PAFC CEO Matthew Richardson

[Duck Farmer]

Here's my external review to improve accountability, incentivise performance, and reduce insular groupthink:

• Return the club to member control and change the constitution so that the majority of directors are directly elected by the members.
• Individuals cannot serve in a key football leadership position (head coach, GM footy ops, captain) for more than 5 consecutive years without making a GF.
• Recruitment for senior positions must include external candidates and have an independent voice on the recruiting panel.

$100K please.

 

[El_Scorcho]

An external review is meaningless if the powers involved aren't willing to implement the changes advised from said review.

Bang on. It's an indictment on the state of our club but Koch would quit before he'd allow an external review. An external review is literally paying someone to hold them accountable, the thing they hate more than anything.

I'd also suggest that the board and footy dept are well aware of how the fanbase feel about them and don't care.

 

[Chewy316]

Bang on. It's an indictment on the state of our club but Koch would quit before he'd allow an external review. An external review is literally paying someone to hold them accountable, the thing they hate more than anything.

I'd also suggest that the board and footy dept are well aware of how the fanbase feel about them and don't care.

They're aware of the discontent. I think they're also more aware of the issues than any of us want to admit. I personally think that they care too much about the public relations side of things, trying to control the media narrative etc, as opposed to focusing primarily on making the right decisions - which would lead to positive PR anyway.

 

[Doctor Feel]

Weak as piss, Richardson.

 

[FishingRick04]

I’m always reminded of the time he scoffed at Rick in that committee meeting(?) at 11-4 in 2018.

How’d that end up, ya clown.

Not the only time I was scoffed at but yeah. Thanks for bringing back the memories

 

[StrappingTape]

2021 extension mate. Signed for 2 years prior to the start of the 2021 season. The Board only wanted to do 1 year, Richo pushed for 2, seemingly as a sign of the HC and CEO being in lockstep given Richo was a new CEO.

My own theory is that the Board have gotten themselves in a quagmire with Hinkley's contract and so are content with remaining competitive without being a realistic flag chance, whilst strengthening their financial situation (reduction of debt, increasing assets etc).

I personally wonder whether Ken would have been sacked whilst contracted had the Club been stronger financially (for instance with very little to no debt on the books). Impossible to know either way though.

Richo is a capable operator on the business side of things - but he's another one who has a significant say in the football operations of the Club whilst having zero actual football experience.

We have very little debt now (apparently) and yet they still won't do it.

The Board extended him on the sole reason of the footy committee's recommendation which was based on their 13 win streak. Nothing else. Not even the director of coaching Rob Mason was consulted by the committee with regards to the extension either which just seems totally bizarre on the face of it. In fact, prior to the extension there was a Board meeting where the directors were prepared to sack him soon after that untenable Showdown loss in round 3.

I don't think he has nearly as much support as he's had in previous years. But I'll extend that by saying if there's no succession plan announced by round 1, all bets are off and this shitshow could well and truly continue for years to come.

Just another example of completely inept leadership. They don't seem as a whole capable of looking at the big picture, all the coaching decisions seem week to week, always with a eye on needing an excuse to keep him so as long as one result gives them an out to keep him, then they'll claim that's why he stays.

 

[dirty2]

We are all just pathetic. From Koch and richo to ken to us fans.

 

[Duck Farmer]

If 2023 taught us anything it's that they're prepared to wait the length of an entire season until an excuse for extending Hinkley presents itself and then go BANG!

 

[Kenny_Powers]

Honestly think their collective decision to hang onto Ken is a mix if things

I think, through players opinions, H&A wins, high membership numbers and football dept reporting, they really do believe Ken is the best man for the job, amazingly.

Think a small part is money

Think a small part is them feeling he's owed for "saving" the club

Also genuinely think they are aware of the schism within the supporter base, and are desperate to "prove us wrong" for not blindly trusting their judgment, for which every season continuously we are proved correct.


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[Scodges]

An external review is meaningless if the powers involved aren't willing to implement the changes advised from said review.

I am not an advocate for an external review, but rather I'm an advocate for the Club bringing in half a dozen of its well known former players spanning across the 80s, 90s and 00s who have had the ultimate success as players (and as part of the Club) and then gone on to forge successful post playing careers. These people 1) know what it takes to be successful in a variety of circumstances both as individuals and as a team, and 2) they understand what it means to represent the Port Adelaide Football Club.

There's a clear disconnect between the current regime and the legends of years past, and I don't believe that to be simply a case of generational change.

If the club agrees to an external review, would mean they are starting to take winning a premiership seriously, regardless of who conducts it.


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[Scodges]

We are all just pathetic. From Koch and richo to ken to us fans.

Us fans are bastards of the highest order.


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[VineValerian]

Us fans are bastards of the highest order.


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We are all a collective of "White Noise Bastards" - WNB's according to the Club.

We WNB's are the Ukrainians fighting for our lives, trying to keep our heads above water, and the club a winner, opposed to the Club administration, which represents the Putinesque infidels, hell bent on making using their unlimited power to keep us all subservient to their will (even if they have demonstrably shown time and again that they are unwilling, or unable, to run things professionally or successfully).

