It’s the only news story that matters at the moment.
While everything else hasn’t been completely rendered insignificant, the impact of the Coronavirus has been felt the world over. Sports leagues around the world have been suspended. International events have been cancelled or postponed.
The fear of loss of jobs and income is real and is starting to hit home, which makes the need for any emotional nourishment ever more needed.
For any administrator of any sport over the world, the choices they have been faced with over the past week and a half would have been the toughest of their careers.
Here in Australia, the likes of Todd Greenberg and Gillon McLachlan and their respective commissions have had big decisions to make. These are decisions not only to protect their industry and all the stakeholders involved, but decisions that fall in line with strict new government regulations when it comes to living everyday life.
This weekend, the AFL will commence their season behind closed doors while the NRL and A-League will also continue their seasons behind closed doors.
Gillon McLachlan has had to navigate many tough times in his time in the big chair at the AFL. While this decision sits at the top of the list, it might also be his defining moment as CEO of the code. As fans and constituents of the code, we must be grateful we have a leader of his ilk at the top at this time.
(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Leadership at the best of times is hard. People look to people at the top for guidance and how to navigate through a tricky situation. Nathan Buckley’s tweet at the peak of the bushfire crisis in the summer hits the nail on the head of how testing leadership can be at difficult times.
It could have been so incredibly easy for Gillon McLachlan to join the rest of the world by cancelling or suspending the league temporarily and leaving an even bigger gap in people’s lives. Instead, he listened, empathised, gathered all the information from the key people, and delivered the message to his community on the way forward.
Play on. Not as normal, but we will play on.
The AFL have had many leaders pass through the big chair. Every one of them left their own unique legacy and piece of history. Ross Oakley led us through the era of expanding to a national competition and the unfortunate demise of Fitzroy. Wayne Jackson took us to what we know now as Marvel Stadium and set the path in motion to keep all the clubs alive today. Andrew Demetriou led us through broadcast rights and expansion and the saga that will linger forever. McLachlan now faces his biggest challenge and a chance to further cement his legacy.
For all the CBA arguments and agreements, the establishment of the women’s competition and bringing it forward to allow more growth to the game, leading a code through mourning at various occasions, changing the rules and equalisation, McLachlan has had a remarkable and eventful six years in the job.
There are some huge achievements to have on your resume along the way. But navigating a code through a time when there is so much uncertainty in almost every aspect of the game, across every level, might prove to be McLachlan’s finest hour.
As Peter Gordon, the Western Bulldogs’ chairman, put it on SEN Radio the other day: “I’m really glad we’ve got Gillon McLachlan at the helm”.
Gordon said that the current financial strength of the AFL and the strength of most clubs is due to McLachlan’s leadership at the top. Gordon said: “There are less clubs in debt; there are many more clubs that have got some cash reserves. We’ve got intellectual resources, and we’ve got financial resources to deal with it (Coronavirus).” Gordon sits on the AFL cabinet with McLachlan as part of the AFL’s response team to COVID-19.
We face uncertain times. The season began on Thursday night, but we don’t know how long it will go for and what type of season we will get. But for whatever gets thrown our way, we are in good hands and as a code.
Players, fans, staff, media, broadcasters and everyone involved in this great game from the big leagues to country footy to Auskick, we will go on and find a way to get through this together.
Nick
Roar Guru
that's what it is. same thing in a different way. You think it's strong leadership because of "A", but it's strong leadership because of "B". He cancelled the comp when it became impossible to run it. It's not strong leadership in the way you think it is.
Penster
Roar Guru
Or Allan Jones.
Penster
Roar Guru
Gill considered all options took advice. I googled "tautology" as I haven't heard that terms for about 30 years. It means saying the same thing in a different way. You should google it too Spruce.
PeteB
Roar Rookie
You trotted out the 99% figure. It’s a meaningless stat when it includes high blood pressure and diabetes. Go and ignore all the advice from the medical experts and authorities and put your family and your friends family in peril if you like. But keep them all the hell away from everyone else. Now go back to your cave and don’t speak again.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
And now what was the bleeding obvious to most everyone else on Tuesday has forced the AFL's hand by Sunday.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
There is no commonsense sense in this decision IMO. It's the antithesis of community leadership that the AFL so often spruiks in regard to itself.
TheGeneral
Roar Rookie
Just mentioned on the NM v StK game that the AFL look like shutting down the comp. Andrews announcing all non essential activity to be stopped. NSW ditto. AFL to announce later. At last common sense prevails or is AFL football more important than the spread of this virus.
