AFL ready to put cash into Essendon's bid for Inglis
JOHN PIERIK
June 6, 2010
EXCLUSIVE
THE AFL has pledged to support Essendon's bid to poach rugby league star Greg Inglis with a promotional arrangement similar to those of code-hoppers Israel Folau and Karmichael Hunt.
Essendon chief executive Ian Robson yesterday confirmed he had met Inglis's manager, Al Gainey, in Sydney on Friday to discuss the 23-year-old's plans beyond 2010.
The Melbourne Storm centre's future is uncertain due to the salary-cap penalties imposed on his club but he wants to remain in Melbourne regardless what sport he plays.
Robson said there was no plan to meet Gainey again and discussions were at a "preliminary stage".
Buoyed by the defection of Hunt and Folau, AFL market development manager David Matthews said the league would do all it could to financially entice Inglis to make the leap.
"I don't know Greg and I don't know how well Essendon know him, but he's certainly an enormous indigenous name across New South Wales and Queensland," Matthews told SEN radio.
"If there was capacity for him to do more work in the indigenous field across those two states while he was playing south, it might be something that's attractive.
"If Essendon wanted to chat to us about a potential role for any of their players in helping promote the game, we'd look at it beyond what the normal contracts are.
"We've got an intent down the track to be doing more work with a guy like Nic Naitanui in the Pacific, so we'd be [talking] to West Coast about that."
Hunt, with the Gold Coast, and Folau, with Greater Western Sydney, have contracts worth about $800,000 a season. Most of that is paid as a marketing component.
"We've certainly got some moves, not just to expand into the Pacific, but we want a greater share of indigenous athletes out of New South Wales and Queensland as well," Matthews said. "In the end we're more than happy to chat to any of our clubs and support [an] initiative that they've got."
