Latest news with #AndrewDillon
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Callan Ward turning heartbreak into inspiration sums up all that is wonderful about AFL
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon would have to rank among the most wooden media performers I have seen or heard. Many in the industry speak highly of him and his ability to distil and diffuse, the sort of operator every leader wants by their side. But he is no frontman. Last week, he did the radio rounds justifying the latest executive shakeup. As always, it sounded like he was reading off well-thumbed, suggested speaking notes. Look, he droned; crowds, ratings and revenue are all up – we're doing so much right! It was an AI response to a very human sport. The best of Australian rules football can't be explained in media releases, or in org charts, or in SEN Fireball Friday hot takes. The best of this sport can be found at the grassroots level, or on hall of fame night, or in thousands of little moments around the country each weekend. Advertisement Related: From the Pocket: AFL players are taught to conquer their fears but some need saving from themselves One of those occurred late on Saturday afternoon, in front of bugger all people, in a part of the country where footy hasn't yet taken hold. The best of the sport was probably the worst moment of Callan Ward's career. The GWS Giants inaugural co-captain lay on a massage table, sobbing. Lachie Whitfield, a teammate of 13 years, crouched down to Ward's level, hugged him, and kissed him on the cheek. Sentimental slop, you may say, and it is to a degree. But in an industry of grind and grift, it was a tender, human moment that said a lot about both the injured player and his club. When Ward first went to Greater Western Sydney, some saw him as a traitor. He had grown up in Melbourne's inner west, the son of a man who played VFA for Yarraville and the grandson of a former South Melbourne captain. He was booed by Western Bulldogs supporters when he was still playing for them. The Herald Sun devoted its front page to the story, under the headline 'Money Rules', with a photo of Ward's mother Kerri and his three sisters holding a framed photo of their brother in action for the Bulldogs. Don't blame Callan, his mum said. Blame the AFL. 'The days of the one-club player are really dying out, particularly when you have clubs being set up like this where they come along and offer ludicrous amounts of money to play football.' But Ward was no cheque collector, no mercenary and no flight risk. There was a swagger, a competitiveness and a camaraderie at the Giants that was distinct from what the Gold Coast cultivated. No one personified that refusal to yield more than Ward. Even when they were being trounced by 20 goals, they'd be mouthing off, putting their heads over the ball, and rallying around one another. Yes, plenty of players left to return to their home state, but they never had the player drain of the Suns, especially among their leaders. Advertisement There were a lot of flashy, preternaturally talented players on that list. But Ward was a proper footballer. He didn't do many interviews, didn't rant or rave, and was a completely different personality to his co-captain Phil Davis. But he was the sort of leader people were drawn to and rallied around. He was rarely out of the top half dozen players. He was a reliable big game performer. He excelled in the often brutal Sydney derbies. But there was more to his game than a headfirst bulldozer. Martial artists often speak of 'heavy hips and light feet' and Ward had the ability to get down low, to evenly distribute his weight over the ball, and accelerate out of a stoppage. Ward has had some rotten luck. He played in five losing preliminary finals, and several of them could have gone either way. In the 2016 preliminary final, one of the best games of this era, his head collided with Zaine Cordy's knee and he was left twitching on the turf. He wrecked his knee early in the 2019 season, the only year the Giants have played off in a grand final. Late in last year's qualifying final, another classic, he charged through a stoppage, split a pair of Swans and banana kicked a goal to put them up by two majors. But the Giants lost that game and coughed up a seven-goal lead to eventual premiers Brisbane a week later, putting Ward's retirement plans on hold. He's been a remote footballer this year, living in separate states to his wife and his three gloriously named sons, Romeo, Ralfie, and Rex. There have been better and more talented footballers than Callan Ward. There have been footballers with more accolades, blazers, votes and medallions. There have been footballers who racked up bigger numbers, who looked better on a stats sheet. But there aren't many footballers who've been more admired, or meant more to a single club. His injury and his three-quarter time address summed up everything that is hard and wonderful and meaningful about the sport. They were moments where football spoke for itself, where nothing needed to be defended, or sold, or spun.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Callan Ward turning heartbreak into inspiration sums up all that is wonderful about AFL
