Eddie McGuire: Tasmania warned to build Hobart stadium or new AFL team could go elsewhere

West Australian

a day ago

Former Collingwood Football Club president Eddie McGuire has a blunt message for Tasmania: if you don't want a team in the Australian Football League, the competition has other options.
As the Tasmanian parliament debates whether to bring down its Liberal government, potentially ending prospects of the Devils becoming the league's 19th team, Mr McGuire slammed critics of plans to build a football stadium in Hobart for the team.
'What Tasmania doesn't need is every week to have an advertisement that they are a second-rate state,' he told The Nightly. 'I think Tasmania deserves to be finally seen for the great state that it is.'
Even though the government and Labor opposition support building the stadium, Tasmania faces a $1 billion budget deficit next financial year. The deficit has added to pressure to cancel the project, which the AFL has made a condition of allowing the team into the competition in 2028.
The parliament is expected to vote on Thursday afternoon to dismiss Premier Jeremy Rockliff. It is not clear if Labor leader Dean Winter has enough votes to take over, and the acting governor may call an election, which would likely be fought over the $945 million stadium, which critics say the state cannot afford.
'An election would certainly put the full formation of the team and the issuance of a licence at risk,' Tasmania Devils chief executive Brendon Gale said.
Mr McGuire, one of the AFL leaders who approved the expansion, said the island state's existing football ovals were 'fourth rate' and would not attract enough spectators, including Victorians who would want to fly to Hobart to see their teams play.
'You want to be careful 18 club presidents don't sit down and say 'we will be be $400 million better off' without the team,' he said.
'There is a fair bit of investment from the AFL. It will probably cost $30 million a year. If you start saying no and it becomes too much of a pain in the neck, people may say: 'We could have a third team in Perth, or one of the central coast of NSW, or Darwin or Alice Springs. We need to get on it with or go to plan B.'
'The whole philosophy of this exercise was to take it to world-class level rather than having a game of footy in the wind and rain. The teams need to look like Collingwood at the MCG, Adelaide at Adelaide Oval or Brisbane at the new Olympic stadium.'
The Liberal Party won an election in Tasmania 16 months ago, but defections have left it without a majority in parliament. Most MPs have indicated they plan to vote against a 'confidence' motion in the government today, a step that requires the premier or resign or seek a new election. It will be up to Lieutenant Governor Christopher Shanahan, the state's top judge, to decide whether to grant the request.
Both sides traded barbs on Thursday morning. 'This has been a selfish grab for power,' Mr Rockliff said.
Mr Winter, the Labor leader, said: We are going to an election because the Liberals have broken the budget and want to sell off Tasmania's assets.'
Complicating the situation, Parliament has not passed a budget for next year, which means there is no legal provision to pay public servants from July 1.