Report: McLachlan makes call on timing of AFL departure

AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan will remain in the role until Round 5 of the 2023 season.

The Age is reporting that clubs were informed on Wednesday of his delayed departure, following the launch of the league’s new Magic Round.

McLachlan announced he would depart the league early in 2022, but a lack of a clear successor and looming issues including the racism allegations at Hawthorn, Tasmanian expansion and collective bargaining agreements delayed his exit.

Caroline Wilson told The Don’t Shoot the Messenger Podcast in November that the AFL CEO should move on from the top job as quickly as possible.

“He should go and he should go fairly soon,” she told the Don’t Shoot the Messenger Podcast.

“This notion from Richard Goyder that only Gillon McLachlan can solve the current problem is crazy.

“Now I understand in most ways he has been a brilliant CEO of the AFL, but he announced his retirement from the game in March and we’re now in November and the suggestion is and even Gillon is saying to people ‘I’m being told I have to stay to get all of this solved and I’ve got to get Tasmania sorted’.

“I understand that he did say he would stay until Tasmania was done and dusted. He would stay until the collective bargaining agreement for the next five years was done, but this is crazy.”