether Demetriou hinted that he would be leaving the position of CEO in that same conversation. But, unlike John Howard who promised Peter Costello the Liberal leadership and reneged on his word, Demetriou did step down, promised or not.
McLachlan was announced as CEO in April this year and pledged to use common sense to solve all issues that came before him.
On some fronts, he has done just that.
The match review panel points system is being reworked over the off-season so that low-end incidents result in a fine instead of a suspension. This is sure to please players, coaches and fans alike, as transparency and common sense were two ingredients lacking far too often at the MRP in 2014.
The scheduling for the 2015 season is also sure to please fans, especially families, whose pleas for earlier night games have been heard. Saturday night games will now start at 7:20, 20 minutes earlier than in the past.
Sunday night games will be abandoned, which will please fans, as well as Eddie McGuire who cried poor several times this year. The Magpies miserly home-game attendances on Sunday evenings led Eddie to demand that the AFL cover the Pies’ losses.
It’s little wonder that the 2015 fixture is free of Sunday night games then. Eddie has a way of getting what he wants. But in fairness to the man who seems to have his finger in every (mag)pie, Sunday games just don’t work – people want to be at home, preparing for the week ahead, not at a cold MCG with little to no atmosphere.
At a time where football fans are feeling more alienated from the game than ever, McLachlan is prudent in choosing to listen and respond to the supporters.
But his prudence falls short elsewhere.
The AFL’s decision to ban the Sydney Swans from trading players unless they immediately relinquish their COLA is brash, unfair and, in a legal sense, unjust.
In one fell swoop, the AFL have made a rule – a rule that they created and were happy to enforce – retrospective.
Imagine this as a comparison: today, it is legal to own and drive blue cars. Tomorrow, the government passes a law that says it is illegal to own and drive blue cars, and subsequently arrests every person that owns and drives a blue car.
What the government has done is punish people retrospectively, which is in complete incongruity with the foundations of the rule of law. The AFL is also guilty of this, and the Swans are wise to challenge the validity of the bans placed on them.
McLachlan has been relatively quiet regarding the Swans’ trading ban. Perhaps he knows that the AFL has overstepped the line? After all, McLachlan studied law at Melbourne University. Heck, he even graduated with Honours! He knows that retrospective laws are prima facie ultra vires (that’s legal speak for “beyond the legal power of”, but Gill knows that!).
McLachlan spent years waiting in the wings for the position of AFL CEO. Now he has ascended the throne and, perhaps, is realising that uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.
I’m not suggesting that he has become recalcitrant – far from it.
McLachlan has assumed the highest position in the AFL with gusto. His willingness to listen to fans and respond accordingly should be praised. But his handling of the Sydney Swans trading ban has put a black mark on his first season at the helm.
Josh
Guest
Soccer is taking note of the incredibly stupid comments he has made over the last 2 days re: GWS.
Franko
Guest
It is a reasonable point that is being raised though...
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
Overly simplistic article, bit it will appeal to the people who continually hate on the AFL administration regardless of what they do. Mclachlan was key in the establishment of GWS and Gold Coast? No more so than anyone else at the AFL who was involved in setting it up, and less so than guys like Dave Matthews, Tony Shepherd and the Souithport Sharks. Collingwood werent the only club to complain about Sunday nights. They may have been the loudest but they werent far from an isiland on this. The COLA/Trade situation sounds like policy on the run, until you realise that the negotiations went on for some weeks before the announcement and originally it was intended to do away with the COLA immediately. The legal comparison falls down in one small regard here - the AFL is not only the operator of the League, its also the majority stakeholder in the Sydney football club, further the AFL Commission does have the right to make the rules pretty much as they go along - the clubs gave them that auithority in 1993. Im curious under what grounds would the swans even be able to take legal action?
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
Still parotting this crap on multiple forums i see.
TW
Guest
Local sports radio in Perth have just aired an interview with GM about the article in todays (Monday) Australian Newspaper (Paper Edition) on p23 which featured the opening gambits for the next TV deal. He answered in a brief and bored and tired manner that it was just pure speculation from the media, which technically he is correct. Demitriou probably would have talked it up to get some publicity. However it appears the opening bids will have to be $1.5 billion and the possibly go to $1.8 billion What is different this time is - FTA TV rights likely will be for 5 years but Pay TV may be a shorter term of 2/3 years. There was no mention of internet deals. There was no talk of a 10 year term as spruiked earlier. The TV networks are not flush it seems but CH7 and Foxtel are definite goers with CH 9 to maybe force the price up against CH7 and again CH10 definitely wants some games but will not pay over the odds for them.
Aransan
Guest
Essendon have been embroiled in more than enough legal disputes without taking on another one with Ryder.
