Club heavyweight backs Tassie’s bid
New side poses little risk for AFL, says Blues boss
ONE of the AFL’s leading figures has called Tasmania’s entry “a free hit” for the league and backed the state becoming the 19th club.
Brian Cook, the chief executive who turned Geelong from minnow to powerhouse and is doing the same in his first year at Carlton, said the risk was minimal for the AFL.
Tasmania is working on its final proposal being put to the league commission and then the club presidents in August.
The Tasmanian government has put $10m a year on the table for the first 10 years, as well as $50m for a high-performance centre and other startup costs, as well as backing a new roofed Hobart stadium that could cost $750m from a variety of funding sources.
“Tasmania has a better chance of working than not working,” Mr Cook said on Melbourne’s Sportsday Radio.
“I’m a bit of a believer that this is a bit of a free option that the AFL is being provided by the Tasmanian government.
“If you put the stadium together with the dollars the government is going to produce for the new club plus other dollars I think it works out to about $900m or something like that.
“It’s a free option. The AFL don’t have to put anything in at this stage.”
Mr Cook said there were other issues to work through such as talent and staff distribution and the stadium, but they were all solvable.
“I think we should be discussing this very much at a high level as distinct to what’s happening at times about talking in the reeds about how many staff we are going to lose or are they going to get three players or four players from every club,” he said.
“I think this (Tasmania) is a good option.” The negative voices, led by Gold Coast chairman Tony Cochrane, have been most vocal, but those in favour are starting to make noises. Outgoing Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett’s replacement, Peter Nankivell, has stated he is supportive of Tasmania’s case, while Adelaide, West Coast and Geelong are also believed to be favouring Tasmanian expansion.
Tasmania has a better chance of working than not working