AFL revives key think-tank for ‘evolution'
The AFL has made another big move towards leaning on clubs to guide the league future by reinstituting the AFL Competition Committee which could be loaded with senior players.
Three years after leading players including Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield were part of the committee, first introduced in 2018 to guide discussion around decision-making on key aspects of the future of the game, it's back.
It comes after AFL CEO Andrew Dillon added two club bosses, Brisbane's Greg Swann and Sydney's Tom Harley, to the league executive, evidence of a nod to the information and experience coming out of clubland.
Swann, the AFL's new football performance boss, football operations boss Laura Kane and AFL commissioner and veteran administrator Andrew Ireland will be key members of the new-look committee. AFL CEO Andrew Dillon and Greg Swann . Michael Klein Credit: News Corp Australia
That trio will be joined by a strong representation of names and faces from around the game to 'make assessments, canvass views, test theories and provide comments and recommendations regarding the AFL Competition'.
Those views would then go to the AFL Commission, the ultimate decision maker.
'During its time, the AFL Competition Committee previously provided great insight and thinking around all aspects of the game and has helped shape the evolution of the game,' Dillon said.
'There is no one closer to the game than our players, coaches and key club personnel, and I'm keen for our football department to continue building on these relationships across the board.
'Beyond the members of the committee, I want to continue to engage a broader group consisting of past players and media, to provide their feedback and insights so we can collect as much information as we can and workshop it. Then, from a head office point of view, we can move quickly and appropriately on the things that are most important and need to be implemented going forward.'
The make-up of the new committee is currently being confirmed and will be announced shortly.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Herald Sun
an hour ago
- Herald Sun
Kerry Stokes must hand back South Sydney membership over Perth Bears blackout
Billionaire media giant Kerry Stokes should immediately hand back his prestigious South Sydney Rabbitohs life membership if he continues to sabotage rugby league's foray into Perth. Stokes and his media cohorts in Australia's west are behaving like petulant children. The chairman of the Seven West Media empire, Stokes has essentially blackballed Perth Bears coverage on his Seven television network and only aims to condemn rugby league through his print arm, The West Australian newspaper. Perth wants to be careful about being seen as a small-minded country town, who cannot accept change, by eastern state sports supporters. AFL gets a pretty good run in the Sydney media. It's called being grown up. Banning coverage of rugby league because your station is the rights holder to AFL – a rival winter sport – is petty and juvenile. It's also a clear sign how uneasy Stokes must be about the NRL's incursion into WA. And this from a man who was awarded life membership at Souths in 2004 for his significant financial contribution during a challenging era for the club. Stokes was happy to accept the gong from rugby league back then but now wants to inflict damage on the game. Clearly the honour meant little to Stokes. If Stokes is seeking to obstruct and vandalise rugby league then he should return his life membership. Perth's media resistance shows how paranoid and protective they are over their beloved AFL. Can't have anyone upsetting the precious AFL now can we? Stokes cannot seem to accept that WA's Government gave the NRL a whopping $65m in funding for the Bears to relocate and now the Perth media have taken their bat and ball and gone home. Said to be worth $12.6 billion, Stokes is among the top ten richest Australians with his Seven network being number one in Perth. He owns the AFL broadcast rights and The West Australian, a newspaper which has been hugely critical of the Bears' shift into Perth. This was the same paper which, when Perth Bears were announced as the NRL's 18th franchise to excited fans, ran a massive front page headline which screamed 'Bad News Bears', describing the club as a dud second division team. How bloody rude, arrogant and disrespectful to a foundation rugby league club. Yes, Stokes wants to protect his biggest asset, AFL, but they can't spare rugby league some air and print space? The NRL doesn't want to storm Perth in a bloody takeover. We just want a fair and equitable portion of the WA media pie. Maybe State of Origin in Perth on Wednesday night can mend a few misconceptions about rugby league and show WA punters what a wonderfully exhilarating sport it can be. Stokes has decided to brush attending Origin II, claiming to be in Sydney on business. The Perth Bears will need Stokes, no doubt, but rugby league has survived and flourished for 117-years without him. Stokes' preferred sport is AFL but he also has a long history with rugby league. His greatest gesture was a $3m sponsorship over three years with Souths around the start of the century, money which helped the club navigate financial difficulties. Stokes' high-profile support also played a pivotal role in Souths' reinstatement into the NRL, thus his deserved life membership at the time. 