Strategy Congratulations, you're on the board. Now what do you do?

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1. Immediate football department meeting, with senior players included. Development of a 3 year plan to change the culture of the football team, including:
  • immediate 360 degree review; leading teams style
  • establishment of cultural standards and indicators;
  • commitment to people: no more players on the list who have been written off, no more thinking of people as placeholders or seeing htem in contract terms, but genuine investment in player development. Each player (right up to 32 year old Ed Curnow) to have individual development plans and a core mentor to coach them to that place. Every coach, physio, bootstudder to also have an individual development plan
  • commitment to focusing on helping people succeed, rather than papering over weaknesses. Development of a new game plan and strategy based on our current strengths.
  • Offseason: on-going work with leading teams or another group to develop the leaderhsip skills of our team
Probably more here: it is hard to judge this element from the outside and without the 360 degree feedback, but changes to our leadership approach, development of people, and strategy/gameplan are clearly needed.

2. Immediately go tot he AFL and renegotiate our stadium deal, with a single home ground. 9 home games at MCG minimum, 2 at Docklands (or reversed, I don't really care), but ensuring we have a clear home base rather than our current 'play everyone at their preferred venue' arrangement

3. Longer term: review of the board, with a focus on getting away from business people and bloody finance guys, and getting representation from people who can actually lead the type of culture described above.

4. Review every non football role for purpose and redefine roles for the future. Institution of strict merit-based, transparent applciation processes for ALL roles (no more jobs for the boys anywhere in the club).

5. Alongside 4: reduction in the number of physical/assistant coaches, and a heavy investment in data and analytics, including the use of AI specialists. Aim to have the highest investemnt in football data/analytics of any club in the league. Support the head coach with more individual development coaches, perhaps a general head of strategy (rather than forwards/midfield/defenders), etc.

6. Invest heavily in getting past successful/champion players invovled in mentoring the current playing group. Aim for a 1-1 volunteer mentoring program that involves both on-field, off-field, and post-career mentoring for all players and staff.

I could probably think of more, but that's my starting point. The big concern is cultural change and development of people, and that probably takes 6 months at least.
 
1. Immediate football department meeting, with senior players included. Development of a 3 year plan to change the culture of the football team, including:
  • immediate 360 degree review; leading teams style
  • establishment of cultural standards and indicators;
  • commitment to people: no more players on the list who have been written off, no more thinking of people as placeholders or seeing htem in contract terms, but genuine investment in player development. Each player (right up to 32 year old Ed Curnow) to have individual development plans and a core mentor to coach them to that place. Every coach, physio, bootstudder to also have an individual development plan
  • commitment to focusing on helping people succeed, rather than papering over weaknesses. Development of a new game plan and strategy based on our current strengths.
  • Offseason: on-going work with leading teams or another group to develop the leaderhsip skills of our team
Probably more here: it is hard to judge this element from the outside and without the 360 degree feedback, but changes to our leadership approach, development of people, and strategy/gameplan are clearly needed.

2. Immediately go tot he AFL and renegotiate our stadium deal, with a single home ground. 9 home games at MCG minimum, 2 at Docklands (or reversed, I don't really care), but ensuring we have a clear home base rather than our current 'play everyone at their preferred venue' arrangement

3. Longer term: review of the board, with a focus on getting away from business people and bloody finance guys, and getting representation from people who can actually lead the type of culture described above.

4. Review every non football role for purpose and redefine roles for the future. Institution of strict merit-based, transparent applciation processes for ALL roles (no more jobs for the boys anywhere in the club).

5. Alongside 4: reduction in the number of physical/assistant coaches, and a heavy investment in data and analytics, including the use of AI specialists. Aim to have the highest investemnt in football data/analytics of any club in the league. Support the head coach with more individual development coaches, perhaps a general head of strategy (rather than forwards/midfield/defenders), etc.

6. Invest heavily in getting past successful/champion players invovled in mentoring the current playing group. Aim for a 1-1 volunteer mentoring program that involves both on-field, off-field, and post-career mentoring for all players and staff.

I could probably think of more, but that's my starting point. The big concern is cultural change and development of people, and that probably takes 6 months at least.
Like it, but first up I’d like the departments to present their current 3yr plan.
I want to know exactly what each department think the measurable goals are in the short term to achieve the plan.
 
At one of the sponsor dinners Cook having a chat with a couple of fellas and was comparing the fans/sponsors of the cats vs ours.

Was saying when Geelong needed cash for something they'd need to present a business case and perhaps some would pitch in.

