AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan announced in April that he\u2019d be stepping down from his role at the end of 2022, but could recent revelations see him remain in the seat?<\/p>\n
While there\u2019s no doubt the 49-year-old will depart in the near future, Brownlow Medallist, Gerard Healy, pondered whether he could stay on in 2023.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody is of the view that Gillon McLachlan is going to resign at the end of this year or start of next year,\u201d Healy said on Sportsday<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cBut is it reasonable to say there\u2019s a large chance that he may actually sign up for the entirety of next year?\u201d<\/p>\n In response to Healy\u2019s question, AFL Media\u2019s Cal Twomey noted that such a move would be a change of McLachlan\u2019s plans but conceded he may want to see out the rough seas the competition is facing ahead of the 2023 campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cThat would be a change of plans,\u201d Twomey said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe still has a lot of items to tick off on his list, doesn\u2019t he?<\/p>\n \u201cWhen he first announced that he was going to have 2022 as his last season, there was clearly the Tasmania decision which still has some way to go before a resolution is reached there.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was the Collective Bargaining Agreement too, I don\u2019t think he wanted to leave that hanging for his successor.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Hawthorn investigation as well has probably altered, from the outside looking in, how that\u2019s going to play out timing-wise for him.\u201d<\/p>\n With McLachlan already having concerns about leaving with unfinished business, Healy hopes the CEO makes a call at \u201csome stage\u201d in the near future to give all involved with the competition clarity.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s already said he didn\u2019t feel like he should desert the chair with that particular case running, he felt he needed to own that and see that through,\u201d Healy said.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019d like to see this meander along. I think it\u2019d be good at some stage to make his mind up to give us some sort of timeline to say, \u2018Okay, are you in for the season? Let\u2019s call it September next year\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Western Bulldogs great Brad Johnson also agreed that McLachlan will soon need to make a decision but believes he has at least three weeks to do so before the men\u2019s competition begins to ramp up again.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there are three weeks up his sleeve,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n \u201cIn terms of that the players will start coming back, the men\u2019s competition starts to bubble away again with pre-seasons and the draft is coming back as well which I think is important.<\/p>\n \u201cAround that time, I think a decision needs to be made from Gil to let us know whether he\u2019s going to take on that role going forward for another 12 months, or within six [months] or stepping away completely.\u201d<\/p>\n The AFL is yet to announce McLachlan\u2019s replacement, who will be just the competition\u2019s fourth CEO in 26 years.<\/p>\n