TOP LION JOINS RESCUE

Brisbane coach on board as deadline pushed back

BRISBANE Lions coach and passionate Tasmanian Chris Fagan has joined the team trying to fix the state’s football crisis.

The AFL has announced Fagan would be part of its steering committee, which also includes Carlton coach and fellow Tasmanian Brendon Bolton. But the deadline to announce a solution to the state’s talent pathway issues has been pushed back because of the enormity of the problem.

AFL chief executive and steering committee chair Gillon McLachlan was originally going to announce measures to fix the broken talent pathway on April 14, but this has been pushed back to June 30.

BRISBANE Lions coach and passionate Tasmanian Chris Fagan has been added to the AFL’s steering committee tasked with solving the state’s football crisis.

However, the enormity of fixing the state’s talent pathway issues has seen the deadline pushed back.

Originally, AFL chief executive and steering committee chair Gillon McLachlan was to come to Tasmania to announce a range of measures to fix the broken talent pathway on April 14 and a solution for the future of the now seventeam Tasmanian State League following the withdrawal of North-West Coast clubs Bur- nie and Devonport on June 30.

But, after meeting this week, the steering committee — Mr McLachlan, AFL Tasmania chief executive Trisha Squires, former St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt, Carlton coach Brendon Bolton, AFL head of game development Rob Auld and AFL state league manager Simon Laughton — found the talent pathway and the TSL were interlinked.

Mr McLachlan will still travel to Tasmania in coming weeks, most likely to the North-West Coast, but the committee’s finding and solutions for the talent pathway and the TSL won’t be announced until its self-imposed deadline of June 30.

Ms Squires said after the meeting it was obvious the two could not be separated.

“After yesterday’s meeting, it was clear the committee has a desire to investigate the presented options in more depth,” she said.

“It’s important the options are interlinked with the TSL and our decision making needs to reflect this.

“The June 30 date allows us to explore the possible outcomes that are best for the talent pathways for boys and girls and the future of the state league in Tasmania.”

Fagan’s inclusion would suggest a return of the Mariners full time to the TAC Cup is on the cards. The former Mariners coach was a strong advo- cate of the program as an answer to the state’s football woes earlier this year in the Mercury.

“Chris Fagan is a passionate supporter of Tasmanian football,” Ms Squires said.

“Like Brendon, he has been involved on many levels, and will bring great experience and perspective to the committee.”

The committee, including Fagan, will meet again in the coming fortnight.