The Dr
11 Mar 2008, 16:49
From Foxsports.com.au:
PAUL McNamee, one of the country's best-known sporting administrators, could soon add Australian football to his resume, following a successful career in tennis and golf.
McNamee is the favourite in a field which has been narrowed to four, to be appointed as Melbourne's chief executive.
Also short-listed are administrators from two rival clubs, believed to be Geelong and Hawthorn, and an administrator with a thoroughbred background.
After 55 applications were received for the highly sought after position, the four candidates are expected to be interviewed again early next week.
McNamee was not one of the original applicants for the position. He was sought out by the personnel company in charge of head-hunting a replacement for Steve Harris, who leaves at the end of the month.
The Demons indicated that a football background was not necessarily a requirement, after a disastrous off-field financial result in 2007 produced a budget shortfall of almost $1.5 million.
McNamee, a former tennis player on the ATP Tour, is under contract with Golf Australia, where for the past two years he has acted as the executive chairman of Australian Opens.
The successful candidate, who will have to be endorsed by the AFL, is expected to be announced before the opening round of the season in nine days' time.
Geelong chief executive Brian Cook and former St Kilda chief executive and AFL executive Jim Watts declined lucrative offers after being targeted in January to join Melbourne. Adelaide chief executive Steven Trigg was also sounded out.
Despite poor pre-season form and some less-than-flattering remarks from new coach Dean Bailey, Melbourne should be close to full strength when it plays Hawthorn first-up on Easter Sunday at the MCG.
The Demons, who have not won a practice match under Bailey, will use this Sunday's VFL trial game against Williamstown to get a better idea of what players will be available against the Hawks.
Players who have had interrupted preparations but will press for senior selection via VFL affiliate club Sandringham this weekend will be Cameron Bruce, Clint Bartram, Jared Rivers, Matthew Whelan and teenage recruit Cale Morton, the fourth overall choice in last year's national draft.
Defenders Rivers, who played just three games in 2007, and Whelan, who played five matches last year, were excellent for Sandringham last weekend.
Another defender and run-with player, Bartram has not played since the opening round last year because of a knee injury.
Melbourne general manager of football operations Chris Connolly said he expected Bruce to be available for the first home-and-away game of the season despite his lack of match practice due to a knee injury in January.
"We've been pretty conservative with him and he'll play for Sandringham this weekend and we'd expect him to be OK the weekend after," Connolly said.
The Demons have been maligned throughout the football industry this year over their ordinary practice-match form, which wound up with a 51-point loss to the Kangaroos last weekend.
"It was a very disappointing day, not a lot of positives came out of it," Bailey said.
"We allowed too many goals to get kicked against us and we turned the ball over too much."
Connolly said the Demons' pre-season needed to be put in perspective, which he said needed to take into account the high number of senior players missing and a list which was still developing Bailey's required style of play.
"It hasn't been ideal, and it's probably been a reflection of the number of injuries we had last season," Connolly said.
Bailey has used the pre-season to try some players in different positions. Former Adelaide ruckman John Meesen has been playing on a wing and Adem Yze and Brad Miller have been playing out of defence.
The only player who appears certain to be unavailable against Hawthorn is onballer Matthew Bate, who damaged his left hamstring last weekend.
Melbourne is confident forward Russell Robertson will be available for the first round despite being reported for an incident involving Kangaroos midfielder Andrew Swallow.
Against the Demons, Hawthorn will be without the suspended Shane Crawford, Luke Hodge, Campbell Brown and Jordan Lewis
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Must admit McNamee is an option that appeals to me. Everything else he's done has turned to gold. Might be the professional we need to lift our profile and make the club run a bit smoother.
PAUL McNamee, one of the country's best-known sporting administrators, could soon add Australian football to his resume, following a successful career in tennis and golf.
McNamee is the favourite in a field which has been narrowed to four, to be appointed as Melbourne's chief executive.
Also short-listed are administrators from two rival clubs, believed to be Geelong and Hawthorn, and an administrator with a thoroughbred background.
After 55 applications were received for the highly sought after position, the four candidates are expected to be interviewed again early next week.
McNamee was not one of the original applicants for the position. He was sought out by the personnel company in charge of head-hunting a replacement for Steve Harris, who leaves at the end of the month.
The Demons indicated that a football background was not necessarily a requirement, after a disastrous off-field financial result in 2007 produced a budget shortfall of almost $1.5 million.
McNamee, a former tennis player on the ATP Tour, is under contract with Golf Australia, where for the past two years he has acted as the executive chairman of Australian Opens.
The successful candidate, who will have to be endorsed by the AFL, is expected to be announced before the opening round of the season in nine days' time.
Geelong chief executive Brian Cook and former St Kilda chief executive and AFL executive Jim Watts declined lucrative offers after being targeted in January to join Melbourne. Adelaide chief executive Steven Trigg was also sounded out.
Despite poor pre-season form and some less-than-flattering remarks from new coach Dean Bailey, Melbourne should be close to full strength when it plays Hawthorn first-up on Easter Sunday at the MCG.
The Demons, who have not won a practice match under Bailey, will use this Sunday's VFL trial game against Williamstown to get a better idea of what players will be available against the Hawks.
Players who have had interrupted preparations but will press for senior selection via VFL affiliate club Sandringham this weekend will be Cameron Bruce, Clint Bartram, Jared Rivers, Matthew Whelan and teenage recruit Cale Morton, the fourth overall choice in last year's national draft.
Defenders Rivers, who played just three games in 2007, and Whelan, who played five matches last year, were excellent for Sandringham last weekend.
Another defender and run-with player, Bartram has not played since the opening round last year because of a knee injury.
Melbourne general manager of football operations Chris Connolly said he expected Bruce to be available for the first home-and-away game of the season despite his lack of match practice due to a knee injury in January.
"We've been pretty conservative with him and he'll play for Sandringham this weekend and we'd expect him to be OK the weekend after," Connolly said.
The Demons have been maligned throughout the football industry this year over their ordinary practice-match form, which wound up with a 51-point loss to the Kangaroos last weekend.
"It was a very disappointing day, not a lot of positives came out of it," Bailey said.
"We allowed too many goals to get kicked against us and we turned the ball over too much."
Connolly said the Demons' pre-season needed to be put in perspective, which he said needed to take into account the high number of senior players missing and a list which was still developing Bailey's required style of play.
"It hasn't been ideal, and it's probably been a reflection of the number of injuries we had last season," Connolly said.
Bailey has used the pre-season to try some players in different positions. Former Adelaide ruckman John Meesen has been playing on a wing and Adem Yze and Brad Miller have been playing out of defence.
The only player who appears certain to be unavailable against Hawthorn is onballer Matthew Bate, who damaged his left hamstring last weekend.
Melbourne is confident forward Russell Robertson will be available for the first round despite being reported for an incident involving Kangaroos midfielder Andrew Swallow.
Against the Demons, Hawthorn will be without the suspended Shane Crawford, Luke Hodge, Campbell Brown and Jordan Lewis
-----------------------------------------------
Must admit McNamee is an option that appeals to me. Everything else he's done has turned to gold. Might be the professional we need to lift our profile and make the club run a bit smoother.