Compare that to ours, if we need some money for something they just get it. Plenty of passionate types with who will put their hand in their pocket.

Not sure which is better. But he said it was nuts how easily we could raise funds compared to Geelong who had to work for every dollar.
The people who give money aren’t interested in what it’s for they just want influence.

The club would be better served having to make a case and raise funds from outside the usual donors.

Lazy admin make short sighted decisions .
 

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If Im on the board I

1) Get the football departments of both the men and women in and figure out why the hell we havent got anywhere for 27 years. Have a long term plan in place, clearly communicate it to members and supporters. And then have ACDC cover Stand by your man and play it at every game.
2) Have someone explain exactly what our recruiting and player management processes are when it comes to our AFLW team in particular.
3) Have McKay and Curnow do nothing but goal kicking drills with a football and cricket stump ala Bradman. Get Fev out there with them until they get it right. You wouldnt believe we have the last two Coleman medallists playing at the moment.
4) Figure out a way to do away with the pokies. Once the pokies are gone, we're also free of the Mathiesons and the like.
5) The club has had some of the best midfielders of all time in Greg Wlliams, Chris Judd and Craig Bradley, one of the best captains of all time in Steven Kernahan, the friggin FULL BACK OF THE CENTURY in Steven Silvagni. Get them in and around the club. Figure out what went wrong with SOS and the Club and get that sorted.
 
1. Change the constitution. Full member elections for every board position every 3 years

2. 7 Board members, must include
2 ex players. 1 must have played within last 10 yrars
1 woman's sport backgrouns
1 Finance background.
1 AFL admin experience.
1grass roots members
1 marketing background

3. No reviews conducted just following decisions.
- Cook and Voss stay
-New head of football- lloyd out
-New head of fitness- Russel out
-Assistant coaches replaced, includes an ex coach like buckley or simpson
  • Charlie Curnow made Captain
  • Austin instructed to profile 5, 10, 15 list replacements based on 75% of new players capable of immediate senior selection. Minimum 5 players drafted.
  • All deals for senior, contracted players to be considered apart from: Curnow, saad, cerra, weitering and walsh
  • Focus on recruiting 2 players with premiership experience

- President to announce, the objective of the football club is winning, our goalto make finals in 2024 and to aspire to win a premiership within 5 years
Remove the "Independent Nominations Committee" as part of point 1.

Limit Board Tenure to 5years

1000% agree a football focus first, on winning. The CSR activities shrink to the background.

Players and coaches talk football only.

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As a Board member I think I would be trying to understand what our point of difference was or could be. I would hypothetise, for discussion, that it’s the long term winning and high performing culture symbolic of the club. It got hijacked along the way by a desire for quick fix. We can fix that. We build great facilities. In a great location. How many clubs have a stand to train in front of? Let the fans in!!! We only recruit and keep excellence. We are clear when recruiting what we expect and we insist on it. Same for staff. Everyone knows their job.

All clubs try and trade and recruit well. All try and get good off field leaders. Fill important roles with good people. I think I would really like to understand objective measures that determine whether people were doing well or poorly. For example, what indicators in combination show High perfomance is working? Is it year to year player by player improvement in doffernt indicators? Health? What about psych? How is mental health and preparation assessed and understood?

Board members should ask questions of all matters, regardless of whether they themesbes are ‘experts’. Genuine experts should be comfortable being questioned and be able to produce solid answers. Only those who are not shun such questioning or fail to produce answers. For example: what does Voss look for in assessing the perfomance of his assistants? How does he know they are performing? Does he ask the players directly? Or does that undermine? What’s his logic? We should demand to be data led in an era of it. Why can’t some guys kick? What can be done about it? What expected improvement is there from coaching kicking? If coachinf can’t fix kicking what can coachinf fix? What is the value of it?

Have we got our capped funding focussed on areas that can be improved? You say we need more coaches? What measure would improve? Is an extra coach better bang for buck than an extra psych? Or extra biomechanics expert?

To what extent does each player take personal responsibility for the upkeep of their body? McKay clearly pays for sprint coaching. Do you ask him why he doesn’t pay for kicking? Does he see that as the club’s responsibility or his? When recruiting do we make it clear to players there are minimum standards in multiple areas they have to meet with no help frlm
The club? That the club adds a layer of specialisation? Not basic stuff like kicking?

Our facilities are apparently great. Our location is really good. Big fan base. As a combination that advantages us over many clubs. Is it enough? I think I would spend a lot of time understanding other clubs. Here and abroad.

