- Comes ahead of clash against Port Adelaide
Damien Hardwick has launched into a heated exchange with a reporter as questions intensified over the AFL’s investigation into a senior Gold Coast Suns staffer linked to controversial bookmaker Okebet.
The Suns coach became visibly frustrated during a media conference in Darwin ahead of his side’s clash with Port Adelaide Power when he was repeatedly questioned about team manager Mark Opie.
Opie is currently being investigated by the AFL integrity unit after a complaint was lodged regarding his reported ties to betting company Okebet, which was fined $100,000 by the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission in 2024.
The bookmaker was penalised for ‘sending gambling promotional materials to self-excluded persons and offering prohibited inducements to community sporting clubs and their members’.
Hardwick confirmed Opie would continue in his role despite the ongoing probe.
‘As far as I’m concerned, Mark Evans the CEO and president will take care of that,’ Hardwick said.
Gold Coast Suns coach Damien Hardwick erupted at a reporter over questions about team manager Mark Opie
Opie is currently under investigation by the AFL integrity unit following a complaint over his alleged links to betting company Okebet
‘As far as we’re concerned, he’ll be doing his role on the weekend.’
But the press conference quickly turned tense when a reporter pressed the triple-premiership coach on whether it was ‘a good look’ to have a bookmaker connected to the club’s inner sanctum.
‘Is it a good look for the AFL to be sponsored by Sportsbet or those sorts of organisations?’ Hardwick fired back.
‘That’s a decision for you guys to make. I am here to talk about football.’
The reporter continued to question whether Opie should stand down while the investigation remains active, prompting Hardwick to become increasingly irritated.
‘You want to start talking about conflict in AFL? I think I have answered your question,’ he said.
‘At the end of the day, he is there to perform a role and he does that with our football club.
‘Conflicts of interest within AFL circles are prevalent everywhere, as we are seeing at the moment. So that will be dealt with in due course.’
Hardwick questioned whether the AFL being sponsored by Sportsbet was also a conflict of interest
A club staffer attempted to steer the press conference back to football matters, but the questioning continued before Hardwick snapped.
‘I am the coach, I am here to talk about football and what it means to the Northern Territory people,’ he said.
‘If you want to take it down that path, talk to the CEO who controls the business aspect of the game.
‘Are we clear? Let’s be clear.’
Moments later, Hardwick took another swipe at the line of questioning after being asked about the Suns’ time in Darwin.
‘We love coming to the Northern Territory but people like this guy come and want to make it about everything else,’ he said.
‘AFL is fantastic for this city and we want to explore and celebrate that.
‘What we have gotten very good at as a society is tearing everything down.’
The controversy comes amid increasing scrutiny over gambling links throughout the AFL industry.
Nick Foot recently ended his role with Sportsbet following backlash over his involvement in bookmaker coverage, while Kane Cornes and Luke Hodge stepped away from the All-Australian selection panel because of their own gambling partnerships.
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon confirmed earlier this week the league was working with the Suns during the investigation.
‘The Integrity Unit’s aware of it and we’re liaising with the Gold Coast Suns in relation to that and there’ll be more to say on that later,’ Dillon said.
Opie previously spent more than 20 years at the Richmond Tigers before joining the Suns shortly after Hardwick’s arrival at the club.
