THIS FEELS REAL
Roo’s big call on Tassie chances
FOOTY legend Nick Riewoldt says the “pipedream” of an AFL team based in Tasmania is now a reality. In an exclusive interview, the former St Kilda great and member of the team taskforce said he was “as confident as I’ve ever been”. “I think it’s starting to feel achievable,” he said. “The momentum is building, the calibre of people that’s involved, just the passion of the state, the fact that we’ve got the three big newspapers uniting … I’ve never been more confident in the direction and I’ve never felt the sentiment so strongly weighted in Tasmania’s favour.”
WHAT was once a pipedream now feels close to reality says Tasmanian football great Nick Riewoldt.
A Tasmanian AFL team has long been classed alongside the hunt for a bunyip and a bridge spanning Bass Strait — nice, fuzzy warm dreams, but unattainable.
But Riewoldt — a member of the Tasmanian Government-formed AFL Taskforce which is building the state’s business case — said this was no longer the case.
“It’s been a pipedream for a number of years, for a long, long time,” Riewoldt said.
“But the momentum is building, the calibre of people that’s involved (on the taskforce), just the passion of the state, the fact that we’ve got the three big newspapers uniting, I think it’s starting to feel achievable. So yeah, I’m as confident as I’ve ever been.”
There was no doubt Tasmania had issues to overcome and solutions to find but Riewoldt said none of those was insurmountable and nothing compared to the issues around memberships, attendances and buy-in the AFL’s expansion clubs were struggling with on the Gold Coast and in Greater Western Sydney.
“Some of the issues we’re facing with those expansion teams — they’re not going to exist in Tassie,” he said. “I’d be so confident of that. “I don’t think membership would be an issue for a Tasmanian team.”
And he said the state had an opportunity to prove it by pledging support.
“I feel like with the sentiment over here (in Melbourne), I’ve never been more confident in the direction and I’ve never felt the sentiment so strongly weighted in Tasmania’s favour.”
Riewoldt, alongside new Hawthorn director of coaching and former Carlton coach Brendon Bolton, is playing a key role in the taskforce — that of building a football team from scratch. “My role on the taskforce is essentially to debunk some of the myths around why Tassie shouldn’t have its own team,” the fivetime All-Australian said.
“My role within the taskforce will be to drill down into the real football club culture, ensuring that a Tasmanian team would be a destination club, eliminating player retention as a potential issue and basically ensure that it’s a high-performing culture and high-performing environment.”
The Tasmanian AFL Taskforce has launched a website (unitedwestand.com.au) hoping to gain 50,000 pledges to support the state’s case.
Riewoldt said achieving the target would send a powerful message to AFL headquarters.
“It really is incumbent on the people of Tasmania to unite to make sure this happens because this is essentially the role of the taskforce — to debunk some of these myths that the state will never be able to unite as one,” he said.
“Here is an opportunity for us all to unite so we can confidently and almost resolutely say, ‘well that’s a myth, that’s not an issue and here’s the proof’.”
It really is incumbent on the people of Tasmania to unite to make sure this happens because this is essentially the role of the taskforce to debunk some of these myths that the state will never be able to unite as one NICK RIEWOLDT