Football content on television can be a little heavy. Particularly in a challenging season.
It’s analysis overload. Before games, after games, during the week. All opinion based and so often spruiked by the same people on different platforms.
As much as the game flows through the veins of this footy tragic there is only so much one can absorb. There is also the fact that watching four or five matches across the weekend can put a strain on home life, let alone all the extraneous pontifications of the ‘experts’.
The one exception is The Front Bar. Even the family enjoys that.
Depending on the weekly fixture, it is on Channel 7 on a Wednesday or Thursday night.
Straight man Andy Maher sits to the left of two quick-witted footy nuffies, Mick Molloy and Sam Pang. It’s nominated for the upcoming Logies, which Pang will host, in the comedy genre rather than a sports production.
For those who haven’t seen it, the category in which it is nominated goes some way towards explaining why there is no need to drift into solitude, away from other family members, to watch it.
Molloy, a Richmond diehard, and Pang, who played under-19s for Carlton, bounce off each other like pinballs and can cause tears to roll down your cheeks with some of their brilliant quips.
They don’t often get caught in the nitty-gritty of the AFL industry; usually it’s all about quirky events in history. That was why inaugural West Coast Eagles club champion Steve Malaxos was a guest on the show on Wednesday night.
He regaled the story of the Eagles last match in 1989 against Collingwood at Victoria Park. The Eagles were 11th and a long way short of making the final five.
Sitting alongside John Todd in the coach’s box was a woman who had been the successful bidder at an auction and she was allowed to make one move. In the middle of the last quarter she exercised her option and wanted Malaxos taken from the ground.
He had enjoyed a good day with 24 possessions and a goal, but the woman felt that he looked tired and benched him.
It was a ripping yarn and great fodder for Molloy and Pang who milked it for all it was worth.
As they were about to farewell ‘Stava’, who now works part-time in the club’s community and game development area, Molloy had one last question (which I’ll paraphrase). “What’s going on there? How does a club with so much money get into this situation?”
Malaxos responded that the injury factor had hampered the club through the year but it was targeting more victories in the run home.
What the Molloy question raised though, was the perception that the most significant balance sheet in the game – and 100,000 dedicated, rusted-on fans – somehow provided immunity against a trip to the bottom of the ladder.
Through the VFL in the 70s and 80s the likes of Richmond, Carlton, Essendon, Hawthorn and Collingwood could guarantee a shot at the flag because they could afford to lure high calibre interstate recruits on fat contracts. That window of opportunity has long since been closed.
The National Draft and Salary Cap – along with a soft cap on spending within the football department of every club – ensures a level of governance.
Clubs can exceed the soft cap, but for every dollar they spend beyond the ceiling they are whacked with fines ranging from 100 percent of the breach up to 300 percent if they persistently bust the cap in ensuing years.
While the Eagles are financially secure its capacity to rebound is the same of any of its rivals. It will take more canny recruiting, astute management and absolute commitment.
The strong balance sheet allows it to commit to many valuable community initiatives, but there are no short cuts to resuming as a powerful on-field presence.
