Jeff Kennett Interview on SEN Last Saturday

[Sir Why You Little 36,990]

Thi is the first time i have pretty much agreed with all Jeff Kennett has said..

What do you think.....Thoughts...

Jeff Kennett on SEN Pt. 1

Jeff Kennett on SEN Part 2

Jeff Kennett on SEN Pt. 3

[Nasher 33,607]

Can't view those at work. Any chance of an executive summary?

[Sir Why You Little 36,990]

Can't view those at work. Any chance of an executive summary?

It is fairly Long,and worth listening to when you can...He does not hold a bright future for the AFL as it stands now.

The Have & Have nots are getting to far apart.

Wants Malthouse to coach Melbourne next year to get the Demons back to where our Brand should be......

Hawthorn are a template we could learn a lot from.

[deeflog 679]

i heard it live and agreed with everything he said. all he spoke was common sense and didn't see the future of the game through a bank account.

i was glad Mark Robinson asked him if he would join the league commission, but Jeff quickly answered NO

[wisedog 352]

It is fairly Long,and worth listening to when you can...He does not hold a bright future for the AFL as it stands now.

The Have & Have nots are getting to far apart.

Wants Malthouse to coach Melbourne next year to get the Demons back to where our Brand should be......

Hawthorn are a template we could learn a lot from.

Appreciate the sentiment, but wasn't he urging us to merge or relocate a few years ago?

[Guest Gareth Keenan]

Thanks WYL.

I heard the interview at the time and meant to post something about it, but was busy and forgot.

It's definitely worth listening to, and would make a lot of supporters view JK in a different light.

As I've said before in other threads, he seems to have a soft spot for the club, and makes incendiary comments in a way that actually helps the club, in spite of common perception.

He's happy to play the bad guy.

[dees64 104]

The difference between Hawthorn & the MFC is they started a complete rebuild of club back in 1997 after the failed merger. They united the club & got the right people, worked on their finances, huge membership, training facilities etc got the club be able to operate with the times

MFC did nothing to address the above, Guitnik used his own money but failed,our boards have always been shaky/unstable, poor business model, crap training facilities (how Daniher got us to play finals & GF is amazing).

Only since 2008 has the current board with Jimmy have addressed all of the above, so Hawthorn have almost 14yrs jump start!

[Sir Why You Little 36,990]

Appreciate the sentiment, but wasn't he urging us to merge or relocate a few years ago?

Yes he was, and we were in an absolute mess when he said it.

So i have no problems with that...It was the truth.

[BAMF 4,311]

Meh.

Jeff often says good things. It's usually followed up by some complete rubbish which makes me think he is a bastard.

Loves to make himself look good and make the afl look bad.

[Sir Why You Little 36,990]

Meh.

Jeff often says good things. It's usually followed up by some complete rubbish which makes me think he is a bastard.

Loves to make himself look good and make the afl look bad.

You cannot deny the strength of the HFC though....through 5 decades they have remained strong...They must be doing a lot right, they were a small club still 25 years ago.....

[BAMF 4,311]

You cannot deny the strength of the HFC though....through 5 decades they have remained strong...They must be doing a lot right, they were a small club still 25 years ago.....

5 decades? It was only a just over a decade ago that they were up [censored] creek and were going to merge with us!

It does show that with good management clubs can turn things around. But Jeff has only been there for 5 years. Most of the hard work was done before he got there. Selling out 4 games to Tasmania brought in a heap of money.

Also, I think a lot of people at the Hawks will like to see the back of him.

But yes, he does have the guts to tell it like he see's it which I like.

The problem is he like to tell you everytime he forms an opinion on absolutely anything.

[Jumping Jack Clennett 1,780]

Let's not forget. Thy've had to sell out to Tassie to survive. They're nothing to do with Hawthorn.

They're the "Tassie Waverley Hawks".

Edited August 30, 2011 by JUMPING JACK CLENNETT

[Sir Why You Little 36,990]

5 decades? It was only a just over a decade ago that they were up [censored] creek and were going to merge with us!

It does show that with good management clubs can turn things around. But Jeff has only been there for 5 years. Most of the hard work was done before he got there. Selling out 4 games to Tasmania brought in a heap of money.

Also, I think a lot of people at the Hawks will like to see the back of him.

