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

 

[Aido1979]

This is emotionally exhausting

the longer this goes on, the less confident Clarkson will choose Essendon. what a fukcing shemozzle this club is......a new low even for Essendon

The longer it goes on more likely he signs with us, giving us time to get the house in order.

I think this is more media in a feeding frenzy than the club doing much wrong. All that has happened is a president has been ousted the rest has been media

 

[VelvetSledge]

This is emotionally exhausting

The longer it goes on more likely he signs with us, giving us time to get the house in order.

I think this is more media in a feeding frenzy than the club doing much wrong. All that has happened is a president has been ousted the rest has been media

Louder for the people in the back

 

[Chambo]

the longer this goes on, the less confident Clarkson will choose Essendon. what a fukcing shemozzle this club is......a new low even for Essendon

I think the longer this goes, the more chance of him signing with us IMO...Clarkson will definitely be doing his due diligence. He has been talking with Norf for a month and still unsigned. There are many factors that play into our favour...Problem is how this has played out doesn't make us look very good.

 

[WindyHillWarrior]

Nothing about his tenure has added up.

Remember that he got parachuted into the COO role when we were in the middle of an “exhaustive” CEO search. He was so incredibly impressive that we abandoned the search and made him CEO. He was clearly lightweight and it was a baffling decision.

His connection to the footy department remains unclear (to me at least). His fingerprints are on all the big appointments yet he seems to bear no responsibility for on-field outcomes. If footy is in his remit then he should be long gone.

Then there is the contract….$800k a year is big coin for a CEO who can’t deliver on core business in what is in reality a middling sized business. And don’t forget how the club failed to mention to supporters that it even happened.

Hasn’t fronted up to press once this year. Allegations made earlier this year never responded to.

The guy stinks to high heaven IMO - can only assume connection to Little is the explanation for his existence at our footy club. He must go if we are to build something sustainable.

Little is still pulling the strings behind the scenes, and X is his man.

 

[Lads2023]

Give clarko the keys to the club, get rid of the cockroaches while he is there

 

[yodellinhank]

Exactly

How come Rutten and Caracella and Giansiracusa and Tudor and Mahoney and whoever else can be highly regarded and part of success elsewhere and then they come to Essendon and they're duds...

How many otherwise good football people have been and gone from this joint in the past 15 years?

How many more before we realise perhaps they're not the problem?

Any of those mentioned been a senior coach? Much like a playing list, the pieces have to all fit together properly.

 

[yodellinhank]

Louder for the people in the back

Safest seats in the house, the back.

 

[Lore]

Do you think he really was close with Nth, or just media speculation?

yes

 

[elphamale]

North to Clarkson:
"No rush Alastair but we would just like an indication as to what you are thinking at this stage?"

Clarkson: (replying with a selfie)

 

[Lore]

This is emotionally exhausting

The longer it goes on more likely he signs with us, giving us time to get the house in order.

I think this is more media in a feeding frenzy than the club doing much wrong. All that has happened is a president has been ousted the rest has been media

If that's all it was, Merrett's comments on AFL360 don't make any sense.

 

[Arctic fox]

Exactly

How come Rutten and Caracella and Giansiracusa and Tudor and Mahoney and whoever else can be highly regarded and part of success elsewhere and then they come to Essendon and they're duds...

How many otherwise good football people have been and gone from this joint in the past 15 years?

How many more before we realise perhaps they're not the problem?

Nail. Head.

 

[Arctic fox]

And speaking of changes, can we alter that EFC moniker that looks like someone in a wheelchair.



Cue: 3....2....

 

[Vander18]

I had forgotten that pompous tub of goo even existed until your po

Little is still pulling the strings behind the scenes, and X is his man.

This is what I have been told as well.

 

[the PILL]

Interesting comments about Hinkley and contracts

 

[Lore]

Exactly

How come Rutten and Caracella and Giansiracusa and Tudor and Mahoney and whoever else can be highly regarded and part of success elsewhere and then they come to Essendon and they're duds...

How many otherwise good football people have been and gone from this joint in the past 15 years?

How many more before we realise perhaps they're not the problem?

Individually they’re fine. I question the combination because it’s a huge chunk of soft cap, meaning less to spend on other parts of the footy department.
Budgeting is not in their job description, however.

 

[andleanback]

If that's all it was, Merrett's comments on AFL360 don't make any sense.

