Former Collingwood club president Eddie McGuire believes the AFL need to convince Gillon McLachlan to stay on as CEO, more than a year after he resigned.
McLachlan announced he was stepping down from the CEO role in early April 2022, stating he wanted to spend time with his family after leading the AFL through the tumultuous Covid period.
But when he actually departed the role continued to be pushed back – and now more than a year on, he’s still holding down the fort with no replacement announced.
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“I still believe that they want Gill,” McGuire said on the Eddie and Jimmy Podcast on Monday.
Just last week, McGuire said he expects Andrew Dillon would be announced as AFL CEO “if on the small chance Gill McLachlan doesn’t stay on”, claiming it was a 10 per cent chance.
“There has always been a lot of people who said to Gill, ‘don’t go!’.” McGuire said on Footy Classified last week.
Speaking on Monday, McGuire said he thinks the chances of McLachlan staying are starting to grow.
“I reckon it might be a bit more now (than 10%),” he said.
“I think what they have to do is swallow pride in that they’re going to get a kicking one way or the other. (Co-host Jimmy Bartel then adds: “They are getting a kicking now”).
“But if Gil’s the bloke, then keep him.
“That’s not a change from the commission; they’ve always wanted that. Maybe Gill’s just had a bit of time to get over Covid. People don’t understand how hard it was.
“He was exhausted at the end of it.
“Don’t forget he was getting a belting. There was a lot of pressure doing the TV deal.
“That’s done and dusted now for a period of time and off the table – now it gets back to being creative again.”
McGuire said the AFL “can’t lose” the likes of Dillon, while there’s reports current fixtures boss Travis Auld was interviewed on Monday for the role of Australian Grand Prix CEO.
“That’s another exclusive for Eddie and Jimmy,” McGuire said.
“He’s going to be in the top echelon of that.
“What they’ve got to do now is go, ‘right it’s got to be restructured’. It is a different flow chart and different organisation and Gill, if he stays, can sit above that.
“At the moment, Gill is all things to all men and he is great on his feet and we need to get the full stop and comma on a few of these things.”
McGuire also touched on the AFL Commission vacancies, ruling himself out of the running while adding he believes Matthew Pavlich “is a lock” with Leigh Matthews or Andrew Ireland for the second.
Exactly when McLachlan will step aside remains unknown, with predictions of end of 2022, then post-TV deal and then post-Gather Round all falling by the wayside.
