News Hawthorn AGM 2022

[Ned Ryerson]

A) I was joking
B) … what?

We all know you are Andy Gowers' burner account. Cloak and mirrors!

 

[Dewnior]

7 more Premierships by 2050

FFS didn’t they learn from last time?

You gotta aim high in this game. Yes the last target setting was ambitious which forced Clarko to throw everything at it but alas losing Rioli earlier than expected, coupled with some other errors cost that dream.

But on the flipside the three-peat was off the back of Five 2 Fifty.

Ultimately the target needs to be realistic

 

[Topiary]

No one will be surprised on which side I am on.

Those who wish to PM me can leave their email address and I will pass this address on to HawksForChange.

I do have a direct connection to H4C.

H4C will only be endorsing Andy Gowers.

H4C and alternate President Andy Gowers policy.

 

[Linda CRS]

No one will be surprised on which side I am on.

Those who wish to PM me can leave their email address and I will pass this address on to HawksForChange.

I do have a direct connection to H4C.

H4C will only be endorsing Andy Gowers.

H4C and alternate President Andy Gowers policy.

Thanks, good luck to Andy. Vandenberg foray into the press again something neither dunstall or Gowers would do as footy directors when we were a tight ship. Desperately need change. H4C won’t endorse or suggest where to vote for board members standing?

 

[Ned Ryerson]

Andy Gowers email from H4C this morning:

Dear Hawthorn members, I’ve loved the Hawthorn Football Club from the moment I walked through the players’ entrance at Glenferrie Oval. Taking the field in the brown and gold across seven seasons, was one of the greatest privileges of my life, especially our 1991 flag against the Eagles. My later return as Football Director was equally rewarding, including the two premiership seasons in 2014 and 2015, completing our three-peat. At every stage, the words of the great Doctor Sandy Ferguson - President when Graham Arthur held up Hawthorn’s first premiership cup in 1961 – live with me. “If you embrace Hawthorn, Hawthorn will embrace you.” It is with all of this in mind that I decided to run for President of the Hawthorn Football Club in this year’s election - to give back to our Club, which has given us so much. I am running to get our Club back to its very best. As President, I will implement my three-point plan: Unity – ‘A happy team at Hawthorn’ I know from experience that footy clubs, like all healthy organisations, perform best when everyone is working together inside and outside of the four walls. We will ensure a playing and working environment where people can thrive and work together constructively towards our shared vision. You, our members, are the reason we exist and by achieving unity across the Club, we will provide the best support to Sam, Bec, our assistant coaches, our players and the whole football department, as we compete for silverware. Real democracy, governance and transparency are essential to achieving unity. As President I will: Implement a permanent Board Nominations Committee, recommending nominations, but also having open and transparent elections, so we genuinely represent the views and values of you, our members. Engage with players from across the generations, including our First Nations representatives, to learn the lessons from the past and truly be the Family Club; a title we must continue to earn and own. Endorse the appointment of a full-time General Manager for Indigenous Development to advise the Club on best practice, working in partnership with First Nations players and staff, and ensuring they are supported. Work positively with current and future commercial partners, the AFL community, all levels of government and of course the mighty Box Hill Hawks. One of my first priorities is to unify the Board and work together to build on the positives and reflect honestly on areas where we can improve. Family Club – ‘One for All and All for One’ We have been tested in many ways since the outbreak of Covid-19. I am grateful to all our members, supporters and partners who have stuck with us, and for the hard work being done by so many outstanding and dedicated people. We need to get our Club back to its best so it can support future football success. I know we can turn things around quite quickly and can’t wait to begin. Successfully landing a fully funded Kennedy Community Centre and building on our strong financial base with committed members, partners and sponsors will be key priorities of my presidency. Making prudent decisions with our new Future Fund to diversify our financial base outside of our football related revenue, will also be very important. It also means resourcing our football department to win more flags, while rebuilding our membership to be the largest and most engaged in the competition. As President, I will do everything in my power to guide our great and much-loved Club back to being our best by: Engaging members and reaching out to Hawthorn people from all walks of life to advance the interests of our Club. Resolving our future in Tasmania and sharing the news with you all, so we know the plan, especially our Tassie Members and supporters. Respecting the history of Glenferrie Oval and Bunjil Bagora (Waverley Park) by ensuring that Hawthorn retains a meaningful connection to the two home grounds that hold such significance for us all. Hosting more meaningful member events, including with our AFL and AFLW players. Communicating clearly about the governance of our Club by holding regular gatherings to give you a voice, hear first-hand from the Club and listen to what matters to you directly. Never, under my leadership, allow the Club to get back into the business of making money through pokies and gaming machines. Success – ‘We Play to Win’ As a former premiership player and football director at our Club, if you choose me as President, I will draw on my 35-year experience in football to give our teams the best chance for success. Like every other member, I want the Hawthorn Football Club to win premierships and always be respected for what we do when the siren sounds. Our high-performance culture can set the standard for others to follow and be supported across every part of the Club. We have been an inspiration for successful sporting clubs across Australia and beyond - we can be again. As President, I commit to the following to give ourselves the best chance of enduring success: Provide Bec, Sam and the football department and the players with the support they need and deserve. Ensure we are maximising the football department soft cap, which we were not in a position to do in 2022 for well-documented reasons. Use all available resources to make Hawthorn a destination club for the best talent from around Australia. Earn respect within the AFL community. Now we finally have our AFLW licence and with a young and developing list in both our women’s and men’s teams, we expect to improve our fixture as we rise up both ladders. Our next great era does not have to be a long time coming – we’ve seen other clubs turn their football fortunes around with off-field stability and I know we have an exciting opportunity to do exactly that. I am ready to lead the next chapter in the history of our wonderful Club. I have the professional experience and the personal qualities required to deliver success. I’d like to personally thank all of you who have reached out to offer your support and endorsement. I appreciate your passion for the Club, and your willingness to speak up and contribute to the future we will shape together. You know as well as I do that the Hawthorn Football Club is a special place full of special people, and we know we are capable of great things when we work together in the right spirit – that’s the Hawthorn Way. It would be my honour to represent all members as President. I will bring a new style of leadership to Hawthorn and if you do give me that opportunity, I give you my word that I will serve the Club once again to the very best of my ability, with integrity and genuine commitment.

