Club Mgmt. Board of Directors as led by President Dave Barham - Statement from Barham addressing Merrett etc - 12/9

[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

    51

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    193cm

    Wt

    90kg

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    Def

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    D

    14.1

    4star

    K

    9.7

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    4.5

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    4.5

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    1.0

    3star

    No current season stats available

    D

    8.0

    2star

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    4.4

    2star

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    3.6

    3star

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    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

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  42

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  190cm

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  98kg

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  13.4

  3star

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  6.3

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  7.0

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  5.3

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  1.3

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  10.6

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  6.2

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  4.4

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  3.6

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  1.0

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  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

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    48

    Ht

    180cm

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    83kg

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    Fwd

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    11.3

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    6.8

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    4.5

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    3.5

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    1.6

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    0.9

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    9.2

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    5.4

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    3.8

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    2.2

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    1.6

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    0.4

    3star

    (Chair, GM-Footy), Robert Walls, Jordan Lewis
    Jordan Lewis

    Age

    39

    Ht

    186cm

    Wt

    86kg

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    D

    23.5

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    12.1

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    11.5

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    5.5

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    2.7

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    310.5

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    15.0

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    6.8

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    8.2

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    4.8

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    2.8

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    , 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

 

[The Prosecutor]

whens dodo

I would hope soon, the reality though is likely after the draft if he is to go.

 

[Nifft]

So we’re not going to get any input from the external review with regards to the head coach or CEO positions, we’re just going to sort those out separate to the review?

Shouldn’t we be taking feedback from the external review on filling those positions so we don’t make the same mistakes as before?

 

[Lore]

is it though?

half the blokes at Essendon have jobs cause of mates, id expect hird's kids would be walk up starts to a company that had Essendon people as board members/directors.

What do you mean? That’s the definition of an incestuous workplace — everyone at the club is linked to everyone else in ways that aren’t specifically their professional roles in (or as family of) the club hierarchy.

 

[Here_we_come]

Glad the dominos are falling, but surely Dodoro and Sheeds must be part of this cull.

 

[HirdsTheWord]

What do you mean? That’s the definition of an incestuous workplace — everyone at the club is linked to everyone else in ways that aren’t specifically their professional roles in (or as family of) the club hierarchy.

no i mean it isn't interesting she ended up at PWC.

 

[TheGrizz]

I would hope soon, the reality though is likely after the draft if he is to go.

Dodoro blued with Rutten, and was one of the key proponents in getting Campbell removed from footy discussion at the end of 2020.
Not to mention his chief backer (Sheedy) crossed the floor to seize power with Barham.

Dodoros position is strengthening, not weakening

 

[BrunoV]

I would hope soon, the reality though is likely after the draft if he is to go.

In reality RFK and Mahoney can manage the trade and draft period.

 

[DERO]

Gotta break a few eggs to make an omelette

 

[The Prosecutor]

Dodoro blued with Rutten, and was one of the key proponents in getting Campbell removed from footy discussion at the end of 2020.
Not to mention his chief backer (Sheedy) crossed the floor to seize power with Barham.

Dodoros position is strengthening, not weakening

I'm sadly aware.

 

[andleanback]

Brasher next please

 

[84859300]

In reality RFK and Mahoney can manage the trade and draft period.

Doddo may stay on so we can keep what ever IP we have left - then move him on after the draft

 

[faible]

Dodoro blued with Rutten, and was one of the key proponents in getting Campbell removed from footy discussion at the end of 2020.
Not to mention his chief backer (Sheedy) crossed the floor to seize power with Barham.

Dodoros position is strengthening, not weakening

Whether people like Dodoro or not, XC meddling in the football department seemed counterproductive, so that was probably a good outcome.

 

[The Prosecutor]

Gotta break a few eggs to make an omelette

 

[eth-dog]

Hang on, Chief Commercial Officer - not COO (which is the usual title of the heir apparent). We left the COO role unfilled when Rodski left didn’t we?

It's usually the COO or CFO.

 

[MarkJohnson#1]

When is Barham resigning?

 

[BomberManU]

Can someone please catch me up with the various factions here?
There is/was: Dodoro + Sheedy + ??
Campbell + Brasher + ??
Where do Barham and Madden sit?
Mahoney?

 

[ant555]

Great post

Feel too many got caught up in how rutten was treated last week (very poorly). People thought this was only about getting clarko, no it was about a guy who was sick of the club wallowing in mediocrity and wanted change.
It’s funny how the footy public are laughing at us because our ceo quit. When all essendon fans are jumping for joy

It was about moