GWS CEO Dave Matthews has strongly denied claims that AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan played a role in the club’s re-signing of Stephen Coniglio.
The star midfield re-committed to the club on a seven-year deal last night and this comes after McLachlan’s comments, explicitly urging Coniglio to remain a Giant.
“Really the AFL had no role in this,” Matthews told SEN Breakfast.
“I think Gillon simply expressed a view which I know he expressed about Patrick Dangerfield at Adelaide for instance, so I have no particular problem with what he said.
“I think it’s just an opinion that he gave. You could probably mount an argument that in some ways it doesn’t help us because it puts further pressure on the player.
“Even Stephen himself was on the record himself as saying the comments were interesting and that he’s happy to dwell on his own decision and what he needed to think about.
“There’s no role that the AFL play in this at all.
“The fact of the matter is he’s forgone significant money from offers that have come elsewhere.
“He’s committed to the club and sees his future here and that’s as simple as it is really.”
Matthews feels criticism of McLachlan is harsh and unfair.
“I think any criticism of them is just unfair. As Jimmy Bartel said recently, (Gil’s) entitled to come out and say something and give an opinion,” he said.
“He gets criticised when he doesn’t speak and he gets criticised when he does, but he stays way out of, and so does the AFL generally, out of these discussions about contract extensions.”