Time for Tassie team to get the nod, says Jack Riewoldt

Richmond star Jack Riewoldt has urged the 18 AFL club presidents to sign off on a standalone Tasmanian club this year and says it’s time for the men’s and women’s seasons to be played simultaneously.

Riewoldt, who has matured into one of the deep-thinking veterans of the league and a future broadcast analyst, also said players needed to be mindful of the financial pain many in the community have experienced as the AFL Players Association and AFL work towards a new collective bargaining agreement for male and female players.

Tasmanian Tiger Jack Riewoldt wants the 18 clubs to vote for a standalone team in his home state.Credit:AFL Photos

An independent report by former Geelong president Colin Carter last year found relocating an existing team to Tasmania or setting up a “joint venture” with a Victorian club could be more sustainable than adding a 19th franchise, but Riewoldt, a proud Tasmanian, said Tasmanian football deserved a new team.

“My opinion is that it needs to be an original side. There is baggage that comes with relocated sides and I would be disappointed for the supporters of the side that was relocated,” he said.

“Everyone hints at the Gold Coast being the side that is relocated. There are 20,000 members up at the Gold Coast that are invested in that footy club. I would feel sorry for them to lose that side and lose their heartland of that area, as I would for any side that was relocated.

“I just think the buy-in for the Tasmanian people, to have it start in Tassie, and that be the birthplace of the team, would be pretty special.”

The Suns and AFL have made it clear the Gold Coast side will not be moving.

Riewoldt’s cousin, former St Kilda captain Nick, is a Tasmanian AFL taskforce member working through all the issues.

Club presidents will discuss Tasmania’s bid, underpinned by state government backing, at their annual meeting on the eve of the new season, with a vote expected within months. If the bid is endorsed, some club presidents believe it would be financially best to wait until closer to the end of the decade for the new team to debut.

Carter’s report said a Tasmanian team would sit in the lower-middle section of the AFL’s “wealth ladder”.

“To be honest, the whisperings I am hearing, it’s only positive at the moment,” Jack Riewoldt, the triple-premiership star, said.

“I really don’t know a timeline but what I will say is that the people who are in the process have been open about wanting the feedback and wanting to be judged properly, not a tokenism about just giving us a side and figuring out the issues that come with an AFL side after the licence has been granted. They actually want to have it ironed out and be as well-prepared and waterproof in terms of the logistical side of things … right down to the nitty-gritty of the business model.”

The timing of the AFLW season has also become a point of debate, as players have concerns about the summer heat and the impact it is having on the overall game-day spectacle. There is debate whether the hard grounds are also contributing to knee injuries.

Riewoldt, 33, said he had discussed the issue with the AFLW Tigers and said there was no reason why the men’s and women’s competitions could not both run in winter.

“I do think they can run hand in hand. I do see a bit more of a crossover in the season,” Riewoldt said.

“Just chatting to our girls, it is bloody hard to play AFL football at this time of the year. We train, obviously, at this period of time but to go out for two hours on big fields with smaller numbers [16 on field per side in AFLW], it really is difficult. If it’s a winter sport AFL, then the AFLW and the men’s competition should be played hand in hand.

AFLW players have to deal with heat throughout their summer season.Credit:AFL Photos

“To give it the best shot, and for the players’ welfare, I think that would be a good way to go about it.”

The AFLW competition this season has also had to deal with pandemic-related fixture changes, forcing relocations and matches to be held mid-week, which have added to the stress levels and employment issues of many players.

The overall issues are expected to be discussed as part of CBA negotiations.

At a time when many in the community are still reeling from the financial impact of the pandemic and lockdowns, Riewoldt said players needed to be mindful of this when they seek greater pay. The average salary for a listed male player last season rose to $372,224, with six earning more than $1 million.

“You just have to look at society in general and know there is a lot of money … that has been sucked out of the economy, and even people in general have had a fair bit taken from them and are probably hurting a bit,” Riewoldt said.

“In the early signs of it, things are bouncing back really strongly. As every CBA discussion is, there will be the players’ side, there will be the AFL side, and over a period of time we will meet in the middle somewhere.”

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