In sporting parlance, you never want to underestimate the capacity of the underdogs to outperform and triumph.
The Hawthorn Football Club over league minor premiers Fremantle, and more remarkably, Sydney over last year’s premiers, the Brisbane Lions, when five of their so-called best players were not available for selection.
What I loved about the Sydney win was that the players, in winning last week, once again demonstrated that individuals do not win, teams win, and Sydney demonstrated that with a flourish.
Sport has its fair share of highs and lows, and right now the competition is giving millions of supporters great pleasure. Exciting games have shielded the AFL Commission from some appalling conflicts of interest and governance failures.
To emphasise that point, Cricket Australia and Cricket Victoria have reached a landmark financial settlement with former player Will Pucovski over his career-ending concussion.
The AFL, while having made some changes to protect the heads of players, has still not put in place a clear policy on concussion and drugs.
Such policies should be in place to protect the players, not the Commission, clubs or administrations.
Tough love is required at times.
The decision by Cricket Australia to make a financial payment has set a precedent for all contact sports.
For the AFL, it sadly emphasises why the current AFL chairman of the commission is inappropriate to lead the AFL, having led the board at Geelong Football Club and, after we are told considerable discussion, deliberately entered into a secret legal contract that allowed a player who they knew had a history of concussion to continue to play, but should the player suffer further damage, exonerated the Geelong Club, its board, directors and officers from any responsibility.
Such action stinks.
Priorities proven. Leadership must come from the top.
Employee welfare must always come first and be lived first.
Not at Geelong, now the AFL Commission.
Chalmers on track to be Australia’s worst-ever Treasurer
Qualifications do not always matter, but values, intellect and commonsense do.
Paul Keating had no academic qualifications; John Howard did.
Both had a sharp intellect, common sense and a great grasp of what a future Australia required.
They were true leaders.
Current Treasurer Jim Chalmers got his doctorate by writing a book about Paul Keating, but has none of the Howard or Keating attributes.
In fact, one commentator is describing Jim Chalmers as Australia’s worst-ever Treasurer.
He keeps proving the correctness of that claim.
So many elements of his recent budget are stifling economic growth, removing aspiration and are, quite simply, cruel for many senior Australians on limited incomes.
It is clear Chalmers did not think about or care for the ramifications of so many of his changes.
I said in this column on June 2, 2026 that his decision to remove the private health care rebate from people over 65 was nothing short of cruel.
That one decision is starting to affect the provision of health care for seniors, our hospital system and the peace of mind of millions of Australians.
Means-test such a withdrawal if you must, but the cost to the public health system alone will be enormous, not to mention the human cost.
Chalmers’ changes to negative gearing, capital gains tax and self-managed super funds will further shrink our economy.
Chalmers simply has not understood the ramifications of the decisions he has made, and Australia is now heading for a recession, with very little incentive for individuals or businesses to invest and grow our productivity.
I hear senior federal and state politicians attacking the rise in popularity of One Nation!
Every time they do so, it adds weight to One Nation’s pitch, because the public is assessing that Labor governments have failed Australians!
Elections are won and lost by governments because of “the economy, stupid.”
Right now, Australians are substantially worse off than they were before Labor governments were elected.
In Victoria, of course, it is so much worse.
The cost of living, the taxes and the charges are literally killing many families and households.
Many are without hope.
It is within that environment that One Nation is attracting support.
Instead of attacking One Nation, Labor governments, federal and state, would be better advised to focus on governing well.
If Australia heads into the second “recession we had to have” because of Chalmers’ failings, prepare for a ministerial reshuffle over Christmas and a new Treasurer, probably Andrew Charlton.
That said, like the Sydney Swans, we in Victoria have the challenge of a lifetime ahead of us. We need to lose many of the current players and bring in some fresh faces.
None better than Jess Wilson and her team.
Only then can we hope to overcome the appalling mess left to us by Labor.
