Club bosses will have a private screening of an upcoming documentary about Adam Goodes as the AFL braces itself for the fallout once it is released publicly. The documentary is on the agenda for the year’s first meeting of club chief executives, to be held on Tuesday in Werribee, near Melbourne.
The Goodes documentary, titled The Final Quarter, covers the end of the Brownlow medallist’s playing career. It is said to be a confronting look at the controversies that marred the Sydney star’s exit from the game.
The AFL’s Indigenous games record holder called out a young Collingwood fan for a racist comment. Magpies president Eddie McGuire later made his notorious King Kong on-air radio gaffe about Goodes.
Then in his final 2015 season, Goodes took a break from the game after booing from some opposition fans during matches. His supporters have no doubt there was a racist element to the booing.
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan says he took too long to comment about the booing, while then-chairman Mike Fitzpatrick received widespread criticism for a clumsily-worded media release about the issue.
Several top AFL officials have seen the documentary already and it was also shown to players who attended a February Indigenous meeting in Adelaide. The Goodes documentary will have its first public screening on 7 June at the Sydney Film Festival.
Tuesday’s meeting of club heavyweights will cover a wide range of topics, including the AFLX pre-season competition, the women’s league and player mental health.