LANCE WESTERBERG: This is for Kevin Sheedy. Why has the AFL Israel Folau $4 million instead of investing the 4 million on juniors in the western area - in the south western Sydney area or is this just a ploy to weaken the other codes?
KEVIN SHEEDY: No, look, its a very good question, to be quite honest. You know, we actually are looking at developing players from other codes. Its not just about Israel Folau. Weve actually got about 20 players from other codes playing in the AFL at the present time that weve recruited from basketball, weve recruited from hurling in Ireland. Obviously Gaelic footy, also. So when you look - I mean David Hurley who used to ruck at Essendon, he played volleyball. So weve been doing that for quite a number of years, actually. But when you pick up a young, talented player like Israel Folau, everybody feels that, oh, this is not on. I mean, to be quite honest, most of the components of his contract will be about marketing and, obviously, ad campaigns. It wasnt that long about the AFL paid elite athletes from overseas to do a series called, Id like to see that and here we are paying international athletes from other countries, yet we want to pay a young Australian boy, who has been excellent and a fantastic rugby league player - as soon as we want to do that with one or two players from other codes everybody jumps up and down. I mean, from my point of view this young man has had the courage to say, Look, Ive done my best. Hopefully he thinks hes been fantastic at league and yet here we are, hes had the courage to try out another sport and from that point of view you have to pay for that sort of courage, because hes giving up a hell of a lot and taking a risk. The AFL actually are spending millions of dollars. Were going to actually come into western Sydney and were going to invest over $200 million in greater western Sydney. I mean, thats a fantastic contribution to the communities for employment, well work through harmony and, of course, education. Weve opened up also say, for example, the AFL traineeship program, which weve had for 18 years. Weve employed 7000 - over 7000 kids on traineeship programs and every year 750 kids get a job through the AFL and 150 of those are indigenous Australians from all over Australia. So we are a well-planned organisation and we really work hard in the grassroots through Auskick and were going to develop this right through greater western Sydney over the next three to five years.
TONY JONES: You said, Kevin, its a risk for Israel Folau.
KEVIN SHEEDY: Well, it is.
TONY JONES: Is it? Because, I mean - yes, exactly. Because what happens if he can catch, which we know he can do, but he cant kick?
KEVIN SHEEDY: Well, its quite amazing you know. I read an article recently that hes only had sort of 10 or 20 kicks in his career and I thought to myself, well, thats a fantastic article because they dont kick in rugby league. So I just sort of laughed at that headline. I mean he might be one of the greatest kicks youve ever seen but you dont know that because you havent seen it. So well take that risk.
TONY JONES: Youre paying him $4 million to find out.
KEVIN SHEEDY: Well, well take that it. Well, hes actually produced $4 million worth of advertisements already.
TONY JONES: All right. Okay.
KEVIN SHEEDY: Hes probably produced 10 million.
SAMAH HADID: What sort of message are you sending, though, to those AFL players who have committed their lives to this code and are low paid, as well?
KEVIN SHEEDY: Well, hell be paid about $250,000 as a footballer, okay? So and thats the basic wage - an average wage of an AFL player. As a matter of fact, one of the great things about what weve been able to do right across the board is that we actually spend 120 million for players to play. Thats the salary cap for the AFL. We actually employ thousands of people right around the whole nation. About 13,000 people are employed in the AFL. So its an enormous industry.
TONY JONES: Gentleman up here has his hand up very patiently.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Okay, so first of all you pay me $6 million. Im a very courageous person.
KEVIN SHEEDY: Let me look at you.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: No the point is I dont look like Israel Folau. All Ill say is, and this is an honest point, players like Wendell Sailor, Matt Rogers, Lote Tuqiri, they get - they switch codes for the money. Lets not lie. But they all end up back in rugby league. What makes you think Israel Folau is going to be any different, does his time - I think its $6 million. Takes his $6 million cheque after four years and just pisses off back to rugby league?
TONY JONES: Indeed, would it matter after four years? Probably not.
KEVIN SHEEDY: If its $4 million, you lose half anyway and - first of all, because we give it to the Liberals or to Labor.
SCOTT MORRISON: Hes not a mining company, mate.
KEVIN SHEEDY: And then in the end if he gets married then he doesnt get any. So, no, in seriousness, the whole...
AUDIENCE MEMBER: All Im saying is have you seen him kick the ball?
KEVIN SHEEDY: The whole point here is we worry about what a player gets paid yet we never ever discuss how much a golfer or a tennis player gets paid and thats quite amazing.
TONY JONES: Before I throw this to another panellist, a question came up, Have you seen him kick the ball?
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Have you seen him kick the ball?
KEVIN SHEEDY: Yes, I have. Ive actually had a kick with him.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Okay.
KEVIN SHEEDY: And he can kick it pretty well.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: And is he a straight kick?
KEVIN SHEEDY: And he actually can mark it and what Im really excited about is Im going to coach him and he might get better. Ive got to back myself here.
TONY JONES: Lets hear from Heath Ducker.
HEATH DUCKER: Just the question in my mind is are you trying to buy off western Sydney?
KEVIN SHEEDY: Western Sydney?
HEATH DUCKER: Yeah, with the purchase...
KEVIN SHEEDY: Oh, no. No. No, I mean, obviously when you look at what - weve been in western Sydney for eight years. Thats what a lot of people dont realise. The ground we got to build out there is the size of the MCG. Weve worked with governments - both state governments, local and obviously federal government for eight years to build the stadiums that are out there. Were going to come back in and hopefully help reignite Homebush and play our home games there and from a point of view - you know, when you think about it, probably in the last 10 years since the Olympic Games, which I thought were just Sydneys greatest advertisement for this nation as a city, absolutely fantastic, probably we need an injection here in Sydney and maybe - maybe - some sports like the soccer Rovers who are coming out to the west, too, and the AFL might be one of the injections out west and thats what were intending to do.
TONY JONES: Okay. Were nearly out of time. Chris Bowen?
CHRIS BOWEN: Well, I just briefly want to come to the AFLs defence because they have done, frankly, a fantastic job at community development and the development of young players and I know Israel Folau will get all the publicity, and thats the way they designed it, but they do a magnificent job all through the communities in developing young footballers and they havent come in and said, Weve got a football model that were going to impose form the top. Theyve built it up from the ground up and theres 1.8 million people in western Sydney, which is more than South Australia, which supports two AFL teams. I reckon we can get one very good AFL team and its very strong in local communities, AFL, which not many people realise, but theres lots of teams out there playing every Saturday and enjoying their footy and I think the AFL are doing a first class job.
SCOTT MORRISON: I think thats one of the...
TONY JONES: Are you prepared to give up on the NRL?
CHRIS BOWEN: Well, I dont mind admitting that I think AFL is a great game and its a game that western Sydney, I think, will embrace.
TONY JONES: All right. Quick, Scott Morrison, were nearly out of time.
SCOTT MORRISON: I think participation in sport is the key thing, whether its AFL, whether its football, whether its rugby union or whatever it is, female, male, participation and all the people that get out there every weekend, the people that put out the nets and all the rest of it, theyre the ones wholl need the support and I know that AFL does do that in their code. I know football does it in their code and I think weve got to encourage all of our codes to invest in that grassroots participation because otherwise you look a bit more like me and Joe Hockey.