The Brazilian
Roar Rookie
Most games have been like AFLX but with even less soul. While not a huge fan of 'possession football' I think Collingwood and Geelong are being gifted an opportunity to pinch a flag.
DB
Guest
I'm not a fan of Gill and was a supporter of Goodes since he called out that girl. But I can't see what the AFL could have done that would have changed anything.
TomC
Roar Guru
It's surely now just a rubber stamp that the AFL will be suspended indefinitely. Enjoy today's games, folks. They'll be the last for a while.
Seymorebutts
Guest
Deaths in people under the age of 35... NIL!! This virus is killing people with compromised lungs... Who has compromised lungs? Heavy smokers for one. https://www.ibtimes.com/covid-19-top-targets-smokers-men-elderly-2929939
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
The mixed messages are the problem. The Chief Medical Officer of Australia is being slagged by the trashmedia, but he's interpreting an ongoing and ever changing issue. Regardless, his advice is stay home. The AFL decision is ludicrous. The CEO being commended for playing, yet saying as soon as the first player tests positive it'll change the decision is crazy. What if that player played Sunday, tackled opponents, touched the ball everyone else did, drank from common bottles, had his shoulder strapped, tests positive Monday? Where's the common sense?
Seymorebutts
Guest
There is some controversy in the medical community about this Cov 19 for exactly that reason. Testing kits were exhausted early on.. so how do we know people actually have Cv 19? I think doctors are telling everyone with a cough and runny nose to self isolate for two weeks as a precaution.
Seymorebutts
Guest
So your saying 76% of fatalities from Covid 19 died from high blood pressure? I call bullsh*t on that. People dying tend to be older, older people tend to have a range of conditions, including diabetes and high blood pressure.. that is called a ''correlation''. Correlation and Causation are not the same thing. I'll let you google that. What you are doing is making the classic ''straw man'' argument.. Ill let you google that as well. People are dying of complications of lung infections. Why would that be? Well, they already have compromised lungs. Who has compromised lungs? Smokers and asthmatics. Italy and China in particular have populations with a high propensity to smoke. WHO has been saying for years that the rate of smoking in China would lead to long term health problems. Why else would men in Italy be twice as likely to die from it as women? Women as a whole, dont smoke as much as men. Thanks for your input.
Gavan Iacono
Roar Rookie
Gil was spotted at the beach with the other 3k people seriously concerned about the pandemic, while infection numbers climb. I am comforted being in such good hands.
Gavan Iacono
Roar Rookie
I hope your right and sense prevails.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
My son and I actually have the flu right now (symptoms as of Friday evening), but we don't know specifically what it is. The position of the GP this morning (Saturday) is that we can't test for Covid-19 as we don't meet the recent o/s travel criteria and testing resources are scarce. Yet we are ill and all we know is we have some form of flu infection (and it could be another strain - i.e. non-Covid-19, but we don't know). But AFL clubs are just being able to test broadly for the virus within no particular protocol for justification, when tests are otherwise limited due to scarce availability? I don't really have the words at this point to express my disappointment at this situation. Best I can say is surely we should be prioritising testing for people who have some form of flu symptom or are medically at risk, which feeds in to understanding where clusters of Covid-19 infections may actually be within our communities on a real time basis (or at the least as soon as we can, once results are available) so we can target local/district-based containment measures.
Lukey Miller
Guest
I think Gill is going OK. I am not sure about the people working for him though. It had been flagged that a lot of overseas people would be tuning in as there is no pro footy of any type being played elsewhere. You would think that the broadcast would have included something to explain the rules, scoring and how the game is played - before game and during the game breaks. That would be the AFLs responsibility of course, but alas nothing. Some games were terrific, but most commentators were very poor - shame.
Nick
Roar Guru
Leadership vis-a-vis government intervention.
Doctor Rotcod
Roar Rookie
Unsurprisingly we have seen this happen across the upper stretches of society as well.No lack of testing equipment for parliamentarians… In breaking(or broken )news President Trump was asked at a Wednesday news conference whether “the well-connected go to the front of the line.” “You’d have to ask them that question,” he replied, suggesting that should not be the case. “Perhaps that’s been the story of life. That does happen on occasion, and I’ve noticed where some people have been tested fairly quickly.” It obviously irks you that Gill is using the same evidence as you to come to a different conclusion. It’s an aspect of cognitive dissonance that can lead to stress. Stress leads to inflammation and if infected under these conditions,cytokine storms can occur. My advice as a biologist,chill. Let’s watch AFL while we can.