But yes, he does have the guts to tell it like he see's it which I like.

The problem is he like to tell you everytime he forms an opinion on absolutely anything.

Yes, i am aware he is the same Jeff Kennett who sold Victoria around 20 years ago...i am no fan, but in terms of the state of the AFL. I think Jeff is at least prepared to tell the public the real state of affairs.

Demetrio & Anderson are really pushing an agenda that i think is going to be very dangerous to a lot of clubs within 10 years.

As long as the MFC is well aware of that, we should survive.

Edited August 30, 2011 by why you little

[baysidedave 246]

Appreciate the sentiment, but wasn't he urging us to merge or relocate a few years ago?

the arrogance of that guy is amazing, 15 years ago they wanted to merge with us and then Dicker came along and saved them and Kennett seems to take the credit. He thinks he can slag off all other clubs now and basically he had nothing to do with where Hawthorn are now, good riddance.

[Demon2 58]

Let's not forget. Thy've had to sell out to Tassie to survive. They're nothing to do with Hawthorn.

They're the "Tassie Waverley Hawks".

Yeah they sell games to Port, WC, Brisbane, etc..to Tassie and get $4,000,000 a season for it and now have 10,000 Tassie members, instead of leaving those games in Melbourne and losing money...

Gee they are so dumb....

You bag them for selling games...lets have a look where we have been in the last few years selling games and gaining nothing....Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, we even wanted to sell a game to WC a few years ago. At least they did it with a long term plan in mind...where we just did it for the immediate payoff.

[Guest Gareth Keenan]

Can't view those at work. Any chance of an executive summary?

Had 20 mins spare last night, and wanted to listen to it again anyway, so... here's a transcript:

*** MOSTLY GUFF ABOUT HAWTHORN AND CLARKSON BEFORE HERE ***

Mark Robinson: Um, I know you don’t like talking about other clubs Jeff… (laughs) Um, how do you think Collingwood have managed the Mick Malthouse situation?

Jeff Kennett: Well, it’s not for me to comment on other clubs Robbo…

MR: You never do...

JK: But if you’ve read my columns, which you probably don’t-

MR: I do read your columns...

JK: in the Herald on a Friday each week, you’ll have seen there, on one occasion I said from a management point of view, the concept of having 2 strong-willed people at one club is a recipe for ‘tears before bedtime’, and I think in that article I’d actually recommended that Eddie should release Mick Malthouse, and allow him to go and coach Melbourne, which is a brand that we don’t like seeing in the condition that it is, who would give that young group of men a sense of discipline, and would help rebuild the club over the next 5 years. I think that would be the greatest contribution Eddie McGuire could make, uh, to AFL at the moment when there is such a disparity between the top and the bottom clubs. So, uh, I think the ‘tears before bedtime’ have actually started before the end of the season, and I think that’s disappointing for Collingwood, and, you know, I think it’s disappointing both for, for Buckley and for Malthouse.

Dermott Brereton: Tell us what you think of the disparity in the league at the moment, I mean, Port Adelaide are, and I don’t use the word lightly, are a pathetic team on-field at the moment; Melbourne are a lot more talented than what they’re displaying. What do see of the situation of that, the disparity in the AFL?

JK: Uh, Dermott, I actually think the AFL the way it is, is unsustainable. Uh, you know, they’ve always said unless you’re turning over about, unless you’re well administered and turning over about $35mil a year or more, you’re not gonna be there at the end of the year. If you have a look at the final 4 at the moment, it’s Collingwood, Geelong, Hawthorn and West Coast. The wealthiest clubs in the league, maybe with the exception of Essendon. But the top 4 clubs from a administrative point of view have got control because they’ve got more football people around them, more supporters, etc. Those in the bottom 8 are going to continue to struggle, uh, for a whole range of reasons, and unfortunately GWS is going to suck out of the competition so much money over the next few years, I’m not sure that it will ever be independently sustainable. Because of the location, because of the challenge. But we’ve made that decision. But because of that, we are going to see a lot of the resources we’re going to earn over the next 5 years as a league, spend firstly in propping up the new 2 teams, and secondly propping up totally more than half the teams in the competition. That is not sustainable. It is not sustainable. And I’m moving a motion which is most unusual at the next presidents’ meeting of the AFL, where I’m, and I’m moving a motion because we could raise it at the AFL commission and they’d invariably say “oh, we’ll take it on board,” and then do nothing about it. But I want the AFL to agree, with the other clubs, to the concept that if we play, any club plays a game, scheduled by the AFL, at whatever ground… if there aren’t sufficient people attending, that the club then has to write a cheque to the stadium to open the ground, that is not a cost that should be borne by the club. It should actually be borne by the AFL. That is, we pay up to the number of people that are here, the clubs, but you shouldn’t lose money, so Port Adelaide and a number of other clubs...

