FOOD FOR THOUGHT

You can say what you like about Jack Elliot's new book, but one thing's for sure; it's thought provoking. Consider this excerpt from the Herald Sun on Wens-dee....

Wayne Jackson is a very complex person. Wanting everyone to like him, he spent a lot of time in the early days getting the press on side. the press always give evryone a honeymoon period and the AFL always has stories it can leak to the press. So right through Wayne's leadership of the AFL he's been able to keep the leading football writers (Mike Sheahan at the Herald Sun, Patrick Smith at The Age and now the Australian, and Caroline Wilson at The Age) happy by feeding them information.

We'll deal with Smith. Consider his article from last Wens-dee....

Telstra Dome, if only it can keep away from controversy, may well change the traditional home of football in Victoria as the MCG waits for the rebuilding to be complete.

The previous Wens-dee....

Telstra Dome. It might just be turning into the stadium of choice for Melbourne's football fans.

Not forgetting his love letter dated August 9....

IT was sudden and unexpected. And in the end rather brilliantly done.

And, of course, today....

Australian football will soon have a new home if it doesn't have one already.

Something of a theme here. I'm not suggesting Smith's on the AFL payroll, but courtesy of Dick Alston and the Courier Mail we've recently been reminded of how organisations and the press swap favours.

As for Telstra becoming the home of footy. Well, it's recent prominence is similar to the place you stay while the bathroom is being rennovated. Let's wait and see how Telstra Dome goes against a re-built 95,000 customer capacity MCG. Don't forget, it's the home ground of both Collingwood and Richmond. Either of which can fill the stands many times during a good year.

There is also much noise made about how the AFL will own Telstra Dome in 21 years. But 21 years is a long time. Next year the MCG's new Ponsford stand will be finished. After that there are going to be two new stands built. Who's to say that in that time the MCG's standing as the premier stadium in the country won't be further enhanced by the redevelopment. In 21 years, Telstra may be seen a a nice place to go on a cold day, but hardly the place to go to watch the big events. After all, it's unlikely to ever host a Grand Final.

Telstra Dome is a terrific place to watch footy, but this push for prominance reminds me of the hullabaloo made about Albert Park during the construction phase of the Grand Prix track. That fuss was more a political gambit against the Kennett government. And I suspect the same applies with the AFL's attempts to get the MCG to relinquish finals.

Patrick Smith can write some fine stuff, but in the past he's been particularly tough on certain individuals. Shane Warne, Jeff Gieshen, Grant Thomas and Gabriel Szondy, to name but a few. They've all been on the receiving end of his almost personal barbs. Not to mention his so-called "Humour pieces". So if Smith's prepared to go over the top to be nasty, there's no reason to believe he wouldn't go underneath to be nice.

Of course, I'm merely thinking out loud. But, for all his faults, I'm sure Big Jack would agree.

Comments

[Scarlet]

The Telstra Dome is a joke.

I hardly ever say 'never' so let me phrase it this way: they will hold the Winter Olympics in Hell before I go back there - even if it were a do-or-die final involving the Crows.

[Tony.T]

I reckon Telstra's a fantastic arena Scarlo. I also reckon Patrick Smith's giving it a push.

[Scott Wickstein]

I really like the Dome, but Smith's agenda seems clear. He hasn't called it "Calamity Castle" for ages now...