You might not share her opinion of Demetriou but those that pay his salary are obviously happy with the job he does, and the business performance of the AFL reflects that he seems to be doing a good job.
The National Rugby League, by contrast, runs only part of the game. The NRL boss, David Gallop, juggles a mish-mash of blazer-wearing dinosaurs, five boards and disparate interests constantly engaged in power struggles that nobody ever really wins.
Does anyone seriously want to argue that the administration of league is much different to this? I think about 90% of posts on this forum about league administration are sh*tcanning it.
While the push is on for an independent commission, the in-fighting and brawling has put a halt to such negotiations for months.
Seems true enough.
The badly managed NSW team is a living, breathing example of why the game must change, or face extinction.
OK, this is her opinion, but its hard to deny the NSW team is badly managed, and that things must change. The bit about facing extinction I will agree is an exaggerration.
While the AFL has had a mediation policy in place since the 1990s for instances of racial vilification, the body that controls representative football in league, the Australian Rugby League, has no such thing.
As far as I'm aware this is true.
The repugnant days of Mal Brown running around with "cannibals" have long been consigned to history by the strong measures put in place by the AFL over the past three decades.
This is debateable. Yes the AFL has put measures in place but whether they've eradicated racism is debateable. Adam Goodes and others seem to think it is still there to some extent.
The AFL's attitude to its indigenous players is a revelation compared with league. These young athletes are embraced, their communities are celebrated and their talents are held in awe by all who follow Aussie rules.
Don't know - don't follow AFL closely enough.
Those close to league acknowledge there has been little change in racist attitudes for decades. There can be no doubt they are right when a senior coach, two former champion players (the team managers) and Andrew Johns obviously colluded to cover up the sorry events at an elite team camp.
Don't know about the first bit. Personally I don't think racism is endemic in the sport. The last part of what she says looks to be true.
Johns, a former champion player turned assistant coach, resigned from the team this week for his appalling comments. He was not sacked.
True.
In fact, the team managers said "Joey" Johns was "shattered" by the events in the camp.
They were serious, too. How can modern administrators of professional sport possibly turn disgraceful, rampant racism into some sort of martyrdom for the perpetrator?
OK, this is laying it on a bit thick. I think its not impossible for people to condemn Johns' words without condemning him as a person. I would question what Johns is shattered by - his words, their impact on Tahu, or the embarassment that this all went public?
The player who made the stand, Timana Tahu, says this is not the first time Johns has made racist remarks. A proud Aboriginal and Maori, Tahu said he walked out because he was sick of the constant racist remarks that came out of Johns' mouth.
This is just reporting what Tahu has said.
While the AFL would have forced both men into mediation, and probably punished Johns, no such thing has happened this week.
Pretty much true, although there may have been some logistical circumstances that made it difficult for this to happen. (But then if it was important enough for the league, they would have made it happen regardless of any excuses.)
Tahu has even been privately accused by some league administrators of being "soft", a pretty typical response from a core element in the sport who still steadfastly believe in the White Australia policy.
Don't know about league administrators but I've certainly seen plenty of sentiment on this forum and other places which back this up.
THE ARL formed an uneasy partnership with News Limited (the publishers of this newspaper) more than a decade ago. This disparate group became the National Rugby League. Remarkably, the NRL does not control the jewel in the league's crown - representative football.
When David Gallop was asked by a Melbourne-based journalist this week why he had not said much about the Johns drama, he had to point out that he has no say over what happens in Origin football. Unbelievable but true.
Without delving too deeply into the political minefield that is league, suffice to say that the constant controversies, scandals and dramas are not helped by the uneasy truce at the top of the game.
Nothing here that seems to be untrue.
Meanwhile, Demetriou visited Sydney last week for the announcement of a $45 million stadium for the new Greater Western Sydney team. He saw at least half a dozen members of the Sydney media, looked them in the eye and faced criticism over the Israel Folau signing.
Don't know anything about this, but assume these events did happen.
He did it with focus and self-belief - an administrator of a big, successful business. The AFL has long ago said goodbye to blazer-wearers, jobs for the boys and dinosaur policies.
Her opinion of Demetriou and the AFL. She's entitled to it, and the evidence of their performance seems to support it.
Rugby league will remain in its own backwater while the grab for those blazers continues. The joke among the Sydney league media is that despite the shocking chain of events in the NSW team camp, they all agree the same people will manage and coach the side next year.
I don't think anyone seriously denies that league is poorly served by its administration and needs to change. As for the joke, sadly its quite likely true.
That's the way it is in league - excuse bad behaviour, have another beer and always remember the old saying: "Deny, deny, deny."
Basically true, but also applies often to the AFL.
So given all that I don't see there's much to whinge about in her article.
