AFTER a tumultuous 24-hour period in the AFL industry, Port Adelaide CEO Keith Thomas says he's never seen such a collegial response across the football clubs.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, football departments have been reduced to a skeleton staff and about 80 per cent of AFL employees will be stood down from next week until May 31.
"At every level of the club organisations, we've got CEO WhatsApps, the CFOs, HR people, the footy people, everyone is working collectively," Thomas told SEN.
"Yesterday, all of the CEOs were sharing all of their structural discussions and trying to work out how do we get through this working in much the same way, so when we get to the end of this there's no competitive advantage that's been gained through this terrible time.
"Everyone's absolutely in that frame of mind. It's very much about survival, to be honest, how we get through this by doing the best we can."
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Thomas started as CEO in August 2011, and said the challenges ahead were unlike any he has experienced when Port Adelaide was needing to be "rebuilt".
"We have a really well-functioning club, it's performing well on and off the field, and yet the damage being done at the moment is far more significant than when we were broken. It's just a weird scenario," Thomas said.
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"What we're trying to keep everyone focused on is that we're going through a dark tunnel at the moment, but we will get through this, and when we do, we have to be ready to go again. We'll bounce back strongly, as will the whole community.
"We were really disappointed we had to back out of China (game against St Kilda in Shanghai), but gee whiz, it feels like a million years ago now."
Meanwhile, Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett praised the AFL for taking tough but necessary steps to combat the coronavirus threat.
In a letter to members on Tuesday, Kennett wrote the loss of income meant the Hawks, like all 18 clubs across the competition, needed to take 'drastic action' to reduce costs.
"We must ensure we can emerge on the other side ready to resume our place in the competition, whether that is this year or next," he wrote.
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"I should also say that we are in a much stronger position than many other clubs, but that helps little when our revenue has been so dramatically reduced.
"So, by today’s end the club will have made some very tough but necessary decisions. To delay making those decisions will only compound our challenge.
"We will get through this. But we must remember the club is bigger than any one individual, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure the club survives to provide our children and grandchildren the enjoyment we have and currently enjoy, for decades to come."
