Eddie McGuire warns AFL could 'put a line through' Tasmania if stadium protests continue
Eddie McGuire has warned those opposing a brand new stadium in Tasmania that the AFL could pull out of introducing a new team to the state if they keep up the protests.
Locals have been left fuming at the AFL making a new stadium a prerequisite for Tasmania to be given a licence for a 19th team amid a housing crisis in the state.
There have been mass protests since Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a $240 million funding deal for the stadium.
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McGuire took those protesting against the new stadium, including Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie, to task in an extraordinary rant on Nine's Footy Classified.
"Apparently she hasn't heard of homelessness and education issues for the last two years down in Tasmania," he said.
Eddie McGuire has warned protesters in Tasmania that they run the risk of losing the AFL team Nine
"Why is it suddenly this has come up? You don't reckon there's a pot of money in other portfolios? That this is an infrastructure and AFL play that has brought $300 million to Tasmania?
"Does anybody down there actually look at the economic impact of what will happen?
"People will get jobs down there building the stadium, they'll learn how to do things in the gig economy.
"You have a look at the impact of Victorian major events that has turned Victoria from being a rust bucket place in the '90s into the world's most liveable city within 20 years.
"Have a look at what's just happened in Western Australia, 300,000 people have tried to get tickets to Coldplay, who would've flown over Perth for the last 100 years, because they've got a stadium that you can get good crowds into, that's got great acoustics, that has been built since Wi-Fi and 5G (came in)."
Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie has been a vocal protester against the proposed new stadium Alex Ellinghausen
While AFL boss Gillon McLachlan has been a major supporter of the Tasmanian project, McGuire warned continued protests could see the league lose its patience with the state.
Veteran AFL journalist Damian Barrett said there was "no wiggle room" when it came to the stadium.
"No stadium means no team," Barrett said on Footy Classified.
"If I was the AFL, I'd be coming back now and saying, 'Here's my date. You don't get a game until you actually bounce it on the new stadium'," McGuire added.
"If they're going to start kicking this down the road, it's going to be completely counter to everything that's been negotiated for two years. You can't welch on the deal.
"We want Tassie to be great, don't think I'm against Tassie. I'm looking there and seeing you are about to jump off a cliff, do it properly or don't do it at all.
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff, Acting PM Richard Marles and AFL boss Gillon McLachlan at the Tasmania announcement AFL Photos via Getty Images
"In the world that we inhabit internationally, if you haven't got a ground with 5G going forward, you may as well be playing in the backyard.
McGuire said there were billions of dollars an "a lot of broken hearts" at stake.
"We're going to actually grind the AFL competition to a halt, pulling people out, sending them to Tasmania, getting rid of teams who have got any chance of coming up the ladder for the next five years," he said.
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"This is big time, and to have people just willy nilly changing their mind because they don't like the smorgasbord put in front of them, we haven't piled their plate enough."
McGuire also took issue with veteran commentator Tim Lane's claim on 3AW radio that the AFL had "dropped" the stadium prerequisite on Tasmania.
"I find it highly, highly insulting to the AFL what Tim said that they 'dropped it' and whether they care about Tasmania," he said.
"Gil McLachlan and the AFL executives and the clubs have used every bit of political expedience they could get, everything for $300 million out of Anthony Albanese.
"They've worked the Tasmanian government. None of the clubs wanted this originally ... and still they'll do it.
"It's going to blow the competition up and everyone's prepared to do it, but not if these people don't want it.
"We love the Tasmanian people, but stop looking back because the AFL isn't going back, and if it gets to this, they'll put a line through it."
The AFL is expecting Tasmania to enter the competition by the 2028 season. The club's CEO, football boss and head coach are yet to be announced at this stage.
