Club Mgmt. Board of Directors as led by President Dave Barham

[Lore]

Spoiler: Timeline of events

• 15/8: President, Paul Brasher resigns, replaced by Dave Barham who foreshadows external review
  • Votes for Brasher: Peter Allen, Simon Madden, Sean Wellman
    Sean Wellman

    Age

    50

    Ht

    193cm

    Wt

    90kg

    Pos.

    Def

    Career

    Season

    Last 5

    D

    14.1

    4star

    K

    9.7

    4star

    HB

    4.5

    3star

    M

    4.5

    4star

    T

    1.0

    3star

    No current season stats available

    D

    8.0

    2star

    K

    4.4

    2star

    HB

    3.6

    3star

    M

    2.6

    3star

    T

    0.8

    3star

  • Votes for Barham: Andrew Muir, Dorothy Hisgrove, Melissa Green, Kate O’Sullivan, Kevin Sheedy
• 21/8: Senior Coach, Ben Rutten
  Ben Rutten

  Age

  41

  Ht

  190cm

  Wt

  98kg

  Pos.

  Def

  Career

  Season

  Last 5

  D

  13.4

  3star

  K

  6.3

  2star

  HB

  7.0

  4star

  M

  5.3

  5star

  T

  1.3

  3star

  No current season stats available

  D

  10.6

  3star

  K

  6.2

  3star

  HB

  4.4

  4star

  M

  3.6

  4star

  T

  1.0

  3star

  sacked
• 24/8: CEO, Xavier Campbell resigns
• 24/8: Directors to resign
  • Paul Brasher, immediately
  • Simon Madden, immediately
  • Sean Wellman, after new football director is appointed
  • Peter Allen, after AGM & finance portfolio handover in December
• 26/8: Details of coaching selection committee appointment
  • Sub-committee of 6: Josh Mahoney
    Josh Mahoney

    Age

    47

    Ht

    180cm

    Wt

    83kg

    Pos.

    Fwd

    Career

    Season

    Last 5

    D

    11.3

    3star

    K

    6.8

    3star

    HB

    4.5

    3star

    M

    3.5

    4star

    T

    1.6

    4star

    G

    0.9

    4star

    No current season stats available

    D

    9.2

    3star

    K

    5.4

    2star

    HB

    3.8

    3star

    M

    2.2

    3star

    T

    1.6

    4star

    G

    0.4

    3star

    (Chair, GM-Footy), Robert Walls, Jordan Lewis
    Jordan Lewis

    Age

    38

    Ht

    186cm

    Wt

    86kg

    Pos.