They are the "We Know Greatness Best" tribe - WKGB's so shut up and do as they say, ya nuffies!

 

[240volt]

Nice little social club but poorly run Footy Club.

 

[Schulzenfest]

We WNB's are the Ukrainians fighting for our lives, trying to keep our heads above water, and the club a winner, opposed to the Club administration, which represents the Putinesque infidels, hell bent on making using their unlimited power to keep us all subservient to their will

Dude. It's a football team.

 

[Chewy316]

If the club agrees to an external review, would mean they are starting to take winning a premiership seriously, regardless of who conducts it.


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I understand your position, I just don't think an external review is necessary.

This is not a case whereby the team is an absolute basket case performing at 2011 levels of ineptitude. In the last 5 years they've made top 4 four times and made three preliminary finals. I'm not trying to say that everything is hunky dory because it isn't, but the platform they can work from is already one where a lot of the fundamental needs are in place.

And imo the problems that exist are there for anyone to see. I can't imagine the directors of the Club need an external review to see that in multiple big games in the regular season and then in finals, the team as a collective shits the bed. And I don't think it takes an external review to realise that Ken is a major part of fostering the "close enough is good enough" culture that ensues these results in big games.

 

[Scodges]

We are all a collective of "White Noise Bastards" - WNB's according to the Club.

We WNB's are the Ukrainians fighting for our lives, trying to keep our heads above water, and the club a winner, opposed to the Club administration, which represents the Putinesque infidels, hell bent on making using their unlimited power to keep us all subservient to their will (even if they have demonstrably shown time and again that they are unwilling, or unable, to run things professionally or successfully).

They are the "We Know Greatness Best" tribe - WKGB's so shut up and do as they say, ya nuffies!

We must call upon NATO


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[Scodges]

I understand your position, I just don't think an external review is necessary.

This is not a case whereby the team is an absolute basket case performing at 2011 levels of ineptitude. In the last 5 years they've made top 4 four times and made three preliminary finals. I'm not trying to say that everything is hunky dory because it isn't, but the platform they can work from is already one where a lot of the fundamental needs are in place.

And imo the problems that exist are there for anyone to see. I can't imagine the directors of the Club need an external review to see that in multiple big games in the regular season and then in finals, the team as a collective shits the bed. And I don't think it takes an external review to realise that Ken is a major part of fostering the "close enough is good enough" culture that ensues these results in big games.

Doesn’t a review include coaches, fitness & skills ? Cause that’s where we’re lacking.


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[Chewy316]

Doesn’t a review include coaches, fitness & skills ? Cause that’s where we’re lacking.


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The assistant coaching roles and their relative input is all dependant on the senior coach. I personally don't see any major issues with the high performance team with respect to getting the players to an acceptable level of fitness. Skills are a major issue but again that lies with the senior coach who holds a view where he accepts more skill errors at the expense of playing a faster brand of footy.

Getting rid of Hinkley won't necessarily mean that they'll be guaranteed to fix the issues that need fixing. But what it will mean is that the issues will now have an opportunity to get fixed - because we all know nothing is going to change under Ken.

 

[Scodges]

The assistant coaching roles and their relative input is all dependant on the senior coach. I personally don't see any major issues with the high performance team with respect to getting the players to an acceptable level of fitness. Skills are a major issue but again that lies with the senior coach who holds a view where he accepts more skill errors at the expense of playing a faster brand of footy.

Getting rid of Hinkley won't necessarily mean that they'll be guaranteed to fix the issues that need fixing. But what it will mean is that the issues will now have an opportunity to get fixed - because we all know nothing is going to change under Ken.

The high performance team need to be shot out of cannon if they’re responsible for the undersized players we have, it’s like they’ve been told to stay lean. Meanwhile other teams steam roll us with their big bodies come finals.


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[Chewy316]

The high performance team need to be shot out of cannon if they’re responsible for the undersized players we have, it’s like they’ve been told to stay lean. Meanwhile other teams steam roll us with their big bodies come finals.


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That's not a product of the high performance team but rather a product of the body archetypes they've drafted imo.

And I don't buy into the notion that it is solely body size that is responsible for the players getting physically overwhelmed in finals. The same players have won plenty of games in the home and away season against top competition. Players like Ollie Wines for instance don't produce a BOG performance going up against Libba and Bont at Etihad stadium and then look beyond pedestrian against them a few weeks later in the finals. It's more mental than physical at that point.

Players like Rozee and Butters are never going to be hulks of men, and quite frankly I can't think of any player off the top of my head whose body was meant to fill out only for the player to stay lean like a beanpole.

 

[El_Scorcho]

I understand your position, I just don't think an external review is necessary.

This is not a case whereby the team is an absolute basket case performing at 2011 levels of ineptitude. In the last 5 years they've made top 4 four times and made three preliminary finals. I'm not trying to say that everything is hunky dory because it isn't, but the platform they can work from is already one where a lot of the fundamental needs are in place.