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon would have to rank among the most wooden media performers I have seen or heard. Many in the industry speak highly of him and his ability to distil and diffuse, the sort of operator every leader wants by their side. But he is no frontman. Last week, he did the radio rounds justifying the latest executive shakeup. As always, it sounded like he was reading off well-thumbed, suggested speaking notes. Look, he droned; crowds, ratings and revenue are all up – we're doing so much right! It was an AI response to a very human sport. The best of Australian rules football can't be explained in media releases, or in org charts, or in SEN Fireball Friday hot takes. The best of this sport can be found at the grassroots level, or on hall of fame night, or in thousands of little moments around the country each weekend. One of those occurred late on Saturday afternoon, in front of bugger all people, in a part of the country where footy hasn't yet taken hold. The best of the sport was probably the worst moment of Callan Ward's career. The GWS Giants inaugural co-captain lay on a massage table, sobbing. Lachie Whitfield, a teammate of 13 years, crouched down to Ward's level, hugged him, and kissed him on the cheek. Sentimental slop, you may say, and it is to a degree. But in an industry of grind and grift, it was a tender, human moment that said a lot about both the injured player and his club. When Ward first went to Greater Western Sydney, some saw him as a traitor. He had grown up in Melbourne's inner west, the son of a man who played VFA for Yarraville and the grandson of a former South Melbourne captain. He was booed by Western Bulldogs supporters when he was still playing for them. The Herald Sun devoted its front page to the story, under the headline 'Money Rules', with a photo of Ward's mother Kerri and his three sisters holding a framed photo of their brother in action for the Bulldogs. Don't blame Callan, his mum said. Blame the AFL. 'The days of the one-club player are really dying out, particularly when you have clubs being set up like this where they come along and offer ludicrous amounts of money to play football.' Inspirational. Despite his injury, Cal Ward fires up his team before the final term.#AFLGiantsTigers But Ward was no cheque collector, no mercenary and no flight risk. There was a swagger, a competitiveness and a camaraderie at the Giants that was distinct from what the Gold Coast cultivated. No one personified that refusal to yield more than Ward. Even when they were being trounced by 20 goals, they'd be mouthing off, putting their heads over the ball, and rallying around one another. Yes, plenty of players left to return to their home state, but they never had the player drain of the Suns, especially among their leaders. There were a lot of flashy, preternaturally talented players on that list. But Ward was a proper footballer. He didn't do many interviews, didn't rant or rave, and was a completely different personality to his co-captain Phil Davis. But he was the sort of leader people were drawn to and rallied around. He was rarely out of the top half dozen players. He was a reliable big game performer. He excelled in the often brutal Sydney derbies. But there was more to his game than a headfirst bulldozer. Martial artists often speak of 'heavy hips and light feet' and Ward had the ability to get down low, to evenly distribute his weight over the ball, and accelerate out of a stoppage. Ward has had some rotten luck. He played in five losing preliminary finals, and several of them could have gone either way. In the 2016 preliminary final, one of the best games of this era, his head collided with Zaine Cordy's knee and he was left twitching on the turf. He wrecked his knee early in the 2019 season, the only year the Giants have played off in a grand final. Late in last year's qualifying final, another classic, he charged through a stoppage, split a pair of Swans and banana kicked a goal to put them up by two majors. But the Giants lost that game and coughed up a seven-goal lead to eventual premiers Brisbane a week later, putting Ward's retirement plans on hold. He's been a remote footballer this year, living in separate states to his wife and his three gloriously named sons, Romeo, Ralfie, and Rex. Sign up to From the Pocket: AFL Weekly Jonathan Horn brings expert analysis on the week's biggest AFL stories after newsletter promotion There have been better and more talented footballers than Callan Ward. There have been footballers with more accolades, blazers, votes and medallions. There have been footballers who racked up bigger numbers, who looked better on a stats sheet. But there aren't many footballers who've been more admired, or meant more to a single club. His injury and his three-quarter time address summed up everything that is hard and wonderful and meaningful about the sport. They were moments where football spoke for itself, where nothing needed to be defended, or sold, or spun.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
‘Not personal': AFL CEO Andrew Dillon explains executive reshuffle
AFL chief Andrew Dillon insists there's nothing personal in the demotion of Laura Kane while brushing off fierce criticism of the umpiring standard. Dillon has gone on the Friday hustings after his reshuffle of the AFL executive cost Indigenous identity Tanya Hosch her role and pushed Kane down the pecking order. Kane's job has been split, with the 34-year-old no longer overseeing key football areas. 'It was a big, big role,' Dillon told SEN radio on Friday. 'Decisions affect people but they're not personal. It's actually about what's the right thing for the AFL, not just for now, because the AFL's in an incredible position at the moment. ' ... We have now got a structure that actually allows us to continue to be successful for the next three to five years and that was the thinking.' In a separate interview on ABC Radio, Dillon rejected the notion that unconscious gender bias was a factor in Kane's dealings with clubs and subsequent demotion. 