Our fan base is active and wants to be engaged yet I feel kept at arms length. Not involved in elections. Very very limited open days (really what IS achieved by keeping fans out????). I think I would seek to work out how to make our fans feel way more welcomed AT the ‘club’ they ‘belong’ to. Physically.

Overall I think the long long term CULTURE of the place is super high performance. Along the way we converted that to “quick fix” instead of “high performance”. I truly believe if we ensure that everyone coming IN knows what they are coming into then there is no reason why we cannot recreate that in a modern form. Our advantages will and could mean we can be very ruthless, yet also a great place to operate. You want to win? Want to be around winners? Want to work FOR and WITH winners? That’s this place. You want to be cuddled? Go somewhere else. Every single job. Clear accountability. Clear standards.

We want you ALL IN. You want to muck around? Go to the Gold Coast. You want to spend half your life surfing? * off to geelong. You want to perform? Stay here. We win.

The brand of this club is WINNING. High perfomance. High standards. We can def be a place where high performers want to come and play. We are not attracting those types right now. We have a confused brand.
Ok.... Charlie loves his surfing, so are you telling him to * off to Geelong? Really dumb thing to say!
Clubs brand should be about WINNING?
How about a club motto of " Only your best will do"? That will lead to winning without putting unrealistic expectations on players, if you do your best and still lose no big deal, relax, just stay the coarse....
 
Q1 - So when the elections take place, the challengers need to be like for like? For example, a grass roots member needs to be specifically challenging for the grass roots spot on the board. An ex player who played more than 10 years ago, can only replace the same on the board.

Q2 - Do we need to have someone lined up to replace Lloyd and Russell, or are we sacking them and having an open process?

Q3 - Why Charlie Curnow as captain? Are we doing away with the players voting for the leadership group? I'm good with the latter incidentally.

Q4 - Is this essentially announcing a new 5 year plan?

Q5 - How to we produce the draft/trade capital to pay for so many senior ready players and how do we pay for their salaries? Is this similar to when we recruited Mullett, Shaw, Sumner, Lamb etc, essentially free senior players to hold sway while others developed?
I think for Q2.

We should be always looking to improve our footy dept and strength conditioning area.

Thus we should be putting these on staff ad salaried employees (like we did for Brendan Bolton) which meant we werent tied to long term contracts. 6 month exit clause, of they go. Just like Bolton


This was Triggs idea, and a great one. If said individual doesnt want to join CFC because of this arrangement, well so be it.

They either dont back their own ability or are not that interested in the job. No different to jobs in the real world. They still get paid well, but gives us option to pivot if something unique comes on the market or if they are non performing

I mean use Russell as the example, waiting around for a contract to expire is not great for the team...

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Not sure being on the board necessarily gives you power to make these decisions... let's say instead, I'm replacing Greg Williams as director of football. That position should be able to make the following decisions:

Head of football needs to be replaced. Not sure yet who we go after, I'll think about that one. Whoever comes in needs to be aggressive and previous playing experience.

We really need to rejig our coaching staff... starting with senior assistant/coaching director to help Voss.

I'd throw the kitchen sink at Dimma. If he rejects, I'd try and poach Simpson. If can't get him, I'd go after Don Pyke or anyone lese who's had decent success as a senior coach in the past.

Then its time to move on from Tim Clark, Ash Hansen and Hamill. I'd try and bring in Brenton Sanderson or Joel Corey and make them head of strategy. I'd also try and go after Nigel Lappin. Cook might be able to bring a couple of those guys over... as for the soft cap, I'd cull our overall coaching staff to free up room. Greaves, Kreuzer... we don't need so many chefs...

I'd give Voss and Austin free reign to trade whoever they think will get us the trade capital to bring in players that will better fit our side, even if it means paying part of their salary while they're at another club. For me, Charlie and Walsh are the only untouchables. I'd also be having a good chat to them about bringing in a couple of players who have won flags and are also in the twilight of their careers. Breust, Grimes, Duncan etc.
I dont think we need Hardwick.

What we need is a well credentialed team of coaches. Rather see the money spread across high quality team, with a good smart leader than 1 messiah.

We have been here before with Malthouse. Hardwick needs strong support around him, if we pay up for him, we cant get the right support...

Hardwick Richmond success was due to his assistants, not him. Well documented

Better to set up a strong team of coaches.

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Simple, make football the number 1 focus no matter what. Anyone on the board who interferes with football being the number 1 or diminishes from football excellence for any non related football matters is to be removed.

