OUTSPOKEN Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett has taken a swipe at the AFL for leaving the Hawks and other clubs in the dark about their potential AFLW future.
Kennett was in a jovial mood for much of his first president's address of the year but took the opportunity with AFL chairman Richard Goyder present to make an impassioned plea for a women's team.
He suggested it was "discriminatory" and "inappropriate" that the AFL had not given the likes of Hawthorn and Essendon a timeline for when they might enter the AFLW.
"I thought knowing you (Goyder) were coming here tonight that I would just run through the list of things I'd like to see addressed," Kennett said.
"I think the biggest one I'd like to see is that in 2020, the AFL will give serious consideration to allowing all the current teams who wish to have a women's team, to be able to participate.
"At the moment, we're being staged in and Hawthorn and other teams have no knowledge of when we might eventually play in the competition.
"I think that is, with due respect, discriminatory. I think it is inappropriate, to use a more current word that seems to be floating around these days."
The Hawks did not apply for one of the AFLW's original licenses but went all-in to be in the next wave of teams when the process opened again last year.
The AFL made a point at the time of saying those sides who initially missed out after applying would take preference.
North Melbourne – in conjunction with AFL Tasmania – and Geelong will enter the League in 2019, while Gold Coast, West Coast, Richmond and St Kilda will join the competition in 2020.
Kennett told AFL.com.au in January that he contacted Kangaroos chairman Ben Buckley, shortly after returning for his second stint as Hawthorn president in October, to propose a combined AFLW side.
Buckley declined the offer, with a North spokesman telling AFL.com.au that club bosses "would no more consider merging our AFLW team with another club than we would our men's team".
The Hawks have a VFL Women's side and announced last week they had gone into partnership with Victorian Netball League club Monash Storm.
The Storm will be rebranded 'The Hawks' and will have three teams in this year's VNL competition.
"We have a VFL women's team; they are very good (and) they're going to be very competitive," Kennett said.
"I would simply ask you (Goyder) to take away from today, with consideration on behalf of those teams that are not yet slotted to play, that they should be given the opportunity to do so."