'It's not a gender thing,' he said. 'Laura has broken down a lot of barriers. She is an incredibly talented administrator.' Hosch's position of inclusion and social policy manager will no longer exist as a separate role once the first Indigenous member of the AFL executive leaves on 6 June. Instead, the existing corporate affairs portfolio will include First Nations engagement and inclusion. Asked about Hosch's departure, Dillon said on SEN: 'What we will have now is more voices and more leaders all across the industry in all of the work that Tanya was doing.' The AFL boss also launched in defence of the standard of umpiring this season which has attracted great scrutiny. Dillon described the umpiring fraternity as 'incredibly talented ... great decision-makers'. Sign up to From the Pocket: AFL Weekly Jonathan Horn brings expert analysis on the week's biggest AFL stories after newsletter promotion 'You strive for perfection but you know you're now going to get that in umpiring,' he said. 'We don't get it with the players either. But you have to do to is get as close as you can and that is a continued work in progress. 'You can pick out isolated incidents of any game and say that it's battling. What you have to do is actually look at all nine games over the weekend ... picking isolated incidents isn't the way that you judge the umpires.' Dillon said the system of four field umpires, which some pundits believe has created inconsistency, would prove its worth. 'We're a couple of seasons into the four umpires, it's a work in progress,' he said. 'What it does have, it allows ... umpires to be in better positions to make the calls. It's less physically taxing on them. 'When we brought the four umpires in, we expanded the list so we have a number of umpires who are in the early parts of their career. So I think over the medium and longer term it's going to be successful.'
AU Financial Review
4 days ago
- Sport
- AU Financial Review
Why the AFL struggles to kick out Richard Goyder
All is not well at AFL headquarters, otherwise known as the AFL Commission. It's time to seriously address who should take responsibility for its problems. According to AFL guru Caroline Wilson, the league is beset by 'crumbling' management and communication problems. These include the chaotic leadership of Andrew Dillon as chief executive, poor Indigenous player and Indigenous executive management, poor attention to player health concerns; inconsistent approaches to player suspensions; and questions over the allocation of exclusive TV rights to Saturday games to Foxtel at the expense of free-to-air Channel Seven.
Daily Telegraph
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Telegraph
AFL: CEO Andrew Dillon changes Laura Kane's role
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News. The AFL has reacted amid growing pressure on football boss Laura Kane, splitting her job in two as part of a major shake-up of its executive ranks. Following months of operational issues, questions about umpiring, the mishandling of a ban for Port Adelaide star Willie Rioli and other communication issues, AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon has acted. A second general manager of football performance will be appointed to work with Kane, while long-term social and inclusion boss Tanya Hosch will depart the league. Despite the shift, Dillon is adamant Kane, who will still be in charge of football operations but no longer be responsible for MRO, umpiring, game analysis, player movement, laws of the game, innovation and club engagement, maintains a 'major leadership role'. 'Laura will continue to play a major leadership role within the AFL.' Dillon said. Laura Kane's role has been split. Picture: Morgan Hancock/AFL Photos/via Getty Images 'But the overall responsibility has grown so much that the traditional leadership role for an individual executive in footy is no longer the best model.' Kane will still be responsible for delivering the AFL, AFLW, VFL and VFLW competitions as well as a newly formed AFL healthcare and medical team, including the league's mental health response and ongoing concussion management. There remains increasing pressure for Dillon to swiftly find a new chief operating officer, as the AFL executive team struggled in the wake of former chief executive Gillon McLachlan's resignation. The position of commission chairman Richard Goyder is also under scrutiny, as the AFL, despite boasting huge membership and viewership numbers, lurches from crisis to crisis off the field. Kane particularly was criticised for the AFL's handling of the situation with Rioli, who escaped penalty for a threat made to Western Bulldogs defender Bailey Dale before a history of similar incidents was revealed and he was banned for a week. There were also issues with the blame game after umpires failed to stop the game when Collingwood's Lachie Schultz was concussed against Fremantle. She is still in charge of football operations under chief executive Andrew Dillon's watch. Picture:But Dillon said he had been reviewing his leadership structure since taking over 18 months ago and the changes were part of that. 'Footy is at the heart of everything we do, it has to be front and centre,' he said. 'It's the reason people care, the reason they're passionate, the reason they show up every week. 'My focus is making sure we keep working closely with our clubs, coaches and players to keep our game strong and to ensure footy remains the No.1 sport in the country – by every measure.' Originally published as AFL football boss Laura Kane to split role amid changes to league's executive after series of poorly handled incidents
