Anthony Albanese has dedicated a cardinal sin in Melbourne that he would by no means even consider making in Sydney. And he simply retains doing it, writes PVO

So Albo donned a Hawthorn soccer scarf and entered the gamers’ change rooms after the Hawks’ first week finals win to have fun, scoring some free media protection whereas he was there.

Apparently the PM is a diehard Hawks supporter, in keeping with his workplace, however that did not perturb Richmond nice Nathan Brown who took goal at Albo for looking for to make use of the Hawks win for political benefit. 

‘I really feel just like the Prime Minister, this was for the great of himself going into the Hawthorn rooms. This sickens me,’ Brown thundered.

‘Anthony Albanese, he had a take a look at the polls and he thought Peter Dutton is closing, he is in entrance… there is a hole. He looks like I must seem like a standard man. I am going to enter the Hawthorn rooms.’

It did not take lengthy for social media to disclose Albo carrying all method of various AFL staff scarfs: Collingwood, the Swans and Carlton – there is likely to be extra.

At a Collingwood occasion Albo attended carrying a Magpies scarf and mentioned: ‘I’m a Hawthorn fan. However at the moment, I’m very happy to be part of this magnificent occasion right here at Collingwood’.   

The narrative of ‘every approach Albo’ rapidly got here to the fore, peddled by conventional critics of the PM.

So are these criticisms honest and affordable, and is Albo actually a diehard Hawks fan as his staff of spin docs declare?

I’ve to confess that I did not realise the PM supported the Hawks. Maybe I ought to have. I am not a stalker, only a political commentator. I do not watch his each transfer.

Now that I’ve seemed into it, it is true, he has been a longtime Hawks supporter, and this is not the primary time he is attended a recreation and celebrated with the staff afterwards.

I am undecided I might name him a diehard fan, nonetheless.

Diehard Hawks supporters would not put on one other staff’s colors, until pressured to take action having misplaced a guess on the result of a recreation, for instance. 

In Melbourne soccer is sort of a faith, and loyalty to at least one’s staff is sacrosanct. So whereas Albo is likely to be a Hawks supporter, he is clearly no diehard, that is for positive.

And it’s laborious to disagree that politics was not less than a part of the equation when he entered the rooms afterwards and did some media, being pictured cheering on his successful staff.

Nonetheless, the PM is hardly the primary politician to try this with politics on his thoughts. Scott Morrison manufactured a love of rugby league to swimsuit his political narrative of being a person of the folks. He additionally invented the nickname ‘ScoMo’. 

No less than Albo has all the time been Albo.  

It is price noting that South Sydney was taking part in its final season recreation within the NRL the identical night Hawthorn performed its first AFL remaining. The South Sydney Rabbitohs is a staff Albo is well-known to assist. A diehard supporter at that.

However he was on the Hawks recreation as an alternative, quite than cheering on his beloved South Sydney at their homeground derby in opposition to the Roosters. 

Souths have had a depressing 12 months to neglect within the NRL, and are actually immersed in a white powder controversy courtesy of star participant Latrell Mitchell.

Not parallels that swimsuit the politics of the second for the PM, that is for positive.

Maybe a tricky political setting has turned the PM into a good climate diehard Souths supporter, if there may be such a factor. 

Perhaps that is unfair – he is most likely been to many dropping Souths dwelling video games this 12 months, together with since they’ve been languishing on the backside of the ladder.

On the finish of the day if Albo is privileged sufficient to get entry to the Hawks gamers rooms after the sport. Good luck to him. One of many perks of being PM. If he can rating some free political protection whereas doing so, all the higher, his minders would say.

He is not the primary politician to take action and he definitely will not be the final.  

And Brown is hardly an neutral observer letting fly on the PM for doing what he did. Brown fronts the cameras spruiking Sportsbet playing merchandise, and with Albo trying to clamp down on a few of what they do, maybe that was an element motivating his important observations.

Mockingly the PM has obtained extra media recently condemning him for not going far sufficient in his anti-gambling clampdown. A window into the aggressive tensions political leaders are subjected to frequently. 

Another excuse why politics actually is a mugs’ recreation.

So the place does all of this depart us?

In my estimate, Albo is simply one other politician trying to safe some mirrored glory from a successful sports activities staff. One he additionally occurs to assist, when he isn’t off carrying different staff colors as a result of at these moments in time it politically suited him to take action.

In the meantime, go the Hawks!