    D/M

    Career

    Season

    Last 5

    D

    23.5

    5star

    K

    12.1

    4star

    HB

    11.5

    5star

    M

    5.5

    5star

    T

    2.7

    4star

    MG

    310.5

    4star

    No current season stats available

    D

    15.0

    4star

    K

    6.8

    3star

    HB

    8.2

    5star

    M

    4.8

    5star

    T

    2.8

    5star

    , Simone McKinnis OAM, Andrew Thorburn and Dorothy Hisgrove (board member).
• 26/8: Details of external review process
  • Ernst & Young to coordinate with support from Andrew Thorburn, working closely with Nick Ryan (Acting CEO) & Dorothy Hisgrove (board member)
  • Focusing on four areas: (1) Board effectiveness & composition, (2) a review of leadership, operations and culture including the footy department, (3) the senior coach appointment and (4) the new CEO appointment.
• 26/9: Andrew Welsh appointed to the board of directors, replacing Simon Madden
• 29/9: Brad Scott appointed as Senior Coach
• 30/9: Kevin Sheedy claims decision to appoint Brad Scott was 6-1 against him
• 3/10: Andrew Thorburn appointed as CEO - alternative link
• 3/10: “External review to be handed to the board next week”: Andrew Thorburn, Crichton Medal Address
• 4/10: Andrew Thorburn resigns as CEO
• 11/10: External review preliminary findings
• 24/10: External review preliminary findings II
• 2/11: Dan McPherson appointed as General Manager of Performance & Cam Roberts as Head of Development
• 11/11: Dean Rioli appointed to the board of directors, replacing Paul Brasher
• 14/11: Tim Roberts & David Wills appointed to the board of directors, replacing Sean Wellman and Paul Allen respectively
• 28/11: Dorothy Hisgrove announced as first female vice-president (at the Essendon Women's Best and Fairest night)
• 1/12: Craig Vozzo appointed as CEO
• 13/12: Board director election results: Andrew Welsh and Andrew Muir elected
• 15/5: The club's First Nations Advisory Council established, to be led by Dean Rioli (chair, Indigenous board member), and including: Leanne Brooke (EFC EGM – Community & The Long Walk. Essendon FC), Dorothy Hisgrove (EFC VP and National Manager Partner KPMG), Kane Ellis (CEO of Illawarra Aboriginal Medical Service), John Evans (Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Engagement at Swinburne) and Che Cockatoo-Collins (EM, Indigenous Affairs NBN, EFC Past Player)
• 16/5: Board of Directors declare support for the First Nations Voice to Parliament, after consultation with the new First Nations Advisory Council
• 28/8: EGM - Football, Josh Mahoney has accepted a role as GM Football Operations at the AFL
• 10/10: GM - Performance Daniel McPherson, and Head of AFLW/AFL Operations Manager Aysha Ward have been elevated to the club executive as joint leaders of the club's football department, as GM-AFL and GM-AFLW respectively

 

[CBombers17]

FWIW I asked my mate on Brad Scott (mates an Essendon supporter)...."Scotty is a smart guy, open to innovation. I personally think it would be a mistake to drop Truck for him, though they may not have a choice if he's checked out"...

 

[Bjchan13]

Id be happy to give Ross Lyon a go

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

Feeling pretty flat….this should be a line in the sand moment but no confidence that anyone involved can do what needs to be done.

The inmates are running the asylum.

 

[Duckworth]

So on the assumption that we are looking for a new coach next week. The one thing I ask, is that they conduct a thorough process. I'm not sure how I would feel, if at the end of this process if it was Hird who finished on top.

 

[Beerfish]

To all those suggesting Ross Lyon, remember the last club that wanted him and he refused to go through a 'process'?

Honestly don't think he has any interest in coaching again.

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

 

[Call Me Cake]

Cringe.

 

[fishardansin]

Fair enough they're carrying on like that. Best distraction from the score!!

 

[thaibomber]

Something that hasn't rated a mention in this whole thing... Clarko said they spoke to him on Tuesday and he knew he was going away for two days and not enough time for due diligence blah, blah. All good, except that means he knew when he spoke to Essendon that he wasn't going to change course. So he left Rutten in the mess too and us for that matter. he knew all along he was going to North but didn't announce it... why not? just an observation.

 

[Call Me Cake]

Something that hasn't rated a mention in this whole thing... Clarko said they spoke to him on Tuesday and he knew he was going away for two days and not enough time for due diligence blah, blah. All good, except that means he knew when he spoke to Essendon that he wasn't going to change course. So he left Rutten in the mess too and us for that matter. he knew all along he was going to North but didn't announce it... why not? just an observation.

This. Plus had a heart sentiment with history and liking that the coat of arms of Australia also had a Kangaroo on it (so cool).

He could have been honest and saved us the miscalculation of his input and saved Rutten the annoyance that he so pointed out.

Basically Clarko is a Grade A dog.

 

[brain taylor]

To all those suggesting Ross Lyon, remember the last club that wanted him and he refused to go through a 'process'?

Honestly don't think he has any interest in coaching again.

iirc he also had concerns about the old heads/powerbrokers/politics that come along with the big clubs and ours are as bad as it gets

 

[isthisit13]

Can someone explain in a bit more depth the go with the coterie group/groups?
Is it a group or groups that pump that much money into the club that then entitles them to have a say on how the club is run?
Are we the only club that does this?

 

[DERO]

Happy for someone to tell me different but from outside it looks like the coaching fiasco is very much a board issue and not due to coterie interference. No doubt the entitled interfering pricks got involved but it is the board that make the decisions.

Looks like they were divided and got the numbers required to move way too late to make a meaningful attempt at getting Clarko only after the emotion of the horrible loss against Port .

 

[calyam]

Can someone explain in a bit more depth the go with the coterie group/groups?
Is it a group or groups that pump that much money into the club that then entitles them to have a say on how the club is run?
Are we the only club that does this?

Few people are benevolent enough to donate big money without expecting something in return. Members of the coteries with deep pockets typically expect access and influence and at Essendon they typically get that.

Other teams have coteries but my understanding is that few, if any, have the type of influence over their clubs that the coteries at Essendon seem to.

I have little doubt that the coteries have been lobbying the board for months about Clarko and I have already been forwarded emails about the push to get Hird back to the club.

 

[Bjchan13]

To all those suggesting Ross Lyon, remember the last club that wanted him and he refused to go through a 'process'?

Honestly don't think he has any interest in coaching again.

He's said this year that he'd be open to a conversation with North i think. There'd have to be thorough talks

 

[ant555]

Happy for someone to tell me different but from outside it looks like the coaching fiasco is very much a board issue and not due to coterie interference. No doubt the entitled interfering pricks got involved but it is the board that make the decisions.

Looks like they were divided and got the numbers required to move way too late to make a meaningful attempt at getting Clarko only after the emotion of the horrible loss against Port .

Who do you think board members are aligned to ? It is not the average fan. Coterie interference at board level has been going on at Essendon since the 70's.

 

[DERO]

Who do you think board members are aligned to ? It is not the average fan. Coterie interference at board level has been going on at Essendon since the 70's.

I don’t go back that far. ;-)

I am trying to make sense of it all.
You hear things, I hear things etc.

Sounds like the knives were out for Brasher for a while and there was a fair bit of manouvering going on. You can’t go after another coach when the president is guaranteeing his future… the ham-fisted approach is on them and not the coteries, even if it is maybe what the coteries wanted.

 

[Lore]

Happy for someone to tell me different but from outside it looks like the coaching fiasco is very much a board issue and not due to coterie interference. No doubt the entitled interfering pricks got involved but it is the board that make the decisions.

Looks like they were divided and got the numbers required to move way too late to make a meaningful attempt at getting Clarko only after the emotion of the horrible loss against Port .

See also: Peter Guerra touted to challenge the board unless Barham got up.

 

[ant555]

The Hird stuff has been over stated as well in the media. All that has come out of the Hird camp from what I know is he may be interested in going through the process .

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

Cringe.

Kana, kanga, kanga...roo, roo, roo.

 

[Nuggs Bunny]

The Hird stuff has been over stated as well in the media. All that has come out of the Hird camp from what I know is he may be interested in going through the process .

Unsurprising, nothing gets clicks on links like the scandalous return of a disgraced former coach

 

[Lore]

The Hird stuff has been over stated as well in the media. All that has come out of the Hird camp from what I know is he may be interested in going through the process .

The problem with a process is that if he was involved in such a thing at Essendon, there is a solid chance it wouldn’t be a real one

 

[Bombermania]

Can someone explain in a bit more depth the go with the coterie group/groups?
Is it a group or groups that pump that much money into the club that then entitles them to have a say on how the club is run?
Are we the only club that does this?

All clubs have coteries and supporter groups and Essendon has more coterie groups than most football clubs do. They usually center around a group of like minded people, whether they be women, law, Collins St or general supporters. They get access to the club, host functions and raise money for the club or support the players and that gives them access and that brings influence.

 

[mxett]

Id be happy to give Ross Lyon a go

 

[Cup_o_Jobe]

A genuine external review will likely suggest turfing the likes of X, Jackets and overhauling the footy department. Too many protected species get sniped in that scenario: which is why I hold out very little hope of there being a genuinely robust external review. Whoever they call on will have very targeted, deliberate terms of reference.

The only real pathway to change is a board spill that clears out most of if not all of the incumbents. Are signatures being gathered somewhere for a requisitioned general meeting?