1 question is to be followed, will this improve our football? If the answer is no I don't want to hear about it.

The other thing is we wear the navy blue jumper, we never wear any other jumper under any circumstances
 

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If Im on the board I

1) Get the football departments of both the men and women in and figure out why the hell we havent got anywhere for 27 years. Have a long term plan in place, clearly communicate it to members and supporters. And then have ACDC cover Stand by your man and play it at every game.
2) Have someone explain exactly what our recruiting and player management processes are when it comes to our AFLW team in particular.
3) Have McKay and Curnow do nothing but goal kicking drills with a football and cricket stump ala Bradman. Get Fev out there with them until they get it right. You wouldnt believe we have the last two Coleman medallists playing at the moment.
4) Figure out a way to do away with the pokies. Once the pokies are gone, we're also free of the Mathiesons and the like.
5) The club has had some of the best midfielders of all time in Greg Wlliams, Chris Judd and Craig Bradley, one of the best captains of all time in Steven Kernahan, the friggin FULL BACK OF THE CENTURY in Steven Silvagni. Get them in and around the club. Figure out what went wrong with SOS and the Club and get that sorted.
Point 5.

I am with you on that. And Fev.
They need to repair broken relationships. Happy footy clubs are good footy clubs.

Firstly Fevola, this is obvious, he has done his penance. Sure a problem culturally at the time as a player, but its been 15yrs. He was great in season for us, drink/gamble issue sure, but lots of our ex players have those issues... check out some of our stars from the 70s and 80s even now...!

The SOS debacle, was exactly that. It needs to be mended. These guys are part of the fabric of our culture, and make carlton great.

SoS issue goes right back to salary cap era. They need to put to bed all of that. Been long enough...

Tom Elliot shouldnt be judged by the sins of his father who by the way, may have paid players under the table but wasnt Robinson Crusoe here. Wes Lofts was part of it, and Ian Collins was on the board

And it was all done for Carlton to win.

He wasn't stealing from the club or endangering player welfare like the essendope saga.

They need to bury this hatchet, bring all the good carlton people back together...

We get better from this.

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(1) Re-focus board priority and experience to football operations. Keep a few corporate type board members to focus on the finances and off field. Minimum two football directors, preferably from other clubs to impartially review and act on football department performance without the noise.

(2) Appoint a new head of football with a focus on proactive decision making. Mr Reactive (Brad Lloyd) out. Preferably someone with no experience of Carlton but strong in their views to assess football department issues and act on them. We need someone ruthless and at the cutting edge who can make early calls to mould the football department into an industry leading department in 4-5 years.

(3) Give Austin mandate to aggressively turnover the list. Aim for 3 picks inside 25 if possible. Greater focus on state league talent. Remove bad cultural fits from the list. Greater emphasis in recruiting on skills.

(4) Appoint a new head of high performance. Will free up space in the soft cap.

(5) Empower new head of football to make calls on the coaches. Bring in better assistant coaches at a minimum. Assess whether Voss + new assistants is workable. If so, pursue option. If not, move on Voss.
 
I dont think we need Hardwick.

What we need is a well credentialed team of coaches. Rather see the money spread across high quality team, with a good smart leader than 1 messiah.

We have been here before with Malthouse. Hardwick needs strong support around him, if we pay up for him, we cant get the right support...

Hardwick Richmond success was due to his assistants, not him. Well documented

Better to set up a strong team of coaches.

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Hardwick to help Voss as senior assistant, not take over.

Either way, whether it's Dimma or someone else, we need to get some senior support for Voss, imo.
 
Keep Voss get Hardwick to be his mentor.
Get Hodge or Selwood to mentor Cripps.
Get Plugger or Dunstall to mentor Harry.
Get Cook to stay beyond 2024 or identify a successor like Wells from Geelong.
Subject to Cooks assessment of Lloyd keep him or replace him with Noble.
Make peace with Brett Ratten and Stephen Silvagni.
Keep Russell.
Sack Austen and headhunt Walls from Fremantle.
Insist on a transparent process to appoint a successor to Sayers.
Work with Williams and Lloyd to get the following to happen:
- Do a pick swap with Gold Coast of their first round draft pick for our future first round draft pick.
- Trade TDK and get a first round pick in return, then bring in one of Flynn or Hayes as a replacement.
- If we are bottom 4 then we either trade the 3 first rounder to get Reid or use the picks to trade up and get Watson and Caddy.
- If we can’t get high enough up the draft list to get those players then offer the Crows a first and Durdin to get Rachele.
- Delist McGovern, Marchbank, Ed Curnow, Philp and Cuningham and keep all the other out of contract players.
- Turn Sos into a defender.
- Trade Martin and Fisher for a bag of peanuts.
- Sign Lohmann from Brisbane.
- Sign Hurn from West Coast for one season to be an on field leader with a view to becoming an assistant coach after that.
- Sign Schultz from Freo and send Motlop the other way if need be to get the deal done.
 
