Alastair Clarkson is adamant a brand new Tasmanian group can replicate the success of Geelong in luring gamers to a novel setting and get a “competitive advantage” over different golf equipment because the inexperienced mild for a nineteenth AFL group appears to be like nearer than ever.
The North Melbourne coach has been an ardent supporter of the push for a Tasmanian group and even fashioned a part of the taskforce THAT put collectively a feasibility examine on the financial value of a brand new stadium in Hobart.
A $240M funding dedication from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, seen as essentially the most essential aspect in getting the stadium constructed and the AFL group locked in, might come as quickly as this weekend.
Clarkson stated his work on the taskforce helped him take a detailed have a look at related initiatives all over the world and he couldn’t be extra certain that “something special” might be accomplished with a Tasmanian group.
“We’ve seen what it’s done for Adelaide and what it’s done for Perth by building Optus. They’ve done it in San Francisco, they’ve done it in Green Bay … they’ve done it right around the world,” he stated.
“Stadiums becoming not just a sporting precinct but an economic precinct with 24/7 activity not just game day but concert activity, universities, shopping centres, the economic benefit that will provide for Tassie if they do it the right way, and particularly with such significant government support that they’ve got where the state government is more or less their major sponsor, I mean, wow, there’s not a club in the competition that’s got that.
“It’s just extraordinary. They could do something really special.”
Beyond speaking financial profit, Clarkson stated the optimistic impression on Tasmanian soccer might be profound in the event that they did issues “the right way”.
While Hawthorn captain James Sicily flippantly stated he “couldn’t see myself living there” in reference to a possible combat for gamers, feedback he apologised for, Clarkson stated the Geelong mannequin confirmed the other.
He stated not solely might the lure of one thing completely different assist get gamers south, however the alternative to construct from inside, and provides everybody born in Tasmania the chance to play for his or her state, might be telling.
“I just look at the Geelong footy club and the significant strategic advantage they’ve got by offering something different. They are an AFL professional team playing in a rural community. There’s something special about that,” Clarkson stated.
“You say that’s not going to be too attractive for people, they just want the bright lights. Jeremy Cameron didn’t want the bright lights and neither did Patty Dangerfield, so it all depends on the individual and what they want.
“And if they set their club up in the right way down there, I don’t see it as an impediment. I actually see it as a competitive advantage that they’ve got. They haven’t got it over Geelong, but they’ve got it over 17 other clubs in the competition.”
Clarkson stated the AFL would study classes from the introduction of the Gold Coast Suns and GWS about one of the best ways for a brand new group to construct its checklist.
But he stated going again to the long run might be one of the best ways, and placing a deal with improvement in their very own space, just like the outdated days of zones when Clarkson was recruited to North Melbourne, might be a power for the brand new group.
“I came from a little country town in western Victoria called Kaniva and when that was in Essendon’s zone, there was a reason for a club to go up there and nurture that zone. There was four players that came out of Kaniva in a 10-year period,” he stated.
“Myself, Johnny Barnes, Glen Hawker and Roger Merrett. And not just playing one game of footy … Roger Merrett played over 300 games.
“But since they had the draft rather than zones and a club couldn’t get in there to grow the area and get benefit out of growing that area, zero players in 35 years.
“If we can put a flag on the on the hill to give all these Tasmania kids an opportunity and the Tassie side knows that if we invest in these kids, they’re going to get an opportunity to play for this state in the AFL, you just wait to see what this could do for them.
“There’s kids down there … northern Tasmania, it’s been a hotbed of players. It’s extraordinary. The Gale brothers and the Febey brothers and the Richardsons, so many great players just out of Tasmania.
“Now they’ve got this opportunity to get all those picks, I’m sure part of the deal with setting up that club will be that if you’re born in Tasmania you get they’ll get first dibs on every Tasmanian player.
“They have got to grow their product from within. They’ll go and poach and get talent, there’ll be a little bit of that.
“But by and large if they set it up early enough, and get their academy going as soon as it’s announced, and nurture the talent, ideally that’s where they want their talent to come from.”
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
