THE Kangaroos administration had not been "fair dinkum" about winning a premiership for the last five years, according to coach Dean Laidley, who has demanded assurances that the club is prepared to commit what is required to win a flag before he considers a new contract to remain as coach.
In a startling admission from the coach of the club that still remains a chance of claiming a top-four position in the final home-and-away round this week, Laidley said the club's management had not been serious about competing in a football sense in his tenure as coach.
Laidley met the Kangaroos football sub-committee for the first meaningful time in a three-hour meeting on Sunday at Arden Street where the club indicated — as widely expected with the club exceeding all expectations this year — that they wanted the coach to stay at the club with a new contract.
The coach also spelt out demands of his own, including a guarantee from the club that they would commit the resources needed for the football department to compete with the rest of the league. The Kangaroos football budget is known to be at least $1 million a year lower than the average club.
The Kangaroos board will meet tonight to discuss Laidley's future.
Laidley said he wanted a range of "boxes to be ticked" before he would commit to the club. Those included an indication of the club's plans for the Gold Coast, which would certainly entail a massive influx of cash and resources from the AFL.
"Look, from the conversations they would like me to coach, but right now between the club and myself there are a lot of boxes to be ticked about where the club is going, the future of the football club and we need to make that really clear and watertight for both parties so we know what our expectations are," Laidley said on 3AW.
"I am not going to say specifics but the football department, and this is not just myself because there are a lot of futures at stake, but how fair dinkum is the club in winning a premiership?
"Have they been fair dinkum over the last five years with the money they have spent in the football department? With the money and the processes we have been able to put in place, are they fair dinkum about that?"
Laidley's own financial terms were not raised, however he was known to be among the lowest-paid of all AFL coaches this year.
Despite his strong stance, Laidley enthused that the meeting with the sub-committee of Mark Brayshaw, Ron Joseph and chief executive Rick Aylett had been one of the best meetings he had attended in his time at the club.
He admitted that he had asked his manager Ricky Nixon not to pursue negotiations with Melbourne over the vacant coaching position there, believing that it was "not the right format". He has not asked that the same advice be given to Essendon, begging the question of whether he would speak with the Bombers about the senior coaching position there.
He said it was inappropriate to speak with any club while the side was active in the finals and he had to be focused on preparing the team.
To that extent, he admitted it was a "fair chance" that Nathan Thompson will play this year and possibly as soon as this week. Laidley said a fortnight ago it may be premature but the way Thompson had trained in recently made it "tempting".
