A second AFL great has stood down as an All-Australian selector due to betting agency ties, while there’s a “genuine desire” for a 20th AFLW team … with an Irish twist.
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SECOND AFL GREAT STANDS DOWN AS AA SELECTOR DUE TO BETTING AGENCY TIES
Four-time premiership Hawks legend Luke Hodge has stepped down as an All-Australian selector and Rising Star judge due to his role at a betting agency.
Hodge’s decision comes a week after four-time Power best and fairest winner and Sportsbet ambassador Kane Cornes made the same call in the wake of Sportsbet’s policy change around talent from any code aligned with official roles.
Sportsbet last week ended its association with AFL field umpire Nick Foot, with the policy tweak coming to light after Foot’s involvement in the Zak Butters Tribunal saga.
Hodge, who has a similar deal with TAB, said on Agenda Setters he was “a bit shocked” when he found out Cornes stood down — “I didn’t know it was a conflict” — before he confirming he’d no longer be a part of the All-Australian panel.
“I’ve since done the same as what Kane has done and I’ve stood down from the committee just because you don’t want the integrity questioned of anything like that,” Hodge told Channel 7 on Tuesday night.
“I’ve had a long-standing relationship with TAB — I haven’t even joined a meeting yet with the All-Australian committee — so I thought it was the best thing after speaking to the AFL today that I’ll stand down and let the panel go ahead just so the integrity of the side when it gets picked, there’s no questions over it.
“I went through my concerns … they accepted it and they said ‘no problems at all’.”
Hodge, David Mundy and Joel Selwood were added to the panel ahead of this season, replacing the departed Nathan Buckley, Matthew Pavlich and Josh Mahoney.
‘GENUINE DESIRE’ FOR 20TH IRISH AFLW TEAM
An Irish team in the AFLW? There’s a “genuine desire” to see it happen, according to Collingwood president Eddie McGuire.
In the wake of serious momentum for a historic AFLW International Rules game – to be played under Australian Rules with a Sherrin footy – on Australian shores this year, there’s a push for an Irish side to be the 20th team in the AFL Women’s competition.
Speaking on Channel 9’s Footy Classified on Tuesday night, McGuire said he’d recently met with Consul-General of Ireland (Victoria and Tasmania) Marie-Clare Hughes and Ambassador of Ireland to the Commonwealth of Australia Fiona Flood.
‘A pretty sh*** position’ | 13:03
“We were discussing this – and it has now been discussed at AFL level – and there is a genuine desire to put a 20th team into the AFLW competition – when Tasmania comes in – of (an) Irish team,” McGuire said.
“We’re not playing in Ireland … they’ll be based here, probably, in Melbourne.
“The collective football world are looking at integrating an Irish team into the AFLW.”
McGuire pointed out there were 39 Irish players on AFLW lists at the moment – plus two more taken in last week’s pre-season draft – while highlighting the 100,000 Irish-born people living in Australia, as well as the millions of Aussies with Irish heritage.
“This could be something sensational … maybe it’s the ‘Melbourne Celtics’, or ‘Melbourne Celtic’, it could be ‘Narrm Celtic’ – there’s something there because of the great connection between Indigenous Australia and Ireland.”
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