Interesting interview about the eagles

[estibador]

Apologies if this has been posted already, couldn't see it anywhere.

It's a transcript of a radio interview done by journo Mark Duffied that raises some interesting points about the unhealthy amount of power the eagles wield in WA, including the fact that they tried to have the chief footy journo over here fired for writing a negative article about Cousins and the eagles.

Geraldine Doogue: I think two years ago you wrote that Ben Cousins should be removed as Eagles' captain because of his drug problems, and that provoked a furious response from Eagles management, didn't it?

Mark Duffield: Yes, it wasn't actually because of drug problems, at the time it was more a case of his links with Perth underworld figures, and what had happened is early in 2005 there'd been a violent incident at a Perth nightclub, and police traced phone records and found that the people involved in that alleged violent incident had been in contact with Cousins and a West Coast team-mate, Michael Gardiner, in the immediate aftermath. Cousins was the Captain of West Coast at the time, and we suggested that - well we didn't suggest, we actually said that he shouldn't be Captain any more because of these links.

Geraldine Doogue: And what happened?

Mark Duffield: Oh I guess we were publicly slaughtered in terms of a reaction. There was about 85% of the public spoke out strongly against that, there were high-ranking officials from the West Coast Eagles came to see people at the newspaper to suggest that I wasn't an appropriate person to be writing football.

Geraldine Doogue: Well they went to your Managing Director didn't they?

Mark Duffield: That's right, yes.

Geraldine Doogue: Who stood by you.

Mark Duffield: Yes, Ian Law at the time stood by me so that was nice. And we moved forward from that. But of course within 12 months he was removed from the Captaincy because he ran away from a booze bus, and then over the next summer it became apparent the extent of his off-field problems that there was a significant drug problem and he was suspended indefinitely and sent off to America for rehab.

Geraldine Doogue: See we found it very hard to get people to talk on the record to us about all this. So do the people who run the Eagles really matter in the West Australian community? Help us understand it.

Mark Duffield: Well it's different to other clubs, because its origins are corporate, rather than club-based. West Coast was set up as the vehicle to take W.A. football into the then VFL when they decided to expand the competition from 12 to 14 teams in 1987. And it was set up as a private company, Indian-Pacific Limited, and that company was basically I guess, bankrolled by a group of high profile local business people. And ever since then, West Coast has had significant backing from I guess for want of a better term, the big end of town.

Geraldine Doogue: I've heard them referred to as a boys' club, and not a particularly nice one.

Mark Duffield: Yes well that's probably not an inappropriate term. They are very much a self-elected group, there was consultant went through the W.A. football system in 2001, David Crawford; he recommended a number of changes which would allow the system to become more democratic, they included board members to be democratically elected, if you like, and I think he recommended that two members of the Freemantle board and the West Coast board should immediately be democratically elected. Freemantle adopted that recommendation, West Coast just simply rejected it, and they went on appointing their own board members and appointing their own Chairman.

Geraldine Doogue: So is it something to do with the elite of the business world, in a boom State after all, combining with elite sports people, to sort of make the A-list celebrity group of the city? Is that what it's like?

Mark Duffield: It is a bit like that. Look, every city has a Paris end and a Brooklyn end if you like, and West Coast definitely represents the Paris end of Perth. Because they are called West Coast and they are very much a generic club, they also represent middle-class Perth, and there would be blue-collar people who would be rabid West Coast supporters as well. But the power base of the club is very much represented by St George's Terrace, you know, the high profile business people, the stockbrokers, the lawyers, the doctors.

Geraldine Doogue: And it's new wealth, is it, not old wealth?

Mark Duffield: Yes, that's right. And when you take on West Coast you have to be very aware you're taking on the big end of town. And they know they have muscle, and they know that they have significant influence, and they're happy to use that influence where they feel it's appropriate, even when other people often feel it's inappropriate.

Geraldine Doogue: Look I wonder, I know you believe, and I've read your columns, that it started to go wrong around 2001, and today in the Sydney Daily Telegraph, for instance, they were quoting an unnamed player saying that right back then he went to the management and said, 'You have a major problem here with drug use and Cousens, among others', and he says he was sent to Coventry. Is that when you think it flipped?

Mark Duffield: Well as you know, Perth, Geraldine, is a long way from anywhere, and we don't have a lot of actors, we don't have a lot of rock stars, or people in other cities have that they would call their A-list celebrities if you like. In Perth those are, to a large degree, represented by our sports people and to a large degree those sports people are represented by West Coast. So you have players strutting around basically as mug celebrities around town. I think what happened in 2001 is that after a very successful period, the squad got old and they got injured, and there was a need for change. They had a new coach at the club -

Geraldine Doogue: This was after Mick Malthouse's time.

Mark Duffield: This was after Mick Malthouse had left. And Ken Judge got reports from a contact of his that a couple of West Coast's highest-profile players in Ben Cousens and Michael Gardiner, were fraternizing with underworld figures. He took that to the club, the club chose to quiz the players on it, the players rejected it as being wrong and untrue, and the club perhaps inadvertently I guess, because at the time West Coast was not performing well on the field, but what they did is after two years they sacked Ken Judge. Now I think to the players, that was seen as a victory of them over the coach, and at that particular time, Dean Kemp, who was the captain of the club, was forced out of the game through injury, and Ben Cousins inherited the captaincy. So you have this young, impressionable 22 year old, who's already good-looking and charming, and basically one of the most popular figures in W.A. football history, suddenly he's captain of the Eagles and suddenly the coach who has challenged his behaviour, has been summarily dismissed half-way through a contract. I think at that point, Ben Cousins started to feel infallible. And of course being the leader at the club, and being a pretty cool guy, from the outside, other players were always out to follow him. And I think that's what's happened, and they've probably lost a significant number of a generation of players.

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/saturdayextra/stories/2007/2064274.htm

 

[Lach72]

...and we're off and racing...

 

[greennick]

"Geraldine Doogue: And it's new wealth, is it, not old wealth? "

I don't understand this question. Any help? What is the relevance? Is it something about new money not having any tact or something?

 

[Lach72]

"Geraldine Doogue: And it's new wealth, is it, not old wealth? "

I don't understand this question. Any help? What is the relevance? Is it something about new money not having any tact or something?

...or dignity...

 

[greennick]

...and we're off and racing...

I don't think too many of the WC people will complain about that article. WC may try to wield influence in the media, but it doesn't seem to work very well...

 

[estibador]

...or dignity...

...or class...

 

[greennick]

...or dignity...

New money normally has plenty of dignity, just not class or tact!

 

[estibador]

WC may try to wield influence in the media, but it doesn't seem to work very well...

There's only so much influence you can wield without having an army backing you...

 

[scottwade]

Very interesting thanks.
As I'm not from WA, I assume Duffield isn't running an agenda ( a la Rucci in Adelaide).

Thought the last sentence "And I think that's what's happened, and they've probably lost a significant number of a generation of players" may say something about the infamous 'culture'. and, if Duffield is to be believed, how widespread it is.

 

[Scotland]

Where's iscah?

A thread about how mighty and powerful West Coast are in WA, he can't be too far away surely...

 

[Kempie]

Mark Duffield is pretty much spot on with his analysis I believe, and the following is the story in a nutshell, with a couple of key points:

Now I think to the players, that was seen as a victory of them over the coach, and at that particular time, Dean Kemp, who was the captain of the club, was forced out of the game through injury, and Ben Cousins inherited the captaincy. So you have this young, impressionable 22 year old, who's already good-looking and charming, and basically one of the most popular figures in W.A. football history, suddenly he's captain of the Eagles and suddenly the coach who has challenged his behaviour, has been summarily dismissed half-way through a contract. I think at that point, Ben Cousins started to feel infallible. And of course being the leader at the club, and being a pretty cool guy, from the outside, other players were always out to follow him. And I think that's what's happened, and they've probably lost a significant number of a generation of players.