MR: Western Bulldogs…

JK: Yeah, a number of them, St Kilda, North… they go, they’re all receiving special assistance from the AFL. They get money, and all of a sudden they go to a ground that’s 14, there was 15 thousand at a game the other day. The cheque would have been 150-200 thousand. So you’re just condemning these clubs to be financially inefficient, so-

DB: So it’s a money pass…

JK:It is, but it’s, that’s part of it, it’s also the way you think about the game, and, uh, you know, there was some talk today in one of the papers, I’ve always argued, this game is so manipulated now it doesn’t matter, uh, particularly when you can’t have each team playing the other twice, ah, so Collingwood plays here most times of the year, not only because it’s their own home ground, but the other clubs request them to play here in order to earn some money. Ah, so Collingwood gets a-

MR: 18 games, 17,18 games…

JK: -gets an advantage, uh, but until the game is evenly treated, either you only play each other team once in the year, I think it should be twice, bigger lists, coaches have to manipulate their players a bit more, manage them a bit more…

Anthony Hudson: Gee, it’s a long season if they’re playing each other twice now with 18 teams…

JK: Well, you know what Huddo? Let me tell you, in the UK the teams over there play for 3 major trophies at the same time. They play 78-80 games…

AH: But they can back up within a week. I know what you’re saying, but it’s a totally, I don’t know if we’ve got the depth of talent to do that…

JK: You’ve gotta ask yourself where you want to be…

AH: The NFL only play, what, 16 games…

JK: You’ve gotta ask yourself where you want to be in 5 years’ time. Do you want a stronger competition? Or in fact, are you going to have a competition which has the top 8 and the bottom 8, no one coming to games for the bottom 8, no one watching television for the bottom 8, so when you come to do your contract in 5 years’ time, the people paying at the moment are going to say “well, what’s the point? There’s no one watching, there’s no viewers.” And that’s one of the worries…

AH: Do you think it’s at that state, do you?

JK: I think it’s clearly developing that way, yes.

Matthew Lloyd: Could you imagine watching Port Adelaide at Round 30? It’s hard enough watching them at Round 15.

JK: Yeah, but please, just remember, it’s only 14 years ago when Hawthorn almost merged with Melbourne and were broke. That Collingwood left, uh, the other place and were broke. And Geelong, before Frank Costa came along, were broke. You can turn things around, and we will turn Port Adelaide around, I have no doubt. The one that I feel saddest about, because I’m closest to it, is Melbourne. Because they are a brand. The redlegs. I mean, it was wonderful sitting up here and watching their finals against Collingwood, Ray Gabelich running down in that goal, and bouncing and missing the ball, etc. etc. Melbourne as a football club, is iconic. And so many people have tried so hard to make it work. Ah, but there’s still a great deal to be done.

DB: Can I ask, are you in principle…

AH: There’s an all-in brawl here, between PNG and Ireland…

DB: Well, Ireland have struck back, 3 goals to make it 5 goals 4 Papau New Guinea… Are you in principle, against bonuses to the executive of the AFL given that that could motivate structuring of schedules and draws, and the likes..?

JK: I guess not in principle, because that’s the way the commercial world works and that’s the way…

DB: It sounds to me that you’re against, in principle, the draw that allows some teams, and it’s not Collingwood’s fault, cos everyone wants to play Collingwood…

JK: I’m not blaming them…

DB: And they’re motivated…

JK: After you’ve played everyone once, and bear in mind, the media owners who’ve bought the rights are gonna have the greatest decision-making power in deciding the best games, they want the best games on a Friday night, they want the ones Saturday…

DB: Spend that much, you should be allowed to…

JK: That’s right. So they’re gonna have a huge influence, but after you’ve played each other once, the remainder of the competition is decided by those at AFL house, and unfortunately they don’t want to play the weaker teams in the best spots on the best grounds, because they’re not getting the audience, so how do you grow? How do you keep regrowing if you’re continually sat upon by those who are trying to develop an even competition? So, look, my time’s coming to an end, and that’s probably just as well, because it’s frustrating when you watch and you see, and you want to see all clubs being competitive. And we have things in place like the draft and the salary cap, but the draft, how’s that going to help Port Adelaide this year? Not at all. How’s it going to help the weaker clubs because of the trade-off with GWS?

