So the Liberals don't want the proposed Tasmania Football Club - the hottest political issue of the upcoming state election - to become a political issue.
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Presumably, they feel the same about the cost of living crisis, salmon industry, energy prices, ambulance ramping, young offenders, old-growth logging, problem gambling and what a misnomer the office of racing integrity is.
Is there anything more ironic than politicians accusing each other of playing politics with political issues during a political election campaign?
It could be argued that the TFC will be one of the defining issues of this campaign.
In fact it already has, by Alex Fair in The Examiner's Editorial of February 16, which said: "It will no doubt be one of the defining issues of this campaign."
He pointed out that Labor leader Rebecca White said she would push the AFL to renegotiate its agreement with Tasmania while the league has repeatedly shut down that prospect.
"That does leave questions about what happens if any renegotiation was unsuccessful."
For someone who has devoted his life to supporting Essendon, Fairy speaks a lot of sense.
The TFC has become the pulp mill of the 2020s. Few people sit on the fence about it.
The club is due to be launched on Monday, March 18. Tasmanians go to the polls five days later.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff chose the state election date but then began expressing reservations about the close proximity of the two events.
In a letter to TFC chairman Grant O'Brien, Rockliff said: "It will be near impossible to avoid the politicisation of the team launch so close to the election."
He said the launch of the Tasmanian team should not be used as a political football and requested it be delayed by a week.
Is there anything more ironic than politicians accusing each other of playing politics with political issues during a political election campaign?
"The last thing I want to do is subject the launch to the politics of an election campaign," added the state's chief politician while juggling numerous political footballs in the throes of an election campaign.
In order to avoid politicising the issue, Rockliff said he would not be attending the launch. Furthermore, he would be encouraging the retirement home for former Southern Cross reporters otherwise known as the Liberal Party to take a similar approach.
O'Brien responded with a statement saying the club would be going ahead with the planned launch date, adding: "We will not be commenting on issues during the election campaign."
The TFC launch isn't the only major sporting event on the horizon around the state election.
The Tasmania JackJumpers' three-match NBL play-off final series against Perth Wildcats is scheduled for March 8, 11 and (if needed) 13. The winner progresses to the five-match grand final.
Meanwhile, the Sheffield Shield final is scheduled to run from March 21 with the Tasmanian Tigers destined to feature and possibly host.
Two Tasmanian teams potentially playing in finals of national sporting competitions.
Obviously, politicians will reject the opportunity to associate themselves with success in order to score cheap political points and steer clear of both to avoid politicising them.
Rob Shaw
Heralding the impact of Tasmanian sport without saying "punching above its weight" is not as easy as it sounds.
Heralding the impact of Tasmanian sport without saying "punching above its weight" is not as easy as it sounds.
