AFL's two sets of rules
By Caroline Wilson
The Age
May 3, 2006
CHAD Morrison's decision to hop aboard his Vespa after a few too many 11 nights ago has demonstrated yet again one of football's truisms. That is, that there is one rule for Collingwood and another for the rank and file of the AFL.
This is not a criticism of the Magpies. Most independent observers would say that Collingwood has done business pretty well over the past seven years.
However, you cannot blame other clubs for wondering how it is that the biggest club continues to get all the breaks. Imagine how Richmond is feeling at present. The Transport Accident Commission has indicated it will defer any decision on Morrison's transgression until its next board meeting in about a fortnight.
Until then the Magpies have been given cause to show how they can keep their $1.2 million three-year community-based deal alive. Not the Tigers. When Jay Schulz drank and drove the major sponsorship was terminated virtually overnight.
The TAC might argue that Richmond violated its contract a number of times over 16 years, pointing not only to Royce Vardy but also Dale Weightman, Aaron Fiora and Justin Charles to name three. But the fact remains that this is the Magpies' second recorded mistake under its (albeit revised) contract and Richmond has every right to feel aggrieved.
Richmond must be asking itself for the millionth time where it went wrong. Back in 1965 it took the forward-thinking step of moving its home games to the MCG. Still it has no adequate stadium agreement from the MCG.
Through its own bad management under Clinton Casey it threw away a season-opening deal with the Magpies and entered the 2006 season $2.6 million behind Collingwood before the ball was even bounced. The Magpies also had the foresight and the crowd guarantees to underpin the AFL-MCC truce with the guarantee of 18 games a season at the 'G.
Because every Victorian club wants to play Collingwood twice the Magpies travel interstate less than everyone else as well.
Because Collingwood savagely protects its reputation and its brand it will rightly not give much ground on its jumper. The AFL has abandoned pushing the Magpies on this one. Their once proud rival Carlton will abandon the navy blue for white to appease the competition and its ridiculous claim that jumpers must be changed because they clash.
Port Adelaide feels so aggrieved by the manner in which its traditional jumper has been treated it has boycotted the heritage round's different guernsey.
And some older Victorian track and field heads still believe that Olympic Park will be maintained for athletes when Melbourne's newest sporting venue is built on the site of Collingwood's training ground. They are dreaming. It sits next door to the Lexus Centre.
The Magpies have punished Morrison by fining him $20,000 in contravention of the revised AFL code of conduct. Today AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou is scheduled to meet Brendon Gale of the AFL Players' Association, Morrison and his manager Ron Joseph and Collingwood boss Greg Swann.
Gale is angry that his union's code of conduct has been so blatantly ignored by a club but has not yet received the backing of the AFL. Demetriou told The Age he needed to investigate the hefty fine, believing it might have been justified in Morrison's contract. Not so. Morrison has a standard playing contract and wants the issue to go away.
Demetriou must decide whether to back the players' association or Collingwood. If he refuses to take on Collingwood, the code of conduct could be dumped.
However the commission decides how to divide up its broadcast rights spoils, "equalisation" will still be the word. But Collingwood, perhaps deservedly so, is more equal than others.
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