 

[Grave Danger]

He's about the only decent footy writer in the WA papers.

 

[evo]

Look out Weagles,you've got Gods own Australian promoter on your tail.

 

[Deejay]

"Geraldine Doogue: And it's new wealth, is it, not old wealth? "

I don't understand this question. Any help? What is the relevance? Is it something about new money not having any tact or something?

Probably refers to the people who have managed to get their hands on some of the money that has flowed into the WA economy in recent years. That includes middle aged businessman working in the finance sector and others who have been lucky enough to take a punt on local mining companies like Paladin Resources and Fortescue Metals. In summary young people with lots of cash.

 

[SOSBenny]

LOL...i agree with Mark Duffield most of the time, good footy writer.

Too bad he's been right about BC over the past two years

We do wield too much power, but my question is what is Freo doing to get their brand out there more?

 

[Angry Dragon]

Very accurate summation of the Eagles by Duffield.

That image that was getting around with the Eagles logo looking like the logo from the Godfather isn't far from the truth.

 

[leroyeagle]

...or dignity...

Oh, like punching your misses in the car park? Or heading into Northbridge for a punch up to 'sort out some family problems' or knocking peoples heads off after a game up North? Yeh dignity & class!

 

[The Magenius]

What a load of crap



there is plenty of old money at west coast.

 

[Topdock65]

He's about the only decent footy writer in the WA papers.

True ....

Duff seems to have broken ranks from the mass of starstruck Pro-WCE Media.

How is the cheek of WCE Management going to the Boss of "The West Australian" asking for Duff to be sacked. WTF ???

This is the tip of the iceberg, and more to come.

Someone from the WCE (ex players,admin or managment) is in for a paypacket of a lifetime if they write a book warts & all on the spin/lies and power wielded by the Powerful WCE Spin Machine. Its coming

 

[Ripper]

True ....

Duff seems to have broken ranks from the mass of starstruck Pro-WCE Media.

How is the cheek of WCE Management going to the Boss of "The West Australian" asking for Duff to be sacked. WTF ???

This is the tip of the iceberg, and more to come.

Someone from the WCE (ex players,admin or managment) is in for a paypacket of a lifetime if they write a book warts & all on the spin/lies and power wielded by the Powerful WCE Spin Machine. Its coming

I wonder if they bully the umpiring dept the same way?

 

[Deepthroat]

Intimidating and controlling the media is no different to say Collingwood in Melbourne.

Do we not all remember how poor little Alan Didak was kidnapped by big bad bikies and made to do things against his will (even though all evidence brought forward shows otherwise)?

Then when you can't intimidate and control hit the courts like the AFL did to protect another Vic side:

8 detected drug users
2 caught twice
1 suspected of dealing around the club and being referred to as "The Man' during last years Spring Carnival.

It's not like WCE are alone.

 

[cat21]

Hahaha!

A journalist interviewing a journalist...and you assume there's an iota of integrity in the article???

Sounds like he was made to feel on the outer and like any good little thwarted journalist he's making the people who thwarted him appear like big bad bullies

Funny how there's nothing positive in any WCE stories atm...even the one about Matt Rosa seems to have been buried under the vitriol.

 

[estibador]

I wonder if they bully the umpiring dept the same way?

Interesting...

Would explain a lot, wouldn't it?

 

[estibador]

Funny how there's nothing positive in any WCE stories atm...

Yes funny that.

I can't imagine why we aren't being treated to the usual feelgood puff pieces about the eagles.

Sometimes when the chickens come home to roost, they come home with a bang.

 

[Deepthroat]

While the media are flogging the drug-culture pony that is the West Coast Eagles they are not exposing the laughable Docker delisting of several good young blokes whilst names like McDudas and Carrntplay are still getting games.

You must be wrapped!