Page 4905 - Week 11 - Thursday, 21 October 2010
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up your hands for any one of those three. I thank Mr Coe for recognising all of the big players in this and also my colleague Mr Barr. With respect, Mr Coe, you were a bit remiss: you forgot Brian Quade, the president of ACTAFL in Canberra, sitting up in the gallery. This bloke is as misguided a person as you have seen in his allegiances. Nevertheless, he is a very effective operator in AFL in the ACT.
It has been hard to wipe the smile off my face since that torturous long weekend in October that ended with Collingwood as premiers—108 to 52, Madam Assistant Speaker. I will say it again: 108 to 52, and we beat St Kilda. My condolences to the departing Mr Smyth, to Mr Kiermaier and, dare I say it, Mr Dick Stalker, who lost a heap of money on it, as we thought he might.
There is only one thing better than beating St Kilda in the grand final and that is beating them by one point in the grand final. For those who do not know what that is, you need to go and do your history because your education is sadly lacking. But I am under no illusion that Collingwood—
Mr Smyth: But you do hold the record for having lost the most grand finals.
MR HARGREAVES: I might remind Mr Smyth that since 1958 Collingwood has won three grand finals to their one, which they stole after the siren because that renegade Barry Breen kicked it after the siren and it should have been disallowed. If they want to celebrate their bushrangery they can go ahead and do it. But winners are ginners and the rest of you can please yourselves.
I have no illusions, of course, that Collingwood will play here should the ACT 4 GWS bid be successful. We host AFL games at Manuka Oval. It is an exciting prospect that the ACT could have a formal permanent and meaningful link with an AFL club. AFL has a rich history in Canberra, having played here for over 80 years. When settlers moved to Canberra they brought with them their passions, including AFL, soccer and cricket. As a matter of fact, when I first came to Canberra in 1968 it was the local AFL that was broadcast on Channel 7 TV. The local competition is deep with history. We have witnessed the glory days of local football—the great local rivalries of Eastlake, Manuka and Ainslie watched on by crowded hills. Manuka Oval has been central to the history of AFL in Canberra, having hosted the first grand final in 1930. Mr Smyth was about three then. Since 1998, Manuka Oval has hosted a number of elite AFL matches, including 14,000 people packing in to watch the Sydney Swans take on the Western Bulldogs earlier this year.
Mr Smyth: Did you ever play on Manuka Oval?
MR HARGREAVES: I have actually, but we will talk about that some other time when we talk about what it was I played. It looks significantly different nowadays, though, but it still has a familiar glow of former glory. Over the years our local competition has produced a number of AFL superstars, including former Carlton legend Alex Jesaulenko, who would not be famous except for using a Collingwood player to get up into the air in the first place. If it had not been for Collingwood he would have been a nobody. He would have been a nobody if it had not been for Collingwood. Current Essendon coach and former captain James Hird comes from a
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