Axle an the Guru
Guest
Both Griffen and Ryder should have been made to sit the remainder of their contracts out on the other side of the fence by their respective clubs,if that were to happen a bit more often then players would not be breaking contracts.
kwality
Guest
Check out this as an example of Gil- think: “Equalisation is characterised as taking from the rich and giving to the poor — but what it is actually for is to compensate the smaller clubs for the structural inequities they have in their business,” McLachlan said. “They are their stadium deals — some have got good ones, some have got bad ones; the size of their supporter base, and that is an historical thing; the fixture which has some indirect structural stuff in their like Anzac Day and others; and the fourth one is gaming, where some clubs — you take a Hawthorn who make about a $4 million net profit out of their gaming business — and in Western Australia, you can’t own machines.” http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/afl-clubs-take-more-than-88-million-from-pokie-players-in-201314-financial-year/story-fni5ezdm-1227102811873 WA clubs need to be penalised because WA taxpayers support the clubs where the Vic Govts gives to an elitist ($s) club aka the MCC. WA clubs should (even would?) be compensated because they don't profit on the grandmother set addicted to pokies. Gil is a joke !!
Kwakity
Guest
Penster you missed Frawley. Andrew Ireland is a better operator than anyone at AFL HQ - the cant beat him, so they ban him. You cant equalise talent, some have got it, others just think they can match it.
Aransan
Guest
I am not after 18 equally balanced teams but I don't think it is healthy if free agency leads to an increased unbalancing of the competition. Griffin broke his contract with little recourse for Footscray as he could have walked in a year or two under free agency. He gave Footscray reduced bargaining power by effectively choosing his new club. Paddy Ryder wanted to leave Victoria but placed Essendon in a weak bargaining position by insisting on going to Port Adelaide. These players are on very good money and there will be less money to go around in the future if we have a weakened competition. I don't believe players should have too much say on which club they play for, they don't have any in their draft year and that works pretty well. I agree that the quality of administrators and board members at a club is very important.
Penster
Guest
So Hawks can attract players below market rates and Footscray can't even hang onto their captain. Shows that there are some things more important than money. Unless the AFL decides who plays at which club to form 18 equally balanced teams, and pays every player exactly the same, equalisation will never truly exist. But the players do have some say in their destiny and it's up to the club how the salary cap is doled out. The performance of a team starts well ahead of the first bounce - there should be a national draft for administrators.
Penster
Guest
Olivia it's most curious, and in the absence of an official explanation, I would hazard it's quite simple - the Swans have known COLA was kaput for a lot longer than a few weeks. We know that official discussions re the management and phasing out have been underway for a great part of the season, at least. The most prolific and least "lunatic" theory is that they were warned off after signing Buddy and the AFL got wind of them going after Ryder or Dangerfield. The Swans lack of action is perplexing and fans should be given an explanation.
kwality
Guest
Sadly McLachlan is a 'gunna', he's gunna fix food prices, gunna sort out Adelaide Oval finances but cant fix printing charge on final tickets that is a outright rort/a price increase by any measure, Gil has all the signs of a #2 man unable to meet the the challenges of the top job. I don't blame him for the AFL decision on Sydney that beggars belief, its an AFL Commission snafu, BUT Gil has just ducked comment. Why the limp wristed footy media have not door stopped him is apparent (they don't bite the hand that feeds them), so lets hope some non AFL accredited journo takes it upon themselves to put Gil on the spot. Gunna Mac, McGunna?
alicesprings
Guest
Maybe in Sydney..
c
Guest
Gillon who? geez we see more of david gallop
Penster
Guest
Incorrect disposal.
Casper
Guest
No you wouldn't. You know you love it, as you can't stop making comments about it.
simmo green
Guest
I would really love a filter that prevents stories about the world's least known sport making their way to my news feed
conchie
Roar Rookie
Never liked blue cars anyway
James
Guest
Gillon Until our kids, that live more than 50km north of the Murrumbidgee, can play footy at school - your job in incomplete. Such is the success of the Swans, and perhaps the Lions, there is enough grass roots football among kids to be a fabulous nursery. Home grown talent is what is needed - then you can do away with the COLA, as we'd have players living in their home town. HOWEVER, our kids are starved of opportunity. Weekend school sport kills the opportunity when it becomes compulsory. There is compulsory soccer, or one of the rugby codes...not compulsory AFL. There are thousands of kids who would rather play AFL. Will Langford. What a star. He just starred in a winning GF team. He never got to play for his school....because it wasn't offered! Commission members, club presidents (especially you Eddie)..lobby school councils and school bodies, governments. It's not like you don't know these people. You've been on boards with them. Be part of the solution.. Get fair dinkum..or hand the job to someone else.