McLachlan announced he would retire from the role at the end of the football season, and progeny of arguably Stanhope’s most famous family is now ready to step into the top role.
Travis Auld, and brother Rob, have both taken on senior roles at AFL headquarters in a unique family connection which has them at the head of the nation’s largest sporting organisation.
Throw a football, form guide or physical challenge at the high-achieving Auld brothers and in a matter of moments they go from quiet, polite and unassuming gentlemen into competitive beasts.
It’s a transition I saw first hand, more so with Robbie than Travis, when the former arrived as the assistant coach of Nagambie Football Club — the lakeside organisation that he had a strong hand in transforming from an amateurish country club to a league powerhouse.
Don’t get me wrong, the one season that I played alongside Travis with the Nagambie Lakers I could see the similarities in the brothers and why they were so successful in their professional and sporting lives.
That was more than 20 years ago and the last two decades have only served as a reinforcement of that initial opinion, the brothers now part of the Australian Football League’s executive team.
Long before it was cool for country clubs to run out at three-quarter time of the reserve grade game to become accustomed to conditions Robbie was onto that.
Our pre-season stepped up a notch with his renowned running ability and the frown presented to those who over-indulged in any capacity was as stern as any look I’ve had thrown my way.
Fast forward to today and Travis, the half-back flanker with the pointy elbows and ‘pencil-like’ physique is the man being hailed by many as the successor of McLachlan as chief executive officer of the country’s biggest sporting organisation.
He is the AFL chief financial officer, broadcasting and fixture boss and for the past two seasons at least has had just as much air time, if not more, than the number one man himself.
Only a week or so ago older brother Rob was elevated to the role as executive general manager of game development.
He will now oversee the league’s recently endorsed game development strategy and investment to boost community and local football.
Football clubs and NAB Auskick centres will be among his portfolio as they recover and re-connect with the community following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the game at all levels.
Rob was general manager of AFL Competitions for the past two years, the leading figure behind managing COVID-19 outbreaks and ensuring the AFL and AFLW seasons were able to continue.
He was also responsible for umpiring, game analysis, list management, the operation of the ARC and football operations projects and research.
He served for two years as the AFL head of game development and prior to that was CEO of AFL Tasmania. He joined the AFL in 2016 after a 15-year career with Lion Nathan.
Travis joined the AFL senior management team as AFL general manager, clubs and AFL operations in 2014, having started his football administration career in finance at Essendon.
He then took on the inaugural Gold Coast Suns CEO role and, for the past two seasons, has spent more time shuffling the AFL draw than a black jack dealer at a Las Vegas casino.
After finishing his Bachelor of Business, Travis’ accounting prowess landed him in London with William Buck.
He was then drawn back to Australia when Essendon came calling and has consistently climbed football’s corporate ladder to the point where he is well and truly nestled among the top rungs of Australian sporting administrators.
It’s a feel good story of two boys who grew up on a property overrun by greyhounds, nestled alongside the Tatura cemetery and their journey to Marvel Stadium in the Docklands — at AFL headquarters.
