Kennett urges Dees to shift to Gold Coast
Jon Ralph | May 23, 2008
OUTSPOKEN Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett set an explosive backdrop for his side's clash with Melbourne on Sunday when he implored the Demons to relocate.
Kennett said the Demons had to "bite the bullet" and move to the Gold Coast if they ever hoped to become financially successful in the AFL.
With the Demons set to lose over $1 million and speculation about the AFL's ongoing financial assistance to struggling clubs, Kennett's savage attack will reverberate around the league.
In front of a large crowd for a Sony Foundation charity fund-raiserand on a panel with AFL boss Andrew Demetriou, Collingwood's Eddie McGuire and Bulldog president David Smorgon, Kennett let fly.
He said it was "fools gold" if the Demons believed they could survive in Melbourne.
Asked his advice to Demons legend Jim Stynes - considered increasingly likely to take over from Melbourne president Paul Gardner - he was emphatic.
"If Jimmy Stynes wants to stand for the presidency at Melbourne, like any young person I encourage him to give it a go, but my advice to him would be to bite the bullet and establish the Gold Coast Demons because I don't think Melbourne, as it is at the moment, has a long term future in this code," he told the audience.
"It needs to do something dramatic if it is to get the financial support and the consumer and sponsorship support.
"For the teams in the last four positions (on the ladder) at the end of this year, it is going to be very, very hard to rebuild within the next 10 years.
"There is no way Andrew (Demetriou) is going to allow any of the weaker clubs to rebuild through the drafting process through the next 10 years. It's almost going to be impossible with what is proposed, so that makes it hard."
Ironically, it was Melbourne which held the whip hand when the Demons and Hawks were on the verge of merging in the mid-'90s, until Hawthorn pulled out at the last minute.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,23744488-19742,00.html
