TRANSCRIPT
of
HON. PETER COSTELLO MP
Treasurer

Interview with Lynn Holtain

3LO

including

Peter Keenan, Frances Leech,

and His Excellency, the Governor General, Peter Hollingworth

Friday, 28 September 2001
7.35am

SUBJECTS: AFL Grand Final

HOLTAIN:

In the interests of complete impartiality here on the ABC of course we have Peter Costello, who is the number one ticket holder for the Essendon Bombers. Good morning Mr Costello.

COSTELLO:

Good Morning Lynn

HOLTAIN:

You’re singing along, practising?

COSTELLO:

I think I sang it about 35 times after the end of last week’s game. It just goes over and over and over again. It was a very close game, a fabulous game, and the crowd was sort of brought to its feet, the final siren and `See the Bombers fly up’ played about 35 times. I sang every one of them I can assure you.

HOLTAIN:

Peter you’ve got probably a fantastic sort of 36 hours around you at the moment. The end of Parliament it would seem, and I read this morning that David Kemp, the Minister for Education, was wandering around the halls with a can of VB in his hand yesterday. Are you celebrating the end of Parliament and anticipating a great victory tomorrow?

COSTELLO:

Well, yes, it’s nice to have Parliament finished and I got back home to Melbourne last night. But I’m actually a bit toey about this game, I’ve got to tell you. I was very impressed by watching the Brisbane Lions on the TV last Saturday night. They looked very confident and strong, and we conversely, had a few injuries. You know, Mecuri was on crutches and James Hird had the Essendon flu last week.

HOLTAIN:

What about a bit of foxing, do you think there’s any kind of cover going on here?

COSTELLO:

Oh, there’s a lot of mind games going on between Leigh Matthews and Kevin Sheedy, and you’ve got to, I heard Crackers talking about the 1990 Grand Final before. You go back to the ’83, ’84, ’85 Grand Finals, when Leigh Matthews was playing for Hawthorn and they absolutely murdered the Bombers in the ’83 Grand Final. And these two players, these two ex-players, are people who are very tough and have a great deal of respect for each other, and I think they’re engaging in mind games. A bit like question time actually.

HOLTAIN:

We’ve got…

KEENAN:

Actually there’s a little bit of trivia here. At quarter time in the fight between Collingwood and Essendon there was a coach, maybe, it’s alleged, threw a punch at an official from another club and connected.

COSTELLO:

Is that right?

KEENAN:

I’ll say no more

HOLTAIN:

Are you telling tales out of school Crackers Keenan?

KEENAN:

No because everybody’s talked about it but …

LEECH:

Wasn’t the Collingwood ruck coach was it?

KEENAN:

No I was out on the ground but poor old Gubby Allen certainly copped one. And I’m not saying who threw it.

COSTELLO:

That was the game that Terry Daniher got about ten weeks for wasn’t it?

LEECH:

Yes, in two separate incidents, one for felling Gavin Brown, and was Craig Starcevich the other?

KEENAN:

Yes, I think so, yes. Starc was crook as a dog afterwards I know that.

HOLTAIN:

Twenty-one to eight on 774 ABC Melbourne. We’ve got his Excellency, the Governor General, Peter Hollingworth, on the line and I know that you have to jump in the car so you can make it down to Melbourne for the great day tomorrow, your Excellency, but what advice would you be whispering into Leigh Matthews ear before the boys run out tomorrow?

HOLLINGWORTH:

I wouldn’t give any advice to Leigh Matthews. He’s one of the absolute top coaches. He’s as tough as nails and he’s very realistic, and he’ll keep the boys focussed. I’ve got absolute confidence in everybody, and to have a Brownlow under our belt with Jason Akermanis, and a Captain like Voss, I think we’re going to be pretty tough.

HOLTAIN:

Pretty hard to beat, no question. Thank you indeed for your time.

HOLLINGWORTH:

It was a great pleasure. Goodbye.

HOLTAIN:

Goodbye now to Peter Hollingworth, his Excellency, the Governor General, the number one ticket holder in Brisbane for the Brisbane Lions. And Peter Costello, our Treasurer, holds that ticket for the Essendon Bombers. Are you part of the build up, the preparations, Treasurer?

COSTELLO:

I thought the Governor General was going to give advice to Brisbane that they should go to prayer, that’s what I thought he was going to say.

HOLTAIN:

Well he’s in his, I suppose, Governor Generalship, he’s perhaps taken a more secular approach to football. What would you advise?

COSTELLO:

Well, I think that would be, that would be useful advice. Yeah, well, it’s a big build up today. There’s the parade. I hope to see a bit of the parade because I’ll be in the city today, and then we’ve got the breakfast, the Grand Final breakfast tomorrow morning. That starts at about 7 o’clock and then of course you go into the game. Last year, I think, we started at the breakfast at about 7am and the club finished with a function at about 2am, so we were going at it for about 22 hours straight last year. But it was a win, so let’s hope we can do the same this year.

HOLTAIN:

Best of luck.

COSTELLO:

Thank you very much.

HOLTAIN:

Pleasure to talk to you.