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

 

[JT_the_Man]

Look, if we again have 38 players banned from doping whilst large sections of the fanbase and key stakeholders go around saying and believing we didn't do anything wrong I'll eat my words but I'm quietly confident!

it just occurred me that hiring Clarkson means no more long sleeves so I dunno about this now.

Make it the one condition of his hiring.

He can do absolutely anything he wants without interference, but the long sleeves stay.

 

[84859300]

 

[BrunoV]

Lloyd himself is a chief contributor to the rot that has set in at the club.

Brilliant player, but like a lot of superstar forward he was at his best when he focused on himself and the me-first attitude that has plagued us for 15+years can be traced to the period of his captaincy under Knights.

Extremely underrated point.

His selfishness at the crucial point, his refusal to put the team before himself and his mates was the final hump that broke the camels back.

If he was as good a leader as he was player he could have held the team together. That would likely at least have driven standards of professionalism which collapsed.

It's a bit unfair to lump it on him because it shouldn't have come to that but that's the reality of the situation.

 

[Phone]

Make it the one condition of his hiring.

He can do absolutely anything he wants without interference, but the long sleeves stay.

He could bring a James Hird long sleeve to the first presser and tear it bits, symbolically starting a new era

 

[Old Campaigner]

 

[Old Campaigner]

well it can't go any worse this time so there's that.

well you've gone and jinxed now haven't you

 

[Schnitzengruben]

 

[supportyourteam]

Keep Rutten.

 

[ant555]

David King said it best.

Getting away from the coach for a second I suspect this is also an issue for our senior players who where young players learning how to play me first footy from their previous leaders.

 

[YEMOC NAYR]

You aren't just getting Clarko if he comes to essendon. You are getting a team specifically assembled by him.
I'm all for disruption of the current footy department. We have been too content with being middling to bad for too long.

Like it or not after today, Ruttens position is untenable. Not the way to go about it at all. Leaves a sour taste in my mouth

 

[Bjchan13]

Keep Rutten.

Its too late

 

[Bjchan13]

Getting away from the coach for a second I suspect this is also an issue for our senior players who where young players learning how to play me first footy from their previous leaders.

Who do you consider our senior players to be and which previous leaders do you refer to?

 

[Old Campaigner]

Getting away from the coach for a second I suspect this is also an issue for our senior players who where young players learning how to play me first footy from their previous leaders.

Absolutely. Just as players that emerge under good leaders learn to embrace those standards the players unfortunate enough to come through under poor leadership will carry that forward with them as well.

I have my suspicions about how much we'll ever get out of a number of players who were drafted around the time of the drugs stuff, I'm sure they're tainted by that experience one way or another.

 

[Call Me Cake]

Getting away from the coach for a second I suspect this is also an issue for our senior players who where young players learning how to play me first footy from their previous leaders.

Fair enough, but that's the main job of the coach to change imo. If you're a defensive coach for one year, then you have your hand in and amongst the playing group + offensive side for another year, then you're the "official" coach for another 2 years... we really shouldn't be looking to the "senior guys" for habits being taught by this point.

 

[Old Campaigner]

Fair enough, but that's the main job of the coach to change imo. If you're a defensive coach for one year, then you have your hand in and amongst the playing group + offensive side for another year while supported, then you're the "official" coach for another 2 years... we really shouldn't be looking to the "senior guys" for habits being taught by this point.

It's a bit hard to change when you lack the depth to drop guys for not defending. They probably could have knocked a bit of team-first into Parish if they had the freedom to play him in the VFL until he gave them what they wanted but with a weak list you don't have that option.

 

[ant555]

Who do you consider our senior players to be and which previous leaders do you refer to?

Think that is pretty easy.
Parish , Merrett , Heppell. Learned the soft culture from our previous leaders.
Not a popular thing to say but Jobe was a great player but he was not a hit you between the eyes leader.
Brendan Goddard was a player who spoke well and tried to lead but was also a player who could not follow any instructions from the coach as far as defending goes and it cost him his list spot when he still had some footy left in him.
Brent Stanton was a me footballer. So was Hooker. So was Hurley.
It pretty much started under Lloyd and has kept going.

 

[DallasCrane316]

Whately and Robbo believe that Clarkson could be the coach of Essendon by the end of the week.

Robbo also thinks if we get Clarkson, we’re getting Todd Viney (goodbye to Dodoro).

Saying it’s a shake up two decades in the making.

 

[Old Campaigner]

Think that is pretty easy.
Parish , Merrett , Heppell. Learned the soft culture from our previous leaders.
Not a popular thing to say but Jobe was a great player but he was not a hit you between the eyes leader.
Brendan Goddard was a player who spoke well and tried to lead but was also a player who could not follow any instructions from the coach as far as defending goes and it cost him his list spot when he still had some footy left in him.
Brent Stanton was a me footballer. So was Hooker. So was Hurley.
It pretty much started under Lloyd and has kept going.

Out of interest how do you rate the guys who came after - Langford, Laverde, McGrath, Ridley etc?

 

[Schnitzengruben]

Getting away from the coach for a second I suspect this is also an issue for our senior players who where young players learning how to play me first footy from their previous leaders.

There was a rumour that Clarko wanted to bring Liam Shiels to Norf as a senior leader - is he worth looking at?

 

[Yoda_]

Probably going to rant a bit shortly so bear with me

 

[Old Campaigner]

Whately and Robbo believe that Clarkson could be the coach of Essendon by the end of the week.

Robbo also thinks if we get Clarkson, we’re getting Todd Viney (goodbye to Dodoro).

Saying it’s a shake up two decades in the making.

How good is proper process?

 

[Old Campaigner]

Probably going to rant a bit shortly so bear with me

 

[Nifft]

Lloyd is a ****ing idiot, let’s not forget that, you’d almost do the opposite of everything he says.

 

[ant555]

Fair enough, but that's the main job of the coach to change imo. If you're a defensive coach for one year, then you have your hand in and amongst the playing group + offensive side for another year, then you're the "official" coach for another 2 years... we really shouldn't be looking to the "senior guys" for habits being taught by this point.

I agree the coach has to sell his message and get it across and Truck has failed. The problem we have had is we went from one coach in Worsfold who empowered the players to drive the changes. It was a very bad move as we did not have the leadership for the players to drive it. At the end of 2020 the players where calling for the coach to drive the standards. Maybe because they have been listening to Trucks defensive message from the 2019 season they have found that message stale. That may be the issue. As an assistant you do not get a lot of scope to change things outside your area. Truck had the scope to mold the defensive actions but he has had limited time to do what other senior coaches get to do and that is work the list management and bring in players he wants and move on others. He has had limited drafts to say I want this type of player or that style of player.
He has failed and he can not stay but in a lot of ways he was set up to fail because of a combination of poor culture , absolute crap leadership with no depth and a list missing some key parts.
I still say you should listen to those who have been in good clubs. They all say having a strong leadership group is what drives the buy in and drives the standards on the field.

 

[ant555]

There was a rumour that Clarko wanted to bring Liam Shiels to Norf as a senior leader - is he worth looking at?

Yes.