Hawthorn president Richard Garvey has expressed his club’s angst at the AFL decision this month to controversially award future academy rights of Tasmania to North Melbourne.
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The Hawks had hoped to develop young talent throughout the state after the AFL had recently completed its national carve-up of zoned academies.
The move to benefit 14 AFL clubs was in response to levelling up the generous player concessions to Sydney, Greater Western Sydney, Brisbane and Gold Coast in New South Wales and Queensland.
Garvey said the club had officially applied to develop a Tasmanian academy, but were “bitterly disappointed” to be given the cold shoulder by the AFL.
“We were really hopeful we’d get an academy here and be a part of that,” he said.
“Unfortunately, the AFL in their wisdom has gone and granted it to North.
“It’s tough for us to cop because we’ve done a lot of ground work. We’re so much a part of the fabric here.”
North Melbourne pleaded to the AFL for the opportunity to stake its claim of the entire state since the club moved two home games to Hobart in 2012, upped to three games in 2014.
Kangaroos chief executive Carl Dilena first told Melbourne radio preceding the final decision that the club’s focus on developing Tasmania was a critical part of the strategy to its growth market.
He further said the club had a bigger focus on developing the region than a side that has “got three flags, got truckloads of money and building a $50million facility”.
Garvey said Hawthorn had always been committed to Tasmania in spite of the success that the move to Launceston has benefited the club that financially was on its knees back in 2001.
“I suppose the AFL wants one team and they’ve chosen North, which I say is bitterly disappointing for us,” he said.
“We’ve got to deal with that, but we don’t think it will impact on us of what we’re trying to achieve here at Aurora and throughout Tasmania.”
This comes after the AFL had already split up the Northern Territory among five clubs, including Hawthorn that will claim Katherine and surrounding areas.
“I don’t think splitting this state in half was necessary - it’s been done before,” he said.
“So I think we can understand why you might want one team.
“But again it’s a hard one for us to swallow having been here for so long, doing so much good work, build up goodwill and a fantastic relationship.”
Hawthorn this year re-signed a new deal to play games at Aurora Stadium until the end of 2021.
Garvey had succeeded in February this year former president Andrew Newbold, who stood over the club during its triple premiership reign from 2013-2015.
Then vice-president Garvey had been on the board since October 2010 and promised a “seamless” transition as his biggest selling point before at end-of-the-season election.
“I was at pains to make that point with them,” he said.
“It wasn’t going to be wholesale changes.
“I don’t come with a huge change mandate – in fact quite the reverse.
“I want to see continuity, stability and the things that we’re doing well, we want to continue to do.
“That's what this club is based on.”