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“Light hearted”: GWS chief walks back Tasmania quip
Tom Morris • July 21st, 2026 6:57 pm
GWS chief executive Dave Matthews has walked back his comments regarding player acquisition and retention in Tasmania.
Speaking from Hong Kong on Tuesday, Matthews declared his remarks were “light hearted.”
On Saturday's 3AW coverage, Matthews said Tasmania “is a nice place to visit, but I don’t think it’s an unbelievable place to have a career and live.”
His quip came as the Giants attempt to re-sign Tom Green, who has drawn interest from the Devils as a free agent at the end of next year.
Speaking in Hobart on Monday, Ken Hinkley labelled Matthews’ comments “uneducated”.
“What was Dave doing? Is he unemployed?” Hinkley said.
“If you’re uneducated, you don’t know. That’s really important, you’ve got to know what you’re talking about when it comes to the lifestyle.
"We've seen Geelong do pretty well as a community football club and this is very much a Geelong-type feel about it. It's got a community feel. There's a great opportunity for people to grow their families.
"It's not just a football place, it's a family place. There's a lot of people who will love the lifestyle of Tasmania.”
But the most stinging response to Matthews came from Devils boss Brendon Gale, who labelled his GWS counterpart “the prince of Balmoral.”
“It's a bit rich of Dave to lean in given he's never lived there,” Gale said.
“In fact, he's never lived in west Sydney either. The prince of Balmoral, Dave Matthews.
“I'll leave it at that. I love Dave and I think he's done a great job. No offence taken.”
When contacted, Dave Matthews sought to clarify his weekend comments.
“Right now I am CEO of the GIANTS so we are competing,” Matthews told SEN and Channel 7 on Tuesday afternoon.
“That’s the reality. Brendon knows it was light hearted because I have been on record repeatedly supporting the Devils.
“I have discussed the difficulty of building a club with him. He knows how hard it will be to attract players. And more to the point retain them. That’s the challenge.
“And I do hope it works for the sake of the competition.”
It’s understood Matthews and Gale have also communicated via text message in the last 24 hours.
Gale also worked alongside Matthews' brother Simon at Richmond for several years.
