Keith Thomas in his office. Source: News Limited
"THE first casualty of war is truth." No one knows who first uttered that profound phrase or derivatives of it. Over the years it has been attributed to ancient Greek philosophers, Japanese warlords and American politicians but is as relevant today as it ever was. For truth is not a finite concept. There can be different versions. It simply depends from which perspective you view it, and whose side you are on.
Take this "war" between South Australia's two AFL clubs and the SANFL over the unexpected riches of Adelaide Oval. Each party has a different interpretation of who should get what. Propaganda is extremely important in any conflict because the weight of public opinion is powerful — powerful enough to topple governments. But can it sway the resolve of the SANFL, who appears to be fighting a battle on three fronts, to get the best for the whole of football in this state?
Port Adelaide's chief executive Keith Thomas must have felt he was losing the propaganda battle last week as he emailed his version of the truth to his 50,000 odd members. Responding to a David Penberthy Advertiser column that the SANFL had been driven close to insolvency by underwriting the mounting debt of Port Adelaide, he proceeded to list just how much money Port Adelaide had made for the SANFL. Reading KT it seemed that Port alone, no doubt a successful club that attracted big crowds, had been a one-team SANFL. Port Adelaide over all those years actually had to play another team, and over those years, most of those other teams had their share of success and crowd appeal. Did those 66,000 fans who attended the 1976 SANFL grand final come to see Sturt or Port Adelaide? Did not Glenelg, North Adelaide and more recently Central District have their crowd appeal? Then there's Norwood.
The Redlegs have been as dominant at times as Port. Thomas made his reputation at Norwood. His grand final heroics have him enshrined as a club legend. No longer, however. Judging by the Redlegs-tinged social media after KT's rant to the Port members, they have disowned him.
However, the squabble goes on. Port and the Crows have received what they were promised, but because the Stadium Management Authority made more from the catering, greed has taken hold. It's complicated by the fact that both clubs have spent more than they made. Port's observation that after attracting such big crowds, the Crows will only show a small profit seems a valid one, but one of the realities of AFL is that the more the clubs make, the more they spend.
Earlier this week an SANFL insider put a perspective on the negotiations. "How long do you think the discussion would last if we were having this dispute with the ground managers of Etihad Stadium?" he posed? "Exactly one hour", he said. "Because that was the contract we signed. You got what you were promised."
End of story.
Sadly, the SANFL can never win a propaganda war against the Crows and Port, but its status and indeed its relevance should never be undermined as it is being now.
It's Australia's oldest football league; it has guided South Australian football to be the envy of the country; it has the responsibility for all levels of football in the state, not just the bloated professionals who want to take more and more from those who can afford it least. Most importantly, were it not for the resources, courage and strength of the SANFL, there would be no Crows, no Power and no new Adelaide Oval.
Despite KT's gospel to his true believers, Port has taken far more from the SANFL than it has given.
Adelaide Oval alone will not save Port Adelaide. There has to be more revenue from its members, sponsors and other business streams. With 42,000 members already compared to 33,000 at this time last year, Thomas's propaganda is obviously working. But is it the truth?
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