Legend fears for Tassie footy

TASMANIAN football great Alastair Lynch has called on league boss Gill McLachlan to reveal the AFL’s plan for Tasmanian football and to fix to crumbling foundations of the game in the state.

Lynch, 49, who grew up in Wynyard, has joined a flood of Tasmanian football greats speaking out about Tasmania’s emerging football crisis.

The three-time Brisbane premiership forward was appalled at the recent loss of foundation clubs Burnie and Devonport from the Tasmanian State League — the state’s elite competition.

That the proud North-West region now had no teams playing at the top level shocked the 306-game AFL star. Lynch, who lives in Brisbane, said the AFL must respond.

“If the AFL is saying all’s well down there, well show us how it’s going well and what’s their goal in Tasmania?” Lynch said.

“That’s where the leadership going forward needs to be transparent, engage the passionate football supporters in Tassie and show them what they are trying to do and how we are tracking.”

The AFL made a net profit of $330 million last year.

The TSL competition received $1 million while the Gold Coast Suns were granted

an additional $25 million. Lynch said grassroots football needed just as much attention.

“If the foundations are cracking, you’ve got to fix it,” Lynch said.

“There’s no point doing a reno on the roof if your foundations have got cracks all through it.

“You need to put wellconsidered funds into decent programs.

“The AFL will say they are doing that — tell us, what are you doing? How are you tracking?”

Lynch called on the leaders to stand up.

“You need stronger leadership, whether that’s from the head of AFL Tasmania or Gill McLachlan to actually tell us the plan, and tell us how they are going to hit the goals,” he said.

“There haven’t been too many Tasmanians drafted over the past couple of years and Burnie and Devonport have gone down — it doesn’t look great.

“I’m not saying from Queensland that I have the answer, I don’t have the answer, but somebody must have it.”

Lynch started playing in the junior ranks at Wynyard and after two reserves games for the club he moved to Hobart to play under another legend, Peter Hudson. He was drafted from the Tigers in 1986.

“To have Burnie and Devonport fall over, and to have no [North-West] teams at the elite level in Tassie, is extremely disappointing,” Lynch said. “You’ve got such a passionate region that has been supporting AFL footy pretty much since it started over a century ago, it’s sad to think it’s got to this state.”

Lynch said the Tassie Mariners becoming a full-time member of the under-18 TAC Cup or a Tasmanian VFL team could be the answer to providing a clearer pathway for young talent.

“You need an elite program or elite team, like a team in the VFL or the TAC Cup, you need a team that represents Tasmania in an elite competition,” he said.