Swans president Andrew Pridham has been blasted after suggesting to the AFL Commission that the GWS Giants leave Sydney and relocate to Canberra.
It comes after Pridham and CEO Matthew Pavlich spoke about the state of the footy code in the Harbour City and NSW, with their belief ‘GWS should focus on Canberra and the Riverina.’
Speaking on Channel Seven’s The Agenda Setters on Monday night, reporter Tom Morris confirmed Giants boss Dave Matthews is seething at the development.
‘Essentially what he (Pridham) is saying is Sydney (the club) want GWS out of Sydney (the city) to go to Canberra and the Riverina,’ he said.
‘I spoke to outgoing Giants CEO Dave Matthews… and it’s fair to say he wasn’t happy.’
In a statement to The Agenda Setters, Matthews said: ‘The Swans had a 30-year head start, but should understand the need for two big Sydney clubs.
Swans president Andrew Pridham has been blasted after suggesting to the AFL Commission that the GWS Giants leave Sydney and be based permanently in Canberra
The GWS Giants play four home matches per season at Manuka Oval in Canberra as part of a deal with the ACT Government (pictured, star forward Toby Greene)
Last year, the Swans declared the SCG off-limits to GWS, after the Giants proposed a 2026 ‘home’ game against Richmond be played at Moore Park (pictured, Swans star Charlie Curnow)
‘Thinking otherwise is at best narrow-minded and at worst selfish.’
During Gather Round in Adelaide recently, Pridham raised eyebrows when asked if he felt the Giants had made inroads across western Sydney.
His response was cutting: ‘No. None.’
Pridham added that GWS enjoy ‘strong support in the ACT.’
The Agenda Setters host Craig Hutchison feels growing the code in Sydney should be a combined focus for the Swans, Giants and the league.
‘They can’t be getting tribal at this time,’ he said.
Earlier this month, Matthews revealed the Giants are open to rebranding away from the GWS moniker, which they have used since their 2012 inception.
Last year, the Swans declared the SCG off-limits to GWS, after the Giants proposed a 2026 ‘home’ game against Richmond be played at Moore Park as their regular base at Sydney Olympic Park was unavailable due to the staging of the Royal Easter Show.
‘Our position is consistent: under our venue hire agreement, we have exclusive rights to AFL games on the SCG, and we would enforce that as we always have… so it’s not going to happen,’ Pridham said at the time.
