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

    46

    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

 

[yodellinhank]

If I’m reading this right, the solution is to sack the president, the CEO, the coach, the fitness manager and every player on the list.

Signed

 

[Maxabillions]

 

[ant555]

I think one of our biggest issues is we have not had a strong front man. They all seem to bungle parts of the message or seem to lack conviction.

 

[Lore]

I think one of our biggest issues is we have not had a strong front man. They all seem to bungle parts of the message or seem to lack conviction.

Or just straight up thoughtless and parochial.

 

[Maxabillions]

View attachment 1158251

Might need to revise the thread image to this

 

[carloss]

He thinks we are going to win a premiership soon?

Record V the top eight

View attachment top8.webp

 

[Lore]

He thinks we are going to win a premiership soon?

Record V the top eight

View attachment 1417795

Contending in 2-3 years I think he said. Strategic plan says 2026 which makes sense since it’s the last year of the current five year plan and certainly won’t be any sooner than that.

 

[Mikevk123]

Members should start getting signatures outside of games similar to Collingwood. Outside independent review and total restructuring of the club from an administrative point.

 

[The Devils Advocate]

No positive change will happen with this club until the boys club is gone.

 

[faible]

No positive change will happen with this club until the boys club is gone.

Our VFLW side is going great guns, get whoever is responsible for that in charge of the whole club.

 

[The Devils Advocate]

Our VFLW side is going great guns, get whoever is responsible for that in charge of the whole club.

At least we know they're not part of the boys club then, literally.

 

[faible]

At least we know they're not part of the boys club then, literally.

Maybe next year we should all specifically request our membership fees be directed to the AFLW / VFLW program instead of the men's.

 

[Lore]

Maybe next year we should all specifically request our membership fees be directed to the AFLW / VFLW program instead of the men's.

Just buy an AFLW membership and let the AFL one go. They are apparently separate products (which is funny, because the club constitution says you can only have one club membership!)

 

[Lore]

tldr; Lloyd: Internal reviews should be being done every week. If you're going to do a full scale review, bring in external people so everyone can be honest about every part of the club (coaching, list management, fitness)

Legend's blunt message for struggling AFL flops

'The time has come for people to be honest'

wwos.nine.com.au

 

[Lore]

Interview with Tim Gabbett, who consults on stuff like performance reviews in sport and was part of the review at Adelaide after Collective Minds thing;

“From the club’s point of view, you need some pretty clear terms of reference,” Gabbett says. “Because what can happen is you can pick at a scab and it can open right up. Teams and clubs need to be pretty clear about what they want reviewed.

“I think the other thing clubs need to do is make sure they find the right people to evaluate the right areas. … I think a trick is, you make sure you get people who understand the areas that they’re evaluating so that someone doesn’t end up evaluating things they don’t understand.”

“If you’ve been around it long enough, you can see it, and smell it as soon as you walk into the place,” he says. “I think part of it is knowing that environment, knowing what to look for and just knowing what winning looks like, and what non-winning looks like.”

“I think it depends on the organisation. If you have fallen a long way, then it probably does help to have an independent set of eyes. As long as they’re there for the right reason. You don’t want that independent set of eyes being someone who wants to move someone on so they can move into a high level job. That can happen sometimes. People can have perverse motivations for doing things. You’ve got to be thinking club-first.”

“If you get to a point where it’s a full-scale review, then probably there have been some things that have been missed, or some standards that have dropped over time that haven’t been checked.”

“It’s never a nice feeling when you identify a problem, or you’ve confirmed a problem that perhaps the executives have suspected. Because you know that inevitably someone will probably lose their job on the back of it. You’ve got to think about what is the best thing for the club,” Gabbett says.

“It’s understandable if people feel a little defensive around it. All you can do is emphasise to the people in front of you that you’re there for the right reasons. That’s not necessarily a problem if they are defensive, that just shows that they do care. It’s just the way that they are displaying that emotion is not particularly friendly.

