My to-do list for the man about to become football's Mr Fix It
As difficult as it was for The Fonz to say 's ... s ... s ... s ... sor ... sorry' in TV's Happy Days, some critics of the AFL might be equally reluctant to say 'w ... w ... w ... wel ... well done' to the AFL on the appointment of Greg Swann.
But the league deserves plaudits for appointing Swann. He has an incredible track record wherever he has gone. Not only did he lead two of the biggest clubs in footy heartland – Carlton and Collingwood – but the job he did steering the turnaround of the Brisbane Lions was remarkable.
The Lions today are a stable club, with healthy attendance at games, on-field success, elite training facilities, and are considered a destination club for many players. That's a far cry from the position the club was in when Swann arrived in 2014.
Just like your columnist in his playing days, the AFL is never be accused of being fast. But Swann was lured to league headquarters just days after the role of head of football performance was created. The speed and quality of that appointment has been widely applauded, even by the league's harshest critics.
But the AFL's glacial response to a raft of issues needing serious attention has left a legacy. After taking nearly two years to appoint Andrew Dillon as CEO to replace Gillon McLachlan, the league has continued to lack urgency, particularly in the development of a new drugs policy, and addressing concerns about the football department soft cap.
Let's hope the events of the past week herald an era of greater vigour and energy from the AFL, spearheaded by Swann, a man who is both pragmatic and decisive – just what they need at footy's City Hall.
As he prepares to step into his new job next month, I, like many others, have some ideas on what his priorities should be. This is my to-do list for the AFL's new footy supremo:
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
44 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Ken revels in win that keeps hope alive
AFL: Power coach Ken Hinkley addressed the media, following his side's gritty victory over the Giants in Canberra
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Smith-less Cats outshine Suns
AFL: The Geelong Cats have overcome a late injury to superstar Bailey Smith to beat the Suns in Geelong.
The Advertiser
3 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Cats back Stewart after bump sends Anderson to hospital
Geelong coach Chris Scott has launched an impassioned defence of Tom Stewart as the star utility faces AFL scrutiny over the bump that landed Gold Coast's Noah Anderson in hospital. Stewart crunched Anderson in a heavy collision during the fourth quarter of the Cats' dour 9.7 (61) to 5.7 (37) victory at a rain-soaked GMHBA Stadium on Saturday. Play was held up while Anderson was assessed by medical staff, before he jogged slowly off the ground. He was eventually taken to the Suns' change-room. The Gold Coast captain was cleared of concussion after his head hit the ground following the body contact from Stewart, but was later taken to hospital for scans on his chest region. Scott insisted Stewart showed the appropriate duty of care to Anderson and was adamant there would have to be a fundamental shift in rules for the five-time All-Australian to face sanction over the bump. "If it's a protective action where contact's unavoidable and you don't get them in the head, then you've done everything you can," Scott said after the match. "I sort of feel for Noah. Everyone loves him, he's a gun player and it was pretty heavy contact to the ribs, but it was to the body. "Stewy, I thought his duty of care to Noah was as good as it could have been, and he was good enough to hit him in the body." Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick didn't feel there was anything untoward in the bump from Stewart, who was given a four-match ban in 2022 for a nasty hit on Richmond's Dion Prestia. "The game's combative, accidents happen on the footy field. It's one of those things," Hardwick said of Saturday's incident. "We'd love Noah to keep playing (but it's) within the rules, still allowed to bump. "It was a reasonable hit, a solid hit. He's a big boy, Tom Stewart. "But once again, we'll make it very clear, it was chest. It wasn't head or anything like that - no concussion. "From our point of view he'll just go there (hospital) and see what that comes back at." Hardwick was more concerned with his team failing what he had termed a "litmus test" before the match, and ceding their top-four spot to Geelong in the process. The Cats never trailed and pulled clear after halftime to improve their record to 9-4 with a fourth straight win, while Gold Coast slipped to 8-4 with a second successive defeat. It was also the Suns' ninth loss in as many visits to Geelong's Kardinia Park base - eight of those against the Cats - since their AFL inception in 2011. Tyson Stengle (four goals) and Max Holmes (40 disposals, 10 clearances) starred for Geelong, while Tom Atkins (23, eight) and Mark O'Connor (21, seven) were also important. AFL great Gary Ablett Jr was among the 29,502 fans on hand to watch his two former clubs do battle, and witnessed a scrappy, stoppage-heavy encounter in wet conditions. Hardwick felt Geelong were better around the contest, conceding they were "too good, too clean and too strong" for the Suns. "We've got some work to do and I was really pissed off, to be perfectly honest," he said. "We knew the game that we needed to have, and we unfortunately failed the test." Geelong lost Shannon Neale to an ankle injury before halftime, and Gold Coast's Jed Walter could face scrutiny for late and high contact on O'Connor with a swinging arm. Geelong coach Chris Scott has launched an impassioned defence of Tom Stewart as the star utility faces AFL scrutiny over the bump that landed Gold Coast's Noah Anderson in hospital. Stewart crunched Anderson in a heavy collision during the fourth quarter of the Cats' dour 9.7 (61) to 5.7 (37) victory at a rain-soaked GMHBA Stadium on Saturday. Play was held up while Anderson was assessed by medical staff, before he jogged slowly off the ground. He was eventually taken to the Suns' change-room. The Gold Coast captain was cleared of concussion after his head hit the ground following the body contact from Stewart, but was later taken to hospital for scans on his chest region. Scott insisted Stewart showed the appropriate duty of care to Anderson and was adamant there would have to be a fundamental shift in rules for the five-time All-Australian to face sanction over the bump. "If it's a protective action where contact's unavoidable and you don't get them in the head, then you've done everything you can," Scott said after the match. "I sort of feel for Noah. Everyone loves him, he's a gun player and it was pretty heavy contact to the ribs, but it was to the body. "Stewy, I thought his duty of care to Noah was as good as it could have been, and he was good enough to hit him in the body." Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick didn't feel there was anything untoward in the bump from Stewart, who was given a four-match ban in 2022 for a nasty hit on Richmond's Dion Prestia. "The game's combative, accidents happen on the footy field. It's one of those things," Hardwick said of Saturday's incident. "We'd love Noah to keep playing (but it's) within the rules, still allowed to bump. "It was a reasonable hit, a solid hit. He's a big boy, Tom Stewart. "But once again, we'll make it very clear, it was chest. It wasn't head or anything like that - no concussion. "From our point of view he'll just go there (hospital) and see what that comes back at." Hardwick was more concerned with his team failing what he had termed a "litmus test" before the match, and ceding their top-four spot to Geelong in the process. The Cats never trailed and pulled clear after halftime to improve their record to 9-4 with a fourth straight win, while Gold Coast slipped to 8-4 with a second successive defeat. It was also the Suns' ninth loss in as many visits to Geelong's Kardinia Park base - eight of those against the Cats - since their AFL inception in 2011. Tyson Stengle (four goals) and Max Holmes (40 disposals, 10 clearances) starred for Geelong, while Tom Atkins (23, eight) and Mark O'Connor (21, seven) were also important. AFL great Gary Ablett Jr was among the 29,502 fans on hand to watch his two former clubs do battle, and witnessed a scrappy, stoppage-heavy encounter in wet conditions. Hardwick felt Geelong were better around the contest, conceding they were "too good, too clean and too strong" for the Suns. "We've got some work to do and I was really pissed off, to be perfectly honest," he said. "We knew the game that we needed to have, and we unfortunately failed the test." Geelong lost Shannon Neale to an ankle injury before halftime, and Gold Coast's Jed Walter could face scrutiny for late and high contact on O'Connor with a swinging arm. Geelong coach Chris Scott has launched an impassioned defence of Tom Stewart as the star utility faces AFL scrutiny over the bump that landed Gold Coast's Noah Anderson in hospital. Stewart crunched Anderson in a heavy collision during the fourth quarter of the Cats' dour 9.7 (61) to 5.7 (37) victory at a rain-soaked GMHBA Stadium on Saturday. Play was held up while Anderson was assessed by medical staff, before he jogged slowly off the ground. He was eventually taken to the Suns' change-room. The Gold Coast captain was cleared of concussion after his head hit the ground following the body contact from Stewart, but was later taken to hospital for scans on his chest region. Scott insisted Stewart showed the appropriate duty of care to Anderson and was adamant there would have to be a fundamental shift in rules for the five-time All-Australian to face sanction over the bump. "If it's a protective action where contact's unavoidable and you don't get them in the head, then you've done everything you can," Scott said after the match. "I sort of feel for Noah. Everyone loves him, he's a gun player and it was pretty heavy contact to the ribs, but it was to the body. "Stewy, I thought his duty of care to Noah was as good as it could have been, and he was good enough to hit him in the body." Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick didn't feel there was anything untoward in the bump from Stewart, who was given a four-match ban in 2022 for a nasty hit on Richmond's Dion Prestia. "The game's combative, accidents happen on the footy field. It's one of those things," Hardwick said of Saturday's incident. "We'd love Noah to keep playing (but it's) within the rules, still allowed to bump. "It was a reasonable hit, a solid hit. He's a big boy, Tom Stewart. "But once again, we'll make it very clear, it was chest. It wasn't head or anything like that - no concussion. "From our point of view he'll just go there (hospital) and see what that comes back at." Hardwick was more concerned with his team failing what he had termed a "litmus test" before the match, and ceding their top-four spot to Geelong in the process. The Cats never trailed and pulled clear after halftime to improve their record to 9-4 with a fourth straight win, while Gold Coast slipped to 8-4 with a second successive defeat. It was also the Suns' ninth loss in as many visits to Geelong's Kardinia Park base - eight of those against the Cats - since their AFL inception in 2011. Tyson Stengle (four goals) and Max Holmes (40 disposals, 10 clearances) starred for Geelong, while Tom Atkins (23, eight) and Mark O'Connor (21, seven) were also important. AFL great Gary Ablett Jr was among the 29,502 fans on hand to watch his two former clubs do battle, and witnessed a scrappy, stoppage-heavy encounter in wet conditions. Hardwick felt Geelong were better around the contest, conceding they were "too good, too clean and too strong" for the Suns. "We've got some work to do and I was really pissed off, to be perfectly honest," he said. "We knew the game that we needed to have, and we unfortunately failed the test." Geelong lost Shannon Neale to an ankle injury before halftime, and Gold Coast's Jed Walter could face scrutiny for late and high contact on O'Connor with a swinging arm.
