JUSTIN Madden has revealed that his post-political life could feature a return to the AFL.
A member of an exclusive club of footballers-turned-politicians, Madden recently resigned from state Labor's shadow cabinet and will retire from politics at the next Victorian election in November 2014.
The Carlton great told AFL.com.au he would use the next 12 months to plot his future, and said he was open to the idea of an AFL role.
The 52-year-old father of four is eminently qualified for a key boardroom role at either club or League level, given his football and political credentials.
A champion ruckman who played 332 games for Essendon and Carlton, Madden won two best and fairest awards, All Australian selection and two premierships. He was also president of the AFL Players' Association from 1990-97.
Madden has been in politics for 14 years, including 11 as a cabinet minister in the Bracks/Brumby governments. Among his portfolios were sport, the 2006 Commonwealth Games and major events.
Bill Kelty, an AFL commissioner since 1998, is a long-time Madden confidant.
Madden's older brother Simon, an Essendon legend, hopes to be voted onto the Bombers' board on December 16.
"Football was a catalyst for a lot of opportunity in my life, so it would be nice to have an involvement," he said. "I haven't thought about it in a lot of detail, and I'm not sure what form it might take, but I've got a bit of time to think about it.
"I've always got things to offer. I'm open to those sort of conversations and I'd certainly consider it."
Stephen Kernahan, Madden's long-time captain, will relinquish the Carlton presidency at the end of next year, but Madden says he won't be a candidate to succeed a man he regards as "a great leader on and off the field as a captain and a fantastic president.
"You need to bring a lot of corporate support with you for that role and politics doesn't necessarily lend itself to that," he said.
Madden's political interests were sparked by a family tragedy.
He was nine, and Simon 13, when their father Bill, a 56-year-old World War II veteran, died from heart disease.
Thelma Madden was forced to raise three sons on her own, with help from community and sporting organisations around the suburb of Airport West.
"After all the assistance we received, I felt a great sense of social obligation," Madden said.
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Justin was the youngest of the Madden boys – Paul and Simon are five years and three-and-a-half years his senior respectively.
"We got taller and darker as we went along," he said with his trademark 'goofy' grin.
Paul, who played in Essendon's under-19s and reserves, stands 193cm, Simon 198cm and Justin 206cm.
Justin felt blessed to form a ruck/forward combination with Simon at Essendon in the early 1980s. The problem, he concedes, was that Simon was "by far the better forward and ruckman". (Justin regarded Simon as a thoroughbred and himself as a blight on the game for his lack of athleticism.)
Justin sought more opportunities elsewhere.
"It was going to work better if we were No. 1 ruckmen at different clubs," he explained.
Madden held discussions with Carlton and Collingwood before settling on the Blues.
One of the factors in Madden's decision was Carlton's insistence on players developing their lives outside the game. David Parkin was coach and Mike Fitzpatrick was captain, and Madden says you would struggle to find two better poster boys for off-field development.
"I think it makes for better footballers," he said. "If you're not travelling well on the field or you're injured, you've still got other things to focus on that take your mind off your predicament.
"That's why it must be much harder these days to cope with setbacks as a full-time professional footballer. I'd be keen for them to do as many things as they can to develop their lives.
"I didn't hang around the club any longer than I needed to. I'd basically train and go home. My philosophy was: do it well, with intensity, and then get onto the next thing.
"If players don't have other focuses, they'll find it harder during difficult periods, and they'll find it harder to leave the game."
Madden kept himself busy with off-field pursuits during his AFL career. He became a teacher and then an architect.
He also succeeded his brother Simon as AFLPA president, a role that led to his political career.
It was a challenging time. During Madden's reign, he negotiated the first Collective Bargaining Agreements, even threatening strike action at one point, as players evolved from part-timers to professionals.
In this period he established important connections in the Labor Party after seeking counsel from union leaders Bill Kelty, an AFL Commissioner since 1998, and John Halfpenny.
Madden says he was as shocked as anyone by his meteoric rise to the office of government minister in 1999.
"It was like playing a big game against an opponent you're not quite sure about," he said.
He says there are many links between football and politics.
"It's a similar dynamic. First there's the team aspect – you can't all be the star attraction," he said.
"You're also dealing with the size of an AFL playing list. The cabinet's made up of 18 people, and there's people outside the cabinet who want to get in.
"You work in large groups, so you need a sense of empathy and you need to work as a unit.
"The public expectations are similar, and I'm sure footballers could teach politicians a few tricks in terms of diplomacy. In press conferences they have a remarkable ability to avoid answering the question!
"And you tend to retire either a little too early or too late. Hopefully I've got it right in politics, but I didn't with football. My last game was in the reserves on a miserable day at Punt Road, outside the main game at the MCG. I was interchanged and I thought, 'I like this blanket a little too much'."
SIX POINTERS with Justin Madden
What do you like most about the game?
"The sense of community. So many people love it and have opinions about it, and every opinion is legitimate. Football does wonderful things for people and it's a game that in many ways encapsulates the Australian spirit."
What don't you like?
"I think it's ridiculous when a player kicks a goal and he immediately runs to the interchange. I can't see the benefit of busting a gut to kick a goal and then sprinting 150m off the ground, when you're on a high and you probably fancy yourself to kick the next goal. It doesn't make sense to me."
What would you change about the game?
"I'd ensure teams played in mud occasionally. There's no mud on grounds any more. You can be as athletic and skillful as you like, but the great test of character is playing in mud. It adds a greater degree of difficulty. It slowed things down a bit for non-athletes like myself."
Favourite player and why?
"(Carlton ruckman) Matthew Kreuzer because he has a dip. He's been unfairly criticised – I think he's a fantastic player. I like how he follows up at ground level and clears a path for the smaller blokes. He does a lot of heavy lifting, and I admire that."
How many operations have you had?
"None. Everything is fine. You don't tend to get hurt much when you don't put your head over the ball and you don't get above 5kmh. A lot of ruckmen have all this surgery, but I say, 'Obviously you're going too hard. You should hang back a bit like I did and let the others fight it out in the clinches'."
How will your former clubs – Carlton and Essendon – go next year?
"Pretty well, I think. (Carlton coach Mick) Malthouse has got a bit of the old style and new style, which I think is good for the Blues. The Bombers showed some character this year and anything will be better than last year for them."