'Kerry made a tremendous contribution to the club in its darkest hours, and was a fully deserved recipient of life membership,' said Souths CEO, Blake Solly. 'Without Kerry it's doubtful whether the Rabbitohs would be in existence today.' Now Stokes appears to have abandoned rugby league. Rather than excluding Bears' coverage, maybe Stokes should tell his two AFL teams to lift their performances. The once mighty West Coast Eagles, who were laughably compared to Manchester United during the 1990s, are running dead last on the AFL ladder, having won one from 14 games this season while Fremantle are faring better with eight victories from 13 matches. The NRL has attempted to win over the hearts and minds of WA sports fans by appointing the one-and-only Mal Meninga as the franchise's inaugural coach. But Meninga and new Bears CEO Anthony De Ceglie, a former Seven West Media director of news and current affairs and editor-in-chief of West Australian newspapers, are fully aware of the looming push-back from AFL-loving local media. 'We can't just go over there and beat our chest and say 'we're here',' Meninga said. 'It's more around building respect.' I just hope Mal and his team are given the same respect by Seven West Media in return, otherwise rugby league must rid itself of Kerry Stokes. DOG TREATS Champion Sydney-based horse trainer Chris Waller has claimed rugby league's push into New Zealand's rugby union heartland was 'scary.' Kiwi-born Waller said: 'When I was growing up, there was no rugby league at our school and rugby union held centre court. It was pretty strict. If you played rugby league, you couldn't go back to rugby union. '(So) it will change, for sure, especially if you've got administrators like Peter V'landys involved. It's a bit scary and the All Blacks had a bit of a loss in terms of their business this year. They will have to change a few things to make sure it's not losing its dominance. 'Rugby league is portrayed in such a great way. The Kiwis love Australia, they are in awe of Australia – the population, wealth and opportunities. The All Blacks are probably more seasoned – they don't play as many games so they don't get the same exposure.' MERRITT ON THE TOOLS Former Souths winger Nathan Merritt has started working as a scaffolder. Merritt, who has recovered from a 2023 serious health scare where he was placed on life support, was spotted on a building site at Concord last week. One co-worker said: 'I couldn't believe it was him.' Merritt, 42, scored 154 tries during a 13-year, 237-game career at Souths and Cronulla. TIGERS DREAM In a unique situation, Wests Tigers debutant Charlie Murray is managed by a company called Enriched, where Tigers CEO Shane Richardson is a shareholder. Richardson's son, Brent, Enriched CEO, said: 'I'm Charlie's agent, not Shane. If you speak to Paul Massey (operations manager for NRL's Accredited Player Agency Scheme), it will have my name under Charlie's on the registry. 'He came to Wests Tigers with no guarantees and no real contract. Charlie's dream was to play NRL. He's a great kid, a hard trainer who puts the club first. 'Shane doesn't manage anyone in the business.' Brent admitted the player-son-CEO relationship was 'quirky'. MID-SEASON MADNESS Which two well-known players from a Sydney club are tipped to be moved on before June 30. One isn't a shock, the other will be contentious. RAIDERS MENTORS Is there a better club when it comes to developing and educating coaches than Canberra? Check out this list of current coaches who have, at some point, shifted through the Raiders system. Mal Meninga (Perth), Laurie Daley (NSW), Michael Maguire (Broncos), Craig Bellamy (Storm), Anthony Seibold (Manly), Todd Payten (Cowboys), Wayne Bennett (Souths) and, of course, the one-and-only Ricky Stuart. Originally published as Media mogul Kerry Stokes and the Western Australian media are being childish over the Perth Bears
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
AFL great Luke Hodge sports nasty face injury on TV
A week after being inducted into the AFL's Hall of Fame, Luke Hodge has had to explain on national TV why he was sporting a seriously nasty gash on his face. The Hawthorn legend was inducted into the Hall of Fame last week in recognition of his four premierships and two Norm Smith Medals won during his time at the Hawks. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. But on Tuesday night, viewers of Channel 7's Agenda Setters were concerned by the sight of a large scar on Hodge's face, which had been patched by stitches. Fronting up to discuss the big issues in footy, Hodge's co-hosts couldn't resist poking fun of the 40-year-old as he explained his nasty looking noggin. Kane Cornes said: 'A man with a fresh gash on his forehead, what has happened Luke?' Watch Luke Hodge talk about the gash in the video above Hodge claimed he sustained the gash playing in a local basketball game. He said: 'It's old man basketball, Kane. I went up for a layup... it's a little bit of a gash, got a nice little elbow right in the forehead and spent the night in emergency. Dale Thomas chimed: 'He did a hamstring in similar fashion and now this.' Hodge quipped: 'It's just passion. The first thing (my wife said) was 'do you reckon you should give up on sport?'' Cornes added: 'I think we need to hold an intervention after the show tonight. Anyway, you look good.' It's been a big week for Hodge, who was inducted into the Australian football Hall of Fame alongside the likes of Nick Riewoldt, Garry Lyon, Daisy Pearce and Erin Phillips. Hodge captained Hawthorn to the 2008 premiership and was a key member of the club's three-peat of premierships in 2013, 2014 and 2015. 'A lot of things we did were just simple, good, honest, team-first stuff. And I think that's why a lot of our players were able to stand up in big occasions,' he said. 'I probably got away with things early with my fitness and professionalism, but because I understood the game it probably hid a few of the flaws I had. 'But after 2009 we never got ahead of ourselves. We celebrated the premierships for two or three weeks but then came 'crossroads day' as we called it. The message went out to the entire group, no matter where in the world they might be, to start acting like professional athletes again.' AFL Hall of Fame Inductee Luke Hodge Hawthorn (2002-17): 305 games, 193 goals Brisbane Lions (2018-19): 41 games, 1 goal Australia: 4 games Premierships: 2008, 2013 (capt), 2014 (capt), 2015 (capt) Best and fairest: 2005, 2010 All-Australian: 2005, 2008, 2010 Norm Smith Medal: 2008, 2014
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Shots fired as Footy TV war erupts over ‘rookie error'
Matthew Lloyd couldn't help himself. The Essendon legend and his Channel 9 crew couldn't resist taking a shot at veteran football reporter Caroline Wilson after an embarrassing moment on Monday night. Channel 7's Agenda Setters has become a popular addition to the network's beefed up footy coverage this year after raiding Nine for some of its most notable on-air talent, including Kane Cornes. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. The Agenda Setters and Nine's established Footy Classified have gone up against each other on Monday and Tuesday night timeslots this year. It's why Lloyd's light-hearted dig at his former Channel 9 colleague has caught the eye. The Bombers goalkicker was happy to highlight two awkward moments on The Agenda Setters, which went to air before Footy Classified. The Agenda Setters began in bizarre scenes with the Monday night panel — Wilson, Nick Riewoldt, host Sam McClure and veteran commentator Craig Hutchison — unable to be seen with the broadcast beginning with a lighting failure. It got worse for Seven's new show when Wilson had the mortifying moment of having her phone ring live on air. The veteran commentator was in the middle of a discussion about the future of Cats coach Chris Scott when her mobile started chirping. 'I'm sorry that's my telephone,' she said reaching into a bag. 'What a terrible time for that to happen.' Hutchison, Riewoldt, McClure saw the funny side of it. So did Lloyd and the team at Footy Classified. 'I'm a little bit nervous because they're all good friends of mine, but (I'm giving) a cook tonight for The Agenda Setters because when they went to air tonight, I honestly thought Hutchy had failed to pay his electricity bills,' he said with a grin. 'I think there was a little bit of trickery with their new set. I honestly thought he hadn't paid his bills. 'Ten minutes later, Caro... made a major rookie error.' Hutchison's production company Rainmaker is responsible for managing the show. Nine and many other commentators in the industry have been taking shots at Wilson this month since she first reported Saints gun Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera was not considering the Crows as a future destination because of racist comments made by Taylor Walker in 2021. Wanganeen-Milera was drafted by St Kilda later that year and the South Australian, who has emerged as a young superstar halfback, is now weighing up whether to return to his home state or remain at the Saints with lucrative offers looming either way. Football journalist Tom Morris last week went against Wilson's report, saying Wanganeen-Milera had spoken to Walker over the phone to clarify with the Crows veteran that he had no 'lingering issues' with him. Lloyd's jab was far from the only eyebrow-raising segment across Monday night's footy shows. The Agenda Setters played footage captured by Fox Footy showing the bizarre sight of Fremantle having photos of AFL umpires hanging up in their Optus Stadium dressing room. The mugshots of the four whistleblowers on the wall caught the eye of Saints legend Riewoldt. 'I saw this from the weekend, found it interesting,' Riewoldt said on Seven. 'They're clearly trying to arm the players with the umpires' names. 'They look like mug shots, those pics. 'But I reckon the players have got enough to worry about, don't they? Without trying to memorise umpires' names.'
