Tuesday 26 February 2013

White Line Cure

In the aftermath of the announcement of ASADA’s investigation into Essendon, Bomber fans feared for the first time in our lives for the actual survival of the football club.

That first week was truly gut wrenching. Running into fellow Bomber work colleagues the pervading feeling was despair at the possible fate of Essendon.

Caroline Wilson of The AGE and Patrick Smith of the Australian stabbed all Essendon fans through the heart with their attack on James Hird calling for him to be sacked.

James Hird is held in the highest regard by Bomber fans, this premature attack only compounded the pain and galvanised Essendon fans who banded together on Twitter and radio to share the pain and anger.

Amid constant media speculation a few voices of reason like David Parkin spoke out in defence of not only Essendon but also James Hird. The main message was we have to give ASADA time to investigate before passing judgement on what has occurred.

The mood has certainly turned, only a few people believe the Bombers have deliberately instigated a program of performance enhancing drugs or worse one conducted by James Hird.

Essendon are still potentially in trouble for some of the practices adopted by the sports science department. However, a glimmer of hope has emerged that it could have been a suspect by association due to a wider ACC/ASADA investigation into supplement importation and the shady characters that lurk around the corner from the local chemist.

You tend to become a news junkie in this situation reading everything on the subject fair or unfair. In the end more questions than answers emerge, the angst remains.

The ASADA investigation is likely to take at least 3 months so we won’t know the fate of the players, coaches, officials or club as a whole for awhile yet.

The boys from AFL360 at half time,
 no doubt the ASADA investigation
 dominated discussion.
I attended the first NAB Cup game at Etihad Stadium with a group that included two Collingwood and two other Essendon fans. Some pre game beers and good conversation that touched on the drug issue which had permeated all football fan thoughts of late, well Essendon fans anyway.
Essendon were to be playing Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs.

I fully expected Essendon and its fans to cop a barrage of abuse from fans of the other clubs. Lining up for a ticket the queue was populated with all denominations, not a peep from any of them.

Entering the ground Essendon received a raucous welcome from the Bomber faithful, barely a boo could be detected.  This was unusual!

After occupying standing room on the first level I noted a good crowd of around 27,000 had come to the ground.

The game between Essendon and Bulldogs got under way and the relief was tangible, footy is back. Players chasing the Sherrin, calls for holding the ball, a great mark, snap at goal, some good teamwork. “Whose the new kid, no. 38 for Essendon looks a likely type?”

A game of Australian football, the reason we are all here was being played. It is the reason we come to watch and care about our club.

This wasn’t white line fever it was white line cure.





Sunday 24 February 2013

AFL CEO Succession Plan is in tatters

 In July 2012 Andrew Demetriou took an extended break from the game during the season. 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. However, there could also be some collateral damage along the way.

Firstly, I think he is tired and ready to move on after 10 successful years at the helm.

Analogous to Jeff Kennett’s reign as Victorian Premier (ironic yes) Demetriou took some major decisions and has presided over significant step change development 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. You have to admit to a problem to be dealing with it.

Media foot soldiers from other codes like Francis Leach will regularly take their stick to whack the big AFL piƱata as Leach called the AFL administration on the ABC Offsiders show 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 No.2 at AFL house.

According to the media the NRL went after McLachlan to secure him as their CEO with 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. Most people though have read between the lines and it’s pretty obvious a succession plan has been put in place.

This leads to the third factor centred 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 head-ache 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.

Tuesday 19 February 2013

AFL Integrity Officers will do it tough!


 
The AFL is recommending each club employ an Integrity officer to monitor and report on any drugs or organised crime activities within but independent from the club.

In the movie, The Hunt for Red October, a Political Officer is placed aboard the submarine to monitor activities which may not be in accordance with the policies of the Soviet Union.

A pariah to be sure, the Political Officer comes to mind with a football twist centred on the Carlton Football Club…..


“The Blackest Day in Sport”

“And the Seventh angel poured forth his bowl into the air, and a voice cried out from the Labor caucus saying...

