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Cash-strapped Bulldogs tried to sell games to NZ for $1m
Stephen Rielly
The Australian
November 24, 2009
The Australian has been told that Western Bulldogs chief executive Campbell Rose wrote a letter directly to the New Zealand prime minister, John Key, several months ago, pitching the idea of playing two games at Wellington's Basin Reserve in exchange for a guaranteed return of $500,000 per match.
Rose and Key know each other from their days in yachting, although the letter, which was sent with AFL authority, was passed on to the country's peak sporting authority, the New Zealand Sports and Recreation Commission, for its full consideration. The time necessary to bring the idea to life in 2010 elapsed -- the AFL released its draw for next year more than three weeks ago -- but it is understood that it has not been shelved and may be revisited in time for the 2011 season, particularly as Hawthorn has joined forces with AFL NZ to establish a grassroots presence for the Australian game on the other side of the Tasman....
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