Tassie cops AFL games shirtfront
TWO of Tassie’s favourite footy sons — North Melbourne’s Ben Brown and Hawthorn’s Grant Birchall — will be back home next year, but the AFL’s 2018 draw reveals the state has again been dudded.
Despite the State Government’s $5 million sponsorship of both clubs, which guarantees seven premiership games in Tasmania each year, five of those matches will next year feature some of the lowest-drawing teams in the competition.
Aside from the opening two games (North Melbourne v Carlton and Hawthorn v St Kilda), the Tasmanian fixture has all non-Victorian teams, and includes the sides with the three smallest membership bases — Greater Western Sydney, Gold Coast and Brisbane, as well as Port Adelaide and West Coast.
It will be the Lions’ ninth visit to Launceston in 11 years and the Suns’ fifth trip to the island in eight seasons.
Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin said the state deserved more.
“The headlines were for the two games released previously [Blues and Saints] and then, predictably, we’ve been dudded,” Mr Martin said.
“It is simple maths, the numbers aren’t there to support GWS or West Coast or the other [interstate] teams, they just don’t come. GWS simply don’t have any supporters and West Coast, we know with the Perth teams the numbers are really low.”
Mr Martin said the state should be allocated games involving Collingwood or Essendon — the only two teams not to play in Tasmania for premiership points. He said it would introduce the state to a new market with big membership bases.
“This year we’ve got Carlton, and we should hope we will get Collingwood down here sooner rather than later,” he said.
Tasmanian Greens senator Nick McKim said it was another illustration of how poorly the AFL treated the state.
“Tasmanians have once again been asked to swallow the scraps from the AFL’s table,” Senator McKim said.
“It’s bad enough that Tasmanian fans have to subsidise the failing Queensland teams, without having to parade their failure down here because crowds in Melbourne won’t watch them.”
Premier Will Hodgman said the draw was out of the Government’s hands but tried to look at the positives.
“While obviously we’d like to see more big name clubs playing down here, the draw is a matter for the AFL,” Mr Hodgman said.
“However there is absolutely no doubt the state gets a massive return on its investment, through the significant social and economic benefits that AFL games make to both Launceston and Hobart.”
AFL Tasmania chief executive Rob Auld defended the state’s dose of top flight football, with Brisbane scheduled to bring former Hawk favourite Luke Hodge to Launceston to face his old club, and matches including 2017 finalists Port Adelaide, West Coast and the Giants.
“For the first time ever there will be two blockbusters on Saturday nights that are live and free to air on Channel 7, a fantastic opportunity to show- case our state and our stadiums,” Mr Auld said.
“The remainder of the draw has finalists from last year, the interest of a club [the Suns] about to embark on a restart with a new coach, plus a Tassie coach [Chris Fagan] facing his former side with the help of a boom recruit [Hodge].”
Opposition sports spokeswoman Michelle O’Byrne said Mr Hodgman was failing in his task to bring bigger teams to Tasmania.