AFL BOSS TO ‘DO WHAT IT TAKES’ FOR TASSIE

MONEY is no object when it comes to fixing the crisis in Tasmanian football, AFL boss Gill McLachlan revealed last night ahead of his long-awaited visit to Hobart tomorrow.

Mr McLachlan, pictured, said AFL House had been working on solutions since just after the Mercury launched its Save Our Footy campaign and “the reality is that we are committed to doing whatever it takes down there”.

“I can provide as much money as you want. But it’s a two-way street,” he said.

MONEY is no object when it comes to fixing the crisis in Tasmanian football, says AFL boss Gillon McLachlan.

He hinted last night he would be packing the league’s financial firepower when he arrives in Hobart tomorrow to kickstart the fix for football around the state

Three days out from the start of the AFL season, Mr McLachlan was quizzed on Fox Footy’s AFL 360 on many things about the game, including his much-anticipated visit to Tasmania.

Mr McLachlan joked he may have to tour the state with the protection of a “Popemobile” and revealed decisionmakers at headquarters had been thinking about solutions.

“We have a view internally, but part of that is it has to be fully formed with the people on the ground,” he said.

“We’ve got a view about how we should be going forward over the coming weeks.

“The reality is that we are committed to doing whatever it takes down there.”

Mr McLachlan will meet Premier Will Hodgman and kick off a working group to analyse the state of the game in Tasmania.

But he said: “It’s not all on us. I can provide as much money as you want.

“But it’s a two-way street.

“There are structural challenges in Tasmania . . . and there’s stuff we could be doing better or investing more in.

“We will get to the right ground.

“We can’t solve all of the issues down there, but we will make sure we are doing everything we can to deal with as many of the issues as we can.”

Mr McLachlan denied Tasmania’s troubles – the loss of teams, clubs’ financial struggles, dwindling number of players, few Tasmanians being drafted – were because of neglect from head office.

“It will take some time to catch up to where we need to be, whether that was neglect or not enough investment or however you want to categorise it, it is certainly not in the last couple of years,” he said.

“Then we’ll need to be staying strong and if we need to invest more we will.”

Calls for the AFL to act on Tasmania’s football crisis intensified after State League clubs Burnie and Devonport pulled out of this year’s roster, leaving the North-West without a side in the competition.

Then AFL Tasmania chief Rob Auld was also promoted to Melbourne.