If I'm on the board I probably spend some time asking a mountain of questions. The issues probably come to light that way. Do some research away from the board room, not sure much of that happens at the moment.
 
  1. Passionate humble people who ooze confidence and belief (you can't fake this)
  2. Ensuring we have the best industry list managers/recruiters/role models. Because cattle matters more than anything by a mile.
  3. Putting together a coaching team that:
  • Teach the players the game is about the 118minutes when you don't have the ball. Don't ball watch. Have field awareness.
  • Has all players at all times instinctively aware of defensive mindset in all parts of the ground (there are so many styles and techniques but also universal 1%s) The Pies are by far the best and most defensive team. This is why they are the most attacking. It's a paradox. Voss talks about contested ball. This so wrong. This is ball watching. A by-product (The attack/focus on the ball will happen instinctively when it needs to) The teaching should be about the 118min game awareness. Our bulls at stoppages are getting smothered because of opposition game awareness which results in fierce tackling and our flat-footed disposal. Oppositions flood our 50 arc, a defensive mindset which creates spread and attack on the counter. Even at stoppages you should not ball watch. You should maintain 180 degrees peripheral. This ensures you play on instinct.
  • In essence a coaching team that has selfless players playing for each other, doing all the many 1% for each other, running into spaces to draw opposition players etc. All this naturally creates time and space for your teammates, causing many more constructive attacking moves.
  • A coaching team that is creative/adaptive when it needs to be, has a game plan suited and focused to the teams/players strengths and exploits opposition weaknesses.
  • A coaching team that instills in one and every player, a feeling of belonging, enjoyment, gratitude, passion to be the best they can be with an overwhelming genuine feeling of selflessness for the team.
 
Set values, review the whole footy department and players individually, over a few years turn out anyone who doesn't fit the minimum standard set by the value deciding process. Ensure there's diversity in the coaching team. A head coach that is good with people and big picture vision surrounded by coaches who are extremely detail and fundamental oriented. That's it.
 
Ignore sh!t like this for starters.
Sorry but that is an average post from a usually good poster. The blokes who have been running the show for the last 20 odd years have shown themselves to be utterly useless. Gold Coast aside, we are the only club not to have made a preliminary final since 2000. That’s pathetic. Failure in every sense of the word. IMO Sayers isn’t much more than a rent seeker, maybe worse given what’s come out about PwC in the last month. The club could do worse than listening to its members who pay money and actually give a s**t about the club.
 
Hardwick to help Voss as senior assistant, not take over.

Either way, whether it's Dimma or someone else, we need to get some senior support for Voss, imo.
There was a Ross Voss rumour kicking around in 2021 as part of coach selection. This i was excited about.

Voss with a mentor with taticsl nous js fine. I just cant see Hardwick signing up for that role or Voss accepting effectively a senior coach ontop of him...

Frame it any which way you want, but easier to set that structure up at beginning of a tenure that during.

Choco Williams did it, as did Balme, but both were long finished as senior coaches so not a threat.

Hardwick is not done with coaching..recipe for more destabilisation to me.

Let alone Hardwick success was due to his team, not him as master tactician which is actually what Voss needs

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A few players were able to extort ridiculous money once they saw what some useless ring ins were paid and that started the whole rot.

I wouldn't have a bar of the Carlton Board until and unless there was a plan to fix this. The only genuine superstar on our books is Charlie and he should be on a discount because of his knee - evened up with match payments based on performance.

The rest of them are or should be trade bait.

ALL the resources should always be spent on finding and developing alternatives and everyone who comes in should know that there is a hard cap on how much you will ever be paid at Carlton.

Vossis trying to implement a sustainable finals quality game plan with far too many VFL players at his disposal and far too many better than that's constantly injured.

Oh and the bloke who injured Cuningham's shoulder should have been sacked - it takes malicious intent to do stuff like that to elite athletes.

If people want to know what the problems are at Carlton - it is the same old same old - follow the money.
 

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