This is exactly why an external review would help. We do have a lot of things going for us and yet we've gotten smashed in 5 of our last 6 finals by an average of 9 goals. We've got fans who are fed up and we're about to go into another ugly year where the club and fans are adversarial.

We have enormous issues that the current staff don't know how to address. They badly need a fresh set of eyes to look at what they're doing, but they certainly aren't interested in hiring someone from the outside.

You're right that an external review isn't necessary, but it's not necessary because everyone who has been at the club for more than 3 years needs to be moved on. Given they aren't capable of figuring that out on their own, an external review would be perfect.

But as we've said, they'd never commission one and they'd never listen to it's recommendations if they did.

 

[Scodges]

That's not a product of the high performance team but rather a product of the body archetypes they've drafted imo.

And I don't buy into the notion that it is solely body size that is responsible for the players getting physically overwhelmed in finals. The same players have won plenty of games in the home and away season against top competition. Players like Ollie Wines for instance don't produce a BOG performance going up against Libba and Bont at Etihad stadium and then look beyond pedestrian against them a few weeks later in the finals. It's more mental than physical at that point.

Players like Rozee and Butters are never going to be hulks of men, and quite frankly I can't think of any player off the top of my head whose body was meant to fill out only for the player to stay lean like a beanpole.

Finals are a different ball game, more intense, way more physical. Na, we’re probably the wimpiest top 4 team. That blended with clueless coach, sees us straight sets exit from finals. They need to bulk up, that’s if Hinkley allows it. It’s like he’s moulding the players in the image of his race dogs, ru, run, run.


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[Chewy316]

Finals are a different ball game, more intense, way more physical. Na, we’re probably the wimpiest top 4 team. That blended with clueless coach, sees us straight sets exit from finals. They need to bulk up, that’s if Hinkley allows it. It’s like he’s moulding the players in the image of his race dogs, ru, run, run.


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Be specific - who do you believe is undersized relative to their body archetype? It's one thing to suggest a guy like Burgoyne needs to put weight on for instance. Of course he does, but his body type is not going to be one where he is going to be anything less than a bean pole either.

 

[Chewy316]

This is exactly why an external review would help. We do have a lot of things going for us and yet we've gotten smashed in 5 of our last 6 finals by an average of 9 goals. We've got fans who are fed up and we're about to go into another ugly year where the club and fans are adversarial.

We have enormous issues that the current staff don't know how to address. They badly need a fresh set of eyes to look at what they're doing, but they certainly aren't interested in hiring someone from the outside.

You're right that an external review isn't necessary, but it's not necessary because everyone who has been at the club for more than 3 years needs to be moved on. Given they aren't capable of figuring that out on their own, an external review would be perfect.

But as we've said, they'd never commission one and they'd never listen to it's recommendations if they did.

The finals losses show that it is just as much a mental issue as anything else.

Re: the fans, I completely agree that there is a reasonable level of frustration amongst the supporter base. However, this is not translating into any statistically significant dropouts of membership numbers, and the AGM where fans can have a direct voice to the Club officials was barely a quarter full (if that) - albeit with the cricket on, though that's not going to solely account for such low numbers.

As for the following, I don't want you to misconstrue me as being an apologist for the Club, because I'm definitely not that.

I'm not fully convinced that the Club don't know how to address the significant issues within the footy department. The feedback I've gotten consistently over the last 12 months is that the senior officials and directors are very much aware of the issues in the footy department. And if you were to ask me for my own personal opinion (which is in part based on what I've been told), the biggest issues stem from Ken's stubborn attitude, having a very rigid and inflexible approach to the way he does things, in conjunction with not being open to cross-collaboration of ideas. And quite frankly I think the people in charge above Ken lack the balls to risk dropping down a few spots on the ladder in the short term, for potential long term improvement and a real shot at a flag.

If I thought for a minute that the people in charge weren't aware of the issues, then I'd be fully supportive of an external review.

One thing I hope the media investigate further, or at least ask the question of, is what small changes have been made (if any) over the off-season within the function of the footy department that they believe will give them a leg up compared to previous years. There have essentially been no coaching changes, very little staff turnover, so either they're completely just running it back as is (which imo will lead to similar results in years past) or they'll be trying a few new things (of which I'm not yet privy to). But they can't just keep expecting to "turn up" as Hinkley likes to put it and for things to bounce their way such that it'll be their turn to win one day. The game just doesn't work like that.

 

[Mr39]

That's not a product of the high performance team but rather a product of the body archetypes they've drafted imo.

And I don't buy into the notion that it is solely body size that is responsible for the players getting physically overwhelmed in finals. The same players have won plenty of games in the home and away season against top competition. Players like Ollie Wines for instance don't produce a BOG performance going up against Libba and Bont at Etihad stadium and then look beyond pedestrian against them a few weeks later in the finals. It's more mental than physical at that point.

Players like Rozee and Butters are never going to be hulks of men, and quite frankly I can't think of any player off the top of my head whose body was meant to fill out only for the player to stay lean like a beanpole.

JHF was noticeably more muscular in his first year at North than he has been at Port.
Rozee has also lost weight in the past 2 seasons.