Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett is adamant his club should have representation in the AFLW competition.
With Richmond, Gold Coast, West Coast and St Kilda set to join in 2020, only four clubs remain on the outside, including the Hawks.
Kennett vocalised his disappointment at the club’s AGM on Tuesday night.
“I find it discriminatory that we have not been given the opportunity to be included in the AFLW thus far,” he said.
Hawthorn was among the teams who specifically opted not to put their hand up for a women’s team back in 2016 when the competition was being put together.
CEO Stuart Fox told the ABC at the time that they believed “that our most sustainable contribution will be made by investing in women’s football at grassroots level”.
Two years later, Kennett told SEN’s Whateley that he was “quite happy” about Hawthorn not having an AFLW team at the time, adding that the amount of injuries occurring in the competition was beyond acceptable.
The Hawks have made a big investment at VFLW level, which resulted in them winning the 2018 Grand Final.
They have now signed Adelaide AFLW premiership coach Bec Goddard as their coach for the 2020 season.
However, with 14 teams and eight already in Victoria, the talent pool is already stretched beyond its limits, meaning Kennett and Hawthorn will have to wait a little longer.
That is simply the reality of the situation, given the competition has already expanded beyond sustainable levels.
Essendon, Sydney and Port Adelaide also remain unrepresented in the AFLW competition.