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Amid all the fanfare, tears and champagne of last year’s Melbourne premiership, there was a moment North Melbourne captain Emma Kearney wishes had received more scrutiny.
After Demons captain Daisy Pearce finally sealed her premiership dream, the AFLW pioneer and legend of the game took what Kearney and others perceived as a crack at other clubs, including her own, for offering incentives to help recruit rival players.
North Melbourne captain Emma Kearney would like to see more scrutiny of AFLW.Credit: Dylan Burns via Getty
“We’re not the most popular team and we don’t have all the bells and whistles,” Pearce told Channel Seven in an on-field interview after the Demons had won their maiden flag. “We don’t give away cars to players that come to us – but we’ve got the best coach in the competition [Mick Stinear] that helps make you a good footballer.”
Under AFL rules, players can drive sponsor’s cars under an ASA (additional services agreement), and there is no suggestion of improper conduct by North or its players.
Kearney described Pearce’s comments as a “subtle dig” and said the fact it was not amplified by the media showed there was a culture of not being critical enough of women’s players and teams.
Kearney, who is also part of North Melbourne men’s coaching program under Alastair Clarkson, said had a male player made those comments, it “would certainly get more scrutiny”.
“I know our club was one of those that she was having a dig [at]. If that was a male captain, the media is probably jumping all over that and I just think we missed the opportunity where we can start having those – I don’t want to use the term negative news stories – but more critical,” said Kearney.
When North Melbourne entered the AFLW competition in 2019, they signed a slew of big name players, including Kearney, Jasmine Garner, Jess Duffin, Kaitlyn Ashmore and Collingwood’s marquee signings Moana Hope and Emma King, under then coach Scott Gowans.
Mazda is a longtime sponsor of North Melbourne and last year extended its support of the Kangaroos AFL and AFLW teams for a further three years.
Under the collective bargaining agreement between AFLW players and the league, players can sign additional services agreements (ASAs) for promotions or sponsorships worth up to $100,000 per club, which is not included in the salary cap.
But Kearney hit back at any suggestion high-profile players came to the club because they were offered vehicles, and North Melbourne declined to say whether players were given incentives in the form of ASAs because it was not clear that Pearce’s comments were directed at the Roos.
Pearce, who has since retired, also declined to comment when she was contacted, via her management, by this masthead.
“Our club recruits players, or people come to our club, not because of car deals, but because of the program that we have on offer,” Kearney said.
The seven-time All Australian said the comments going for the most part unnoticed was an example of a larger issue within the AFLW landscape of a lack of criticism. She would like to see a more analytical lens applied to the women’s league, as it would bring added respect as an elite competition.
“I think people love negative news stories, which is how we operate, and I think the media can play a really important role for us in trying to grow the game. We’re too nice with women’s sport and we need to start being slightly more critical just like we would be in the men’s,” said Kearney.
This included pulling teams and coaches up when they’re not performing, such as marquee players having bad seasons or teams not hitting their benchmarks.
Premiership skipper Daisy Pearce has announced her retirement.Credit: Getty Images
“We know that in the media, negative stories tend to sell better and I think we in society, we [are] usually too positive when it comes to AFLW articles,” said Kearney.
“I think we can start shifting that dial and that doesn’t mean we actually go out and really target and be really nasty but it says it’s just having that more of an analytical lens in the media – and I think when we do that, the quality will just get better and people will be more interested.”
An AFL spokesman said there were several ways AFLW players could earn income beyond their standard playing contracts, including through employment by the league, its clubs or sponsors through the WorkPlay program.
“The AFL has oversight over all ASAs, Employment Agreements and Independent Agreements. They are all required to be reported to and approved by the AFL,” the spokesman added.
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