Yours, always, in Brown and Gold, Andy Gowers

 

[Ned Ryerson]

‘Rally’ for Gowers being held - digitally it seems. Zoom link can be obtained here:

RSVP for the rally — Hawks for Change

hawksforchange.org

 

[TheFourPillars]

7 more Premierships by 2050

FFS didn’t they learn from last time?

Hawks president candidate sets “ambitious” target for future premiership success

“The Hawthorn Football Club is used to that success, it’s in our DNA...”

www.sen.com.au

This is enough to make me vote for Gowers. The Dare To Be Different plan has been an embarassment from the get to and has failed miserably. Clinging to it is baffling.

this is getting embarrassing now - losing sight of the common goal being the footy club & too much self interest

stems from Jeff overstaying imo

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure. When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

 

[Ned Ryerson]

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure. When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

That's a fun quote - tell me how the universe conspired to help us win 2 flags from 2018-2022 like the original dare to be different plan projected? It pretty much did the opposite.

 

[TheFourPillars]

That's a fun quote - tell me how the universe conspired to help us win 2 flags from 2018-2022 like the original dare to be different plan projected? It pretty much did the opposite.

The Quote is about never stop dreaming because you fear failure. Which seems to be where you are at. Never stop dreaming doesn't matter if you fail always dream big

 

[Hawkk]

That's a fun quote - tell me how the universe conspired to help us win 2 flags from 2018-2022 like the original dare to be different plan projected? It pretty much did the opposite.

Any idea what the plan was (or is) for 2023-2027?

I particularly like this (from May 2021)

Current Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett – who is currently standing down after surgery – told SEN in May 2021: “We’ve said to our members quite openly for the beginning of this year, we’re not in the race for silverware this year, unlikely next, but from 2023 onwards, if we’ve got this right, we’re in for another decade of very good, competitive football.”

Either something has dramatically changed in 8 months or the current administration has absolutely no idea where it is going…

 

[Ned Ryerson]

The Quote is about never stop dreaming because you fear failure. Which seems to be where you are at. Never stop dreaming doesn't matter if you fail always dream big

I am happy for me and any other Hawthorn supporter to wilfully dream about winning 1 out of every 4 flags. However the board isn't there to daydream it is there to set tangible goals and hit them. If they set a goal of 300,000 members and being the most famous football club in the world would that be okay as well? These are well credentialed, serious adults on the board. I would rather not have them go off on flights of fancy because the end result sounds great.

 

[TheFourPillars]

I am happy for me and any other Hawthorn supporter to wilfully dream about winning 1 out of every 4 flags. However the board isn't there to daydream it is there to set tangible goals and hit them. If they set a goal of 300,000 members and being the most famous football club in the world would that be okay as well? These are well credentialed, serious adults on the board. I would rather not have them go off on flights of fancy because the end result sounds great.

If you don't dream big you never achieve anything big. Anything big that has ever been achieved in history has been based on the big dreams of individuals who were often ridiculed for their dreams and have often failed in their pursuits. Fear of failure and maybe ridicule stops many from dreaming big.

 

[Ned Ryerson]

If you don't dream big you never achieve anything big. Anything big that has ever been achieved in history has been based on the big dreams of individuals who were often ridiculed for their dreams and have often failed in their pursuits. Fear of failure and maybe ridicule stops many from dreaming big.

All the motivational sign buzz words won't arrest that this plan is just silly. I am not saying the club should have a plan that is 'let's aim to make a grand final once in the next 25 years!' am I? I just would prefer a goal that is more tangible and actually has some specifics. Again - this goal requires essentially 2 dynastical squads - does the club have realistic plans on how to obtain that with possibly 1 or more expansion drafts in the midst of it? If they do - great. If they don't - the plan is just empty rhetoric and I would expect more from people entrusted with the governance of our club.

