ANDREW Demetriou's legacy with AFL Cairns was cemented in a no-nonsense email exchange three years ago.
Put simply, $1 million was urgently needed to pay the bills for new dressing sheds at Cazalys Stadium.
Demetriou, who yesterday stood down after 11 years as the all-encompassing figure behind the nation's best-run code, displayed the sort of practicality that made him long regarded as Australia's premier sports administrator he delivered.
"We needed that money to pay the builders and suppliers," AFL Cairns president Gary Young said.
"We were going to get a federal government grant to pay for it but it was going to take another week or so and we needed that work done and those bills paid straight away.
"I got in contact with him and without any fuss he said the AFL would lend us the money. It was all done over a few emails."
The advance was repaid within a week. More importantly, the groundwork to a vital long-term relationship was cast in stone.
Demetriou, solid and imposing, was never one to be accused of caving to public perception.
He made only sporadic stops in Cairns and met Young just a handful of times.
Yet not even a torrid past 18 months encompassing the ASADA investigation, fresh tanking claims and endless off-field controversies could diminish his image within the AFL community.
"A lot of great work was done in the first half of his period in charge," Young said.
"A lot of conscious effort was put into growing the game at a grassroots level with things like Auskick. It started before Demetriou's time but he continued to help the game grow in Cairns. He has worked hard to continue to grow that.
"That has given us a great boost and helped keep us on the map. A lot of other sports are now replicating that."
But, at 52 and far removed from the svelte athlete who played 106 AFL games in the 1980s, Demetriou knew his time was up.
So too did others.
"Logic and common sense says he has been there for more than 10 years and it is time for new blood," Young said.
"Perhaps it was time to bring someone new in with a fresh set of ideas. Demetriou came in with some great ideas and the new person will too.
"I look forward to meeting whoever comes in and hopefully we can have a good chat about what we can achieve."
Young said cashing in on the wealth of talent in the region and establishing Cairns as a northern hub for AFL was top of the agenda.
Photo and news article courtesy of The Cairns Post
Last Modified on 06/11/2014 15:13