Eddie McGuire on Grand Final
The Australian Football League's Grand Final is being played later today (28 September 2002). Collingwood are playing Brisbane.
I support the Richmond Football Club and have fond memories of the first game of the season when Richmond beat Collingwood. But today I will be supporting Collingwood.
Their president Eddie McGuire has been doing a particularly good job in promoting the club. Yesterday I heard an interview with him on ABC radio with Vivian Schenker. I have recorded and transcribed part of it:
Eddie: ... We're there to win we're not there to make up the numbers, we are absolutely committed to winning the Grand Final.
Vivian: Yes its exciting. But it must be scary at the same time. Its 12 years isn't it since the Pies last Grand Final win.
Eddie: Oh yeah, but you don't worry about those things, I mean ...
Vivian: Not time enough for the Colliewobbles to get back in?
Eddie: No, no that's all nonsense that type of thing. That was ahh. You know. I'm pretty pragmatic on these things. I don't believe in voodoo. I don't believe in any of that sort of stuff. The teams that lost before weren't mentally or physically attuned or, or ready to go. Its as simple as that. You can mention bad luck or all sorts of things. There wasn't . You look at tapes of those games. They had their opportunities, its just they didn't capitalise on them. Its as hard nosed as that. One of the things we've tried to do at Collingwood in the last few years is get rid of all the hocus pocus and the Tattslotto mentality. You know I've never seen a Tattslotto winner actually go on to be Bill Gates or Kerry Packer. Those people who have suceeded, to use a (you know) a financial term, are those people who have worked hard and built and been smart and worked hard and been smart all the way through. And that's the difference of Collingwood in season 2002 is that we're not hoping to win, we've got a plan in place that will allow us to win if we play to our capability."
Later in the interview he promoted the club:
"... if they believe in the romance of football, I know I've been talking about hard headedness, but for the supporters if they believe in the youngest team in football that has dragged itself out of the gutter, without stealing anyone else's players, without going over the salary cap and building a team based on honesty and integrity and they think that those are the values that we hold dear to our heart in football, well then they're more than welcome to come to Collingwood ..."
The whole interview can be listened to here.
By J.R. Lilburne, 28 September 2002.
Other Sites:
Interview of Collingwood President Eddie McGuire on ABC Breakfast