BACCHUS Marsh coach Doug Hawkins says he will approach mining billionaire Clive Palmer in the hope of helping lure former AFL star Brendan Fevola to the club on a full-time basis.
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Hawkins was unveiled as a Victorian candidate for the Senate on Tuesday for the newly formed Palmer United Party.
The Bacchus Marsh coach yesterday told The Courier he had not discussed the Ballarat Football League with Palmer as yet, but that it was certainly on his agenda in the future.
Fevola played a special one-off match for the Cobras two weeks ago and Hawkins made it no secret he wanted the former Carlton and Brisbane Lions spearhead back at Maddingley Park.
Now, with the newly formed alliance with Palmer, who is estimated to be worth $2.2 billion by BRW Rich List, Hawkins is hoping Bacchus Marsh Football Club might be able to reap some rewards.
“I haven’t spoken to him much about footy yet. There have been a lot of other things that we have been dealing with first. We haven’t talked about Bacchus Marsh,” Hawkins said.
“It’s something I’ll be talking to Clive about though. It would be grouse (if Fevola played full-time).”
Hawkins said he first met Palmer last week, when he flew to Brisbane to discuss the political campaign.
He even joked that Palmer would buy the football club.
“We saw Fev’s impact when he came here. What club wouldn’t want him?” Hawkins said.
Palmer has a history of extravagant spending on sporting clubs, including owning A-League team Gold Coast United from 2008 until its demise in 2012.
He also plans to built a life-size replica of the Titanic and develop the world’s biggest dinosaur exhibit, has pledged $100 million for medical research and owns a swag of golf courses, including the Palmer Coolum Resort on the Sunshine Coast.
Palmer’s office did not respond to questions from The Courier yesterday.
patrick.nolan@fairfaxmedia.com.au
