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PATRICK SMITH
Bullying tactics will unite lethal Lions
April 23, 2004
NO-ONE denies the AFL the right to defend its lucrative sponsorship deals. That the league's defence threatens to damage the good name of the competition is another matter altogether.
What should be a debate is a battle. What should be settled around the table is splashed about the tabloids, broadsheets and airwaves. The Lions have Cadbury Schweppes as a sponsor in direct competition to the AFL's protected backer Coca-Cola. The AFL says such a deal brings the game into disrepute. Brisbane's head is spinning.
This is a schoolyard punch-up and the big blokes are ahead on points - 260,000 of them. It is an embarrassing spectacle and it verges on bullying.
Had Brisbane the football team found an opponent so intense and vigorous as the AFL administration it would have no hat-trick of premierships. Just bruises, gashes and vengeance ringing in their ears.
At the very same time the AFL seeks to wrench sponsorship promotion off Brisbane it foists Toyota advertising on Geelong, a club which has historically and lucratively been supported by Ford. The AFL does not so much as give a hint of compensation even though the value of the Ford deal to Geelong will clearly be diluted in the future if it is renewed at all.
The AFL says that it is attempting to maximise the dollars available to the competition but in doing so it is hardly minimising any damage to its clubs. Brisbane's dalliance with Cadbury may yet cost it more than $1million. The damage to Geelong remains unknown.
The AFL is adamant that it makes decisions if and when they fall due. Hence the $260,000 fine for sloppy paperwork delivered to the Lions on Wednesday. The findings of the audit hit the desk of football operations manager, Adrian Anderson, on Wednesday morning and hours later the Lions were shocked and dismayed.
If only the Tigers could move the ball so quickly Richo would never have to leave the goal square.
The AFL is dismissive that the fine is in anyway linked to the sponsorship impasse. Brisbane is a little less certain. The $260,000 fine is out of all proportion for punishments delivered to clubs that have deliberately and consistently cheated the salary cap.
The club's errors are simple and innocent enough. Wives and partners were flown to Sydney for the preliminary final against the Swans. It is a standard, legitimate and accepted practice. The Lions were fined $10,000 because they did not alert the AFL in writing. These fines are the speed cameras of football. Turn them on when and where you like.
The Lions deserve no sympathy if they make 26 errors in typing and timing but for their sins they should be asked to stand in the corner not be lashed by a studded strap. That is punishment for clubs that swindle, lie and undermine the fabric of the competition. Yet the Lions appear the more despised.
The more Brisbane is pushed the more likely it is to take legal recourse. It correctly wonders what other clubs have been so ruthlessly pursued. The breaking point cannot be far away.
Since the Lions informed the AFL that they were dumping Coca-Cola and signing up the opposition the AFL has moved twice more. The Lions have been forced to abandon a ground levy and accommodation allowances have been withdrawn. This is said to be coincidence.
But the levy and accommodation support applied for round one when sponsorship was not an issue, withdrawn when it was. The AFL argues that the levy was in place for ground development and development for the moment has finished.
The timing is all happenstance and not contrived is the AFL's line. The bait remains intact.
Coach Leigh Matthews briefed his players about the fines on Wednesday night. It won't worry them this year. Rather it will probably help the coach motivate the player group. Everybody appears to be against the triple treats and that is an environment that can propel teams to accomplish amazing feats. Like a fourth premiership in a row. They'll be hard to beat now, for surely Queensland will rally around the club.
What happens next year is another matter. The fixture is the AFL's noose. Every club board knows that it is the AFL's ultimate weapon of intimidation. Take the AFL administration on and it is slipped around your neck. Brisbane next year may be the first side to host a league match in Rwanda.
At least they will be able to charge a levy for ground development. Maybe even a finder's fee.
Bullying tactics will unite lethal Lions
April 23, 2004
NO-ONE denies the AFL the right to defend its lucrative sponsorship deals. That the league's defence threatens to damage the good name of the competition is another matter altogether.
What should be a debate is a battle. What should be settled around the table is splashed about the tabloids, broadsheets and airwaves. The Lions have Cadbury Schweppes as a sponsor in direct competition to the AFL's protected backer Coca-Cola. The AFL says such a deal brings the game into disrepute. Brisbane's head is spinning.
This is a schoolyard punch-up and the big blokes are ahead on points - 260,000 of them. It is an embarrassing spectacle and it verges on bullying.
Had Brisbane the football team found an opponent so intense and vigorous as the AFL administration it would have no hat-trick of premierships. Just bruises, gashes and vengeance ringing in their ears.
At the very same time the AFL seeks to wrench sponsorship promotion off Brisbane it foists Toyota advertising on Geelong, a club which has historically and lucratively been supported by Ford. The AFL does not so much as give a hint of compensation even though the value of the Ford deal to Geelong will clearly be diluted in the future if it is renewed at all.
The AFL says that it is attempting to maximise the dollars available to the competition but in doing so it is hardly minimising any damage to its clubs. Brisbane's dalliance with Cadbury may yet cost it more than $1million. The damage to Geelong remains unknown.
The AFL is adamant that it makes decisions if and when they fall due. Hence the $260,000 fine for sloppy paperwork delivered to the Lions on Wednesday. The findings of the audit hit the desk of football operations manager, Adrian Anderson, on Wednesday morning and hours later the Lions were shocked and dismayed.
If only the Tigers could move the ball so quickly Richo would never have to leave the goal square.
The AFL is dismissive that the fine is in anyway linked to the sponsorship impasse. Brisbane is a little less certain. The $260,000 fine is out of all proportion for punishments delivered to clubs that have deliberately and consistently cheated the salary cap.
The club's errors are simple and innocent enough. Wives and partners were flown to Sydney for the preliminary final against the Swans. It is a standard, legitimate and accepted practice. The Lions were fined $10,000 because they did not alert the AFL in writing. These fines are the speed cameras of football. Turn them on when and where you like.
The Lions deserve no sympathy if they make 26 errors in typing and timing but for their sins they should be asked to stand in the corner not be lashed by a studded strap. That is punishment for clubs that swindle, lie and undermine the fabric of the competition. Yet the Lions appear the more despised.
The more Brisbane is pushed the more likely it is to take legal recourse. It correctly wonders what other clubs have been so ruthlessly pursued. The breaking point cannot be far away.
Since the Lions informed the AFL that they were dumping Coca-Cola and signing up the opposition the AFL has moved twice more. The Lions have been forced to abandon a ground levy and accommodation allowances have been withdrawn. This is said to be coincidence.
But the levy and accommodation support applied for round one when sponsorship was not an issue, withdrawn when it was. The AFL argues that the levy was in place for ground development and development for the moment has finished.
The timing is all happenstance and not contrived is the AFL's line. The bait remains intact.
Coach Leigh Matthews briefed his players about the fines on Wednesday night. It won't worry them this year. Rather it will probably help the coach motivate the player group. Everybody appears to be against the triple treats and that is an environment that can propel teams to accomplish amazing feats. Like a fourth premiership in a row. They'll be hard to beat now, for surely Queensland will rally around the club.
What happens next year is another matter. The fixture is the AFL's noose. Every club board knows that it is the AFL's ultimate weapon of intimidation. Take the AFL administration on and it is slipped around your neck. Brisbane next year may be the first side to host a league match in Rwanda.
At least they will be able to charge a levy for ground development. Maybe even a finder's fee.
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