MR: would you like to go on the commission Jeff?

JK: No...

*** PRETTY MUCH NOT WORTH LISTENING TO BEYOND THERE ***

Edited August 31, 2011 by Gareth Keenan

[beelzebub 23,313]

Thanks GK...saved a lot ot time. there..cheers.

He does make sense on occasions ol Jeff. No wonder Vlad will be glad to see him off the Presidents list..

[Range Rover 1,935]

An arrogant, successful and (politically) tough man.

It's interesting how the team he sat at the head of often reflected those qualities during his tenure.

[Demon SeaMan 108]

I don't want to insinuate a racial divide that cost MFC progressing but when you look at the auld MFC members and he pull they had at club level it's a wonder GUtnick could not continue to perform the noble thing and pull us out of the poo a lot sooner

Effectively he could have been our David Smorgan in the early days with the assistance of some ex player/ business minds nOt too far detached from the game

No point crying over lost opportunities but we have to get it right NOW otherwise we will be kennetised and possibly doomed from this unforgiving relentless enterprise

[praha 11,236]

"The one that I feel saddest about, because I’m closest to it, is Melbourne. Because they are a brand. The redlegs. I mean, it was wonderful sitting up here and watching their finals against Collingwood, Ray Gabelich running down in that goal, and bouncing and missing the ball, etc. etc. Melbourne as a football club, is iconic. And so many people have tried so hard to make it work. Ah, but there’s still a great deal to be done."

Gives me goosebumps. I get more and more frustrated by this club daily. The potential. The brand. We ARE the MCG. And yet, we are NOTHING.

Not good enough.

Edited August 31, 2011 by Cudi_420

[Guest Gareth Keenan]

Gives me goosebumps. I get more and more frustrated by this club daily. The potential. The brand. We ARE the MCG. And yet, we are NOTHING.

Not good enough.

Try-hard emotive guff.

[Jumping Jack Clennett 1,780]

Yeah they sell games to Port, WC, Brisbane, etc..to Tassie and get $4,000,000 a season for it and now have 10,000 Tassie members, instead of leaving those games in Melbourne and losing money...

Gee they are so dumb....

You bag them for selling games...lets have a look where we have been in the last few years selling games and gaining nothing....Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, we even wanted to sell a game to WC a few years ago. At least they did it with a long term plan in mind...where we just did it for the immediate payoff.

I didn't say they were dumb. That was you. I didn't bag them for selling games.

I just said they have become the Tassie Waverley Hawks,,.....nothing to do with Hawthorn. We've survived in our own identity. One day some of our draft picks will turn out to be champions like Franklin, Rioli and Hodge. There's an element of luck in recruiting, and I don't think we've had it for a while. When we do, we'll challenge the Tassie Waverley Hawks as the Melbourne Demons.

[jayceebee31 759]

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I listened and thought it was quite an eye opener for us to hear his thoughts. Open & concise with a lot of merit IMO..

[Sir Why You Little 36,990]

"The one that I feel saddest about, because I’m closest to it, is Melbourne. Because they are a brand. The redlegs. I mean, it was wonderful sitting up here and watching their finals against Collingwood, Ray Gabelich running down in that goal, and bouncing and missing the ball, etc. etc. Melbourne as a football club, is iconic. And so many people have tried so hard to make it work. Ah, but there’s still a great deal to be done."

Gives me goosebumps. I get more and more frustrated by this club daily. The potential. The brand. We ARE the MCG. And yet, we are NOTHING.

Not good enough.

Spot On Cudi....that's how i heard it too...We have so much potential our home ground is a world class stadium........FIRE UP DEMONS.

[Trisul 664]

Thanks WYL, Gareth.

Jeffrey. Thank-you.