“It is done”

Integrity Officer: A man with your responsibilities reading about the end of the competition. Huh. And what’s this “I am become death, the destroyer of sport”.

Malthouse: It is from an ancient Sherrin text quoted by a soccer player”

Integrity officer: Soccer player?

Malthouse: He invented the flood or forward press and was later accused of being offside”

Integrity officer: You wrote and underlined these passages?

Malthouse: No. This book belonged to the Collingwood FC I keep it for sentimental value.

Integrity Officer: I’m sorry about Eddie McGuire, comrade.  2012 should have been your year. The succession plan was….unfortunate.  I’m only doing my job, it is my responsibility.

Malthouse: How many agents did the AFL send to my club?

Integrity Officer: Your club, comrade?

Malthouse: Yes

Integrity Officer: This club belongs to the people of Lygon Street, Carlton. Besides if the AFL or ASADA has agents at the club I would be the last to know.

I suggest we open our training orders, comrade.

“From Gillon McLachlan, second commander AFL Headquarters. We are to proceed North to Goschs Paddock and rendezvous with the Collingwood Football Club”. Comrade Buckley’s club.

Malthouse: You know Buckley?

Integrity Officer: I know he descended from Port Adelaide and that he was your student. It is rumoured he has a special place in his heart for you”

Malthouse: There’s little room in Buckley’s heart for anyone but Buckley.

Integrity Officer: Having made contact, we are to run a series of drills. They will check our blood levels, whilst we check them for tattoos and criminal links.

Having evaluated operational compliance within WADA guidelines we are to return to the MCG on or about the end of the March.

Integrity Officer: Comrade, this is an historic moment. I’d like to make a request.

Malthouse: Before you proceed, comrade…

Integrity Officer: I know it’s not protocol, but would you permit me to post our drill instructions and inform the players of our ‘mission’?

Malthouse: Aah! Where I’m going you cannot follow…

(Picks up the phone)
Malthouse: Doc Peter Larkins report to my office immediately.

There’s been a dreadful accident!

Wednesday 13 February 2013

ASADA Syndrome


There is a new disease striking fear into sporting clubs around Australia known as ASADA Syndrome. You don’t want to catch it because even if it turns out to be benign the effects will be debilitating for a long period of time.

Once the disease takes hold the club’s well being is immediately compromised, it attacks the nervous system first and then progressively wraps itself around the host causing enormous stress and anxiety.

There is no short term relief. Once ASADA strikes the club is immediately under suspicion by all as trial by media ensues. Sponsors get nervous, fans hope for the best but fear the worst and the playing group suffers the most.

We already know 1 AFL club and 6 NRL clubs have the syndrome whilst another AFL club is showing isolated symptoms.

How can ASADA possibly investigate all these clubs in a timely manner!

I want to know how many people work for ASADA. Once they inflict your club with their ‘infestation’ it will be paralysed for how long before they let go?

As their testing regime has proved impotent, ASADA have to rely on circumstantial evidence gained through intelligence involving numerous interviews, computer records and with the help of the Australian Crime Commission (ACC), phone taps.

In the truest sense this is a long term investigation and they need a scalp to justify the release of the Organised Crime and Drugs in Sport report.

In the meantime the paralysis continues at Essendon whilst 6 other NRL clubs await the start of the ASADA investigation.

In Essendon’s case, the preseason competition is about to begin and the whole club has a dark cloud following it’s every movement.

Self inflicted I hear you say?

Nothing has been proven, just a suspicious character whose trail across multiple sporting clubs is deemed worthy of investigation.

The onus is on ASADA to throw all possible resources at getting a result either way. If it has the best interests of sport and the fans at heart this is a must.

Further, if the organisation with the assistance of the ACC took 12 months to get this far with the ubiquitous ‘could’ and ‘possibly’ spread throughout the report, I fear a long and painful investigation process.

In the case of ASADA Syndrome the treatment does considerable damage regardless of the outcome