 

[TheFourPillars]

I think someone has already mentioned it elsewhere but between 1988 - 2015 we achieved the 7 premierships. So it has been achieved in the past

 

[Ned Ryerson]

I think someone has already mentioned it elsewhere but between 1988 - 2015 we achieved the 7 premierships. So it has been achieved in the past

I have never once doubted that and conceded as much in the other thread where this is being debated. It's also not the 80s any more and winning the flag will only get harder and harder after further expansion drafts and more diluting of the talent pool. St George won 11 straight premierships in the 50s/60s - do you think an NRL team would be taken seriously if they said their ambition was to win the next 11 titles?

 

[TheFourPillars]

I have never once doubted that and conceded as much in the other thread where this is being debated. It's also not the 80s any more and winning the flag will only get harder and harder after further expansion drafts and more diluting of the talent pool. St George won 11 straight premierships in the 50s/60s - do you think an NRL team would be taken seriously if they said their ambition was to win the next 11 titles?

We won 3 in 80s and 4 in the AFL expansion era. so it is spread across a more recent history

 

[Ned Ryerson]

We won 3 in 80s and 4 in the AFL expansion era. so it is spread across a more recent history

Okay - but that timeframe you mention starts with us winning 3 out of the first 4 flags. Do you really think that this is going to happen between 2023-2026? At the moment it would be ambitious to be aiming for a top 4 finish in 2024 - most are probably hoping for a finals appearance if we get lucky and draft ready-made close to A grade players in the 2022 and 2023 drafts who can play straight away and we have some of the 2020-21 draft class take the next step also. So if we are being realistic I think it is safe to say there wouldn't be a realistic hope of getting a flag in 2023, 2024 and probably even 2025 would be a lot to ask. So presuming 'by 2050' is inclusive of the 2050 season - from 2026-2050 is a 25 year period in which to win 7 flags. I'll be as jubilant as any other Hawks supporter if we can get that done - but do you not concede that expecting a flag every 3.5 years is probably unrealistic when, since our first one, we have averaged one every 4.7 years?

 

[cryptor]

Don't really care about the "long term vision". Let's face it, we could have a new 25 year plan with every new President.

All that really matters is what they plan to do during their term to move/keep the club in a healthy position (on and off field, footy and non-footy issues) where it's capable of competing for flags regularly.

 

[Charchi]

It's all well and good for any aspiring President to make a lengthy statement like Gowers (or Nankervill for that matter) however each one of the aspirations above has a dollar value against it, some of them quite significant. Where are the costings and where is the money coming from to fund those aspirations?

At the end of the day the club is an organisation that must turn a profit on a consistent basis even if the income is smashed like it was in 2020/21. We as a community have become too used to uncapped spending and rising debt levels 'as the new norm'.

So please any aspiring President or Board member, outline your vision but put some numbers against it too about how much and where from.

 

[HODGEYROAD]

We won 3 in 80s and 4 in the AFL expansion era. so it is spread across a more recent history

Yeah we basically just need to come across 2 generational lists again in the next 28 years.

Also hope that they have that conversion rate that sees us win 7 of the 8 big ones like we did between 88-2015.

 

[TheFourPillars]

Okay - but that timeframe you mention starts with us winning 3 out of the first 4 flags. Do you really think that this is going to happen between 2023-2026? At the moment it would be ambitious to be aiming for a top 4 finish in 2024 - most are probably hoping for a finals appearance if we get lucky and draft ready-made close to A grade players in the 2022 and 2023 drafts who can play straight away and we have some of the 2020-21 draft class take the next step also. So if we are being realistic I think it is safe to say there wouldn't be a realistic hope of getting a flag in 2023, 2024 and probably even 2025 would be a lot to ask. So presuming 'by 2050' is inclusive of the 2050 season - from 2026-2050 is a 25 year period in which to win 7 flags. I'll be as jubilant as any other Hawks supporter if we can get that done - but do you not concede that expecting a flag every 3.5 years is probably unrealistic when, since our first one, we have averaged one every 4.7 years?

Yeah we basically just need to come across 2 generational lists again in the next 28 years.

Also hope that they have that conversion rate that sees us win 7 of the 8 big ones like we did between 88-2015.

Not impossible right?

 

[HODGEYROAD]

Not impossible right?

It's mathematically possible.

 

[Ned Ryerson]

Not impossible right?

Neither is me winning the Powerball but I am going to invest my superannuation wisely just in case I don't overcome the fairly long odds of winning it.

 

[The hands of stone]

Imagine if the club came out and said this

' we have high expectations and a dna for winning premierships , but things have changed.
So we are very excited to announce our new roadmap of winning 1 premiership by 2050.
We have a new young coach who we think is good but who knows really .
An exciting young group of players , but its anyones guess just how good .
So we are going to play safe and exist , not strive for high standards or excellence '

I would rather the club set a seemingly unattainable aim and fail trying rather than drifting along.

 

[Baz_hawk]

The vision is fine, it's incredibly optimistic but you need to have a moonshot.

The vision will not eventuate with the current board in my opinion, we need new leadership and we need a more open and transparent board. The club is in a transitional period and we need a strong and unified board that are all on the same page and work in the best interests of the club, the players and members.