What comments don’t make sense, he really didn’t say much.

 

[jmoo wan]

Interesting comments about Hinkley and contracts

**** - he's signed with the Golden State Warriors

 

[Lore]

What comments don’t make sense, he really didn’t say much.

The one where Rutten had to address the elephant in the room and all the players feel sorry for truck that they’ve put him in this position.

If it’s straight up just a change of president and a bunch of media noise, what position is Rutten really in that deserved a full debrief with the players and ends in sympathy?

 

[Call Me Cake]

Interesting comments about Hinkley and contracts

He's visiting an ill friend in Adelaide and even rung Hinkley to let him know he was gonna be in town. Kochie has come out and said nothing was happening at Port.

Which is interesting since Clarko takes a plane ride there and Kochie comes out to sure up Hinkley and yet we haven't said anything about Rutten in days.

Also he's visiting an ill friend and North are pushing with deadlines. Pretty disrespectful tbh.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

Trust, power: what Essendon will need to give Clarkson

Given a choice, most coaches would fancy that Essendon are the more enticing proposition than North Melbourne.

www.theage.com.au

 

[P Money]

This is emotionally exhausting

The longer it goes on more likely he signs with us, giving us time to get the house in order.

I think this is more media in a feeding frenzy than the club doing much wrong. All that has happened is a president has been ousted the rest has been media

Anyone blaming the media for this circus is way off the mark. If you seriously think all that happened was an innocent board meeting where the pres agreed to step down a week early and everyone unanimously voted for the peaceful transition to a new pres to keep carrying on the good work, followed by the media just making stories up about the coach's tenure and Clarkson and the impending red (and black) wedding at bomberland, then IMO you're being very naive.

Whether there were strategic leaks from one faction or another to further their agenda, or whether the media got hold of the situation some other way, there is nothing innocent about what is going on. For one thing, all the club had to do to knock this on the head within 20 minutes of those stories coming out was to say 'Rutten has our full backing and will be coach in 2023'. Done. Story over. But they didn't. While it's true that the club isn't obliged to come out and provide a narrative on every rumour that does the rounds, this is a completely different situation.

Shit, please meet fan.

 

[JayJ20]

Interesting comments about Hinkley and contracts

Clarkson says: “that’s disrespectful to Ken because he has 12 months to run on his contract.”

Rutten also has 12 months on his contract. Hopefully this means that he goes to North

 

[Aido1979]

If that's all it was, Merrett's comments on AFL360 don't make any sense.

Which comments he didn't say much? The comments of the mess the clubs in points to the spill of the board and the performances on the field which anyone can see, this year has been horrific and the coach should be sacked from where I sit. The rest is speculation from the media who love controversy at Essendon as sells papers and gets clicks.

 

[Bjchan13]

Well that is the issue. Not sure where it leaves us. That is now the last three coaches saying we need to defend better as a team in a 10 year period.
The players are obviously not on board with Truck or Caracella for that matter so something has to give there but is anyone going to stand up and address why three different coaching groups can not come up with a plan and how long do we keep kissing the arses of the players who it would appear have issues with playing a real team based footy.

You're saying this as if its the same group of players attempting to learn the same thing over a 10 year period? Not only are all coaching ideologies different, the list is completely different apart from 2 players. Hird and Bombers partnership was entirely swamped by the drugs saga. It wasnt like 3 years of concerntrating embedding down a gameplan and building a list to execute it. The saga hung over them for 3 seasons, we lost players, lost draft picks and then the players were banned. Yes, bomber said after his year in charge that we needed to be better defensively, but then he was gone. So was Hird the next year.

Anyone who started under Worsfold were not coached strict defence due to the saga. 2016 (go out there and have fun) and 2017 (welcome back boys) were handled delicately by Worsfold for obvious reasons.

2018 is where this group needs to be judged from a team defence aspect. We missed finals, just, and the club said 'sagas over, time to get serious'. Team defence needs fixing, lets get Truck and copy Richmond. Truck has been in charge of team defence or gameplan for 4 years.

So right now pretty much our whole list has had a last 7 seasons of

Worsfold- no team defence

Truck- team defence

And they've been babied.

The group needs someone like Clarkson to come in and tell them how it is

 

[The Donners]

I haven’t heard an interview from Clarkson’s dog yet. I understand he’s barking mad that master would even consider Essendon.