Former Collingwood president Eddie McGuire has revealed how he could attend the AFL grand final despite West Australia’s ban.
Former Collingwood president and Fox Footy presenter Eddie McGuire has addressed the West Australian government’s “unfair” decision to ban him from attending the AFL grand final in Perth.
As revealed on Wednesday, McGuire had not been granted access to Western Australia to help cover the sport’s pinnacle event, which is scheduled for Saturday, September 25.
The 56-year-old has not missed an AFL grand final since 1976.
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McGuire discussed the “staggering” decision on Channel Nine’s Footy Classified, revealing how he could evade the West Australian ban if he still wanted to attend the grand final.
“I was in negotiations with the WA Government to go over there to bring ‘Millionaire Hot Seat’ and do a grand final extravaganza like the old days at the Perth Entertainment Centre,” he explained on Wednesday evening.
“In fact, if I still wanted to go, I could go. I’d just have to go to Tasmania for two weeks.
“It was a bit of a shock to me … (but) I am happy for the decision to be made for the good of the Western Australian people.”
McGuire did not protest the decision, but admitted he considered it “unfair” that other footy journalists, including Sam McClure, Garry Lyon and Damian Barrett, are permitted to travel across for the grand final instead.
“I think that I qualify to be there for all the things I would have brought,” he said.
“Seriously, I was going to do half a dozen shows for half a dozen outlets and more importantly, I was doing it in conjunction with the West Australian Government.
“I accept your position and I move on. I am not complaining now, I’m explaining.
“Thank God they only have it one year.”
McGuire also clarified why his two sons were involved in discussions with the West Australian government, saying they would have worked as producers in the media “extravaganza” he was proposing.
“I want to clear one thing up, disappointingly my two boys have been dragged into this, who are professional producers on here and Fox Footy,” he said.
“We were going to bring 50 people if we were going to do ‘Millionaire Hot Seat’. That got reduced because they weren’t going to let that happen … they don’t have the facilities in Perth to be able to do it.
“In the end we thought don’t worry about it, and only one application went in and it was for me. One, I was disappointed that that came out because they were in confidence conversations. And two, in the end it was seen to be a bit of big-noting against me.”
Speaking to Perth’s Mix 94.5 on Wednesday, West Australian Premier Mark McGowan said with tongue firmly in cheek that McGuire was denied entry to “protect him from West Australians”.
“He was not happy,” McGowan confessed.
“He’s not essential for the game, he has to stay in Melbourne.”
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