“It can be turned around quickly. I’d actually like more clubs to do reviews when they’re winning because winning can hide a few things as well. It’s actually a healthy practice.”

Apparently Pavlich was also part of that review of Adelaide alongside Gabbett that got rid of the footy manager, and went on to be part of the review of Carlton when Teague lost his job.

I guess he’s suitably knowledgeable and capable to review a footy department without being “the enemy” (I feel like fans would riot if e.g. Sam Mitchell was asked to review Essendon). I don’t think Freo has any real rivalries other than across town?

Also this tidbit:

The Dons are intimating the review this time around will be more akin to St Kilda’s this time 12 months ago. Saints high-performance chief Matt Hornsby departed the club at the end of 2021 after a year in which St Kilda struggled with player availability. Perhaps that is an ominous sign for Essendon counterpart Sean Murphy.

One of the few whose job hasn’t been preemptively announced as safe.

‘Someone will lose their job’: Inside AFL reviews

This article is free to read for a limited time. For full access to deeper sports journalism, trial CODE Sports now at a low introductory price. Click here

www.codesports.com.au

Also don’t think it made it to this thread yet but the 2MP press conference or interview or whatever from yesterday he mentioned that the review has nothing to do with the playing group so I guess they haven’t been asked for their opinions this time round.

 

[Zach Package]

I think the point about winning papering over cracks is the most salient when it comes to our situation.

There are things we need to look at, and these things also needed looking at last year despite us playing finals.

 

[Vander18]

Didn’t know where else to put this….

Sheedy being our first “immortal” doesn’t feel right. How can that not be Dick Reynolds?

 

[Lore]

Didn’t know where else to put this….

Sheedy being our first “immortal” doesn’t feel right. How can that not be Dick Reynolds?

Haha I've been waiting all morning for someone to post it and no one did so I literally just made a thread and then open this thread and...

Anyway, here:

Coaching Staff - Kevin Sheedy elevated to Immortal of the Essendon Football Club

Kevin Sheedy OAM has been recognised as an Immortal of the Essendon Football Club on the night of the Bombers’ prestigious gala event to honour their proud 150-year anniversary. Already a recognised Legend of the Essendon Football Club, President Paul Brasher declared Sheedy of Immortal status...

www.bigfooty.com

 

[yodellinhank]

Didn’t know where else to put this….

Sheedy being our first “immortal” doesn’t feel right. How can that not be Dick Reynolds?

Followed by Coleman. Then Sheeds.

 

[carloss]

Reality bites hard for the delusional Bombers

Suggestions that an Essendon premiership is only a few years away are delusional.

www.canberratimes.com.au

 

[Lore]

Reality bites hard for the delusional Bombers

Suggestions that an Essendon premiership is only a few years away are delusional.

www.canberratimes.com.au

As much as he might be right, he has no proof. The author is someone I've never heard of, who has no particular insight, didn't interview anybody, and might as well have gotten his information from BigFooty as anywhere else.

If you google his name you also get a list of hit pieces with clickbait titles loaded with emotive language that evidently get a run in local and interstate papers on a tight budget (so like a garden variety Kane Cornes, but with a pencil instead of a microphone).

 

[silk]

As much as he might be right, he has no proof. The author is someone I've never heard of, who has no particular insight, didn't interview anybody, and might as well have gotten his information from BigFooty as anywhere else.

If you google his name you also get a list of hit pieces with clickbait titles loaded with emotive language that evidently get a run in local and interstate papers on a tight budget (so like a garden variety Kane Cornes, but with a pencil instead of a microphone).

He even mentioned the ever-popular calling card of bigfooty posters "Bigger-Bodied Midfielder"

 

[Maxabillions]

How’s that review going bro?

 

[citizen-erased]

How’s that review going bro?

being reviewed to determine if it's a review or not I think

 

[Maxabillions]

being reviewed to determine if it's a review or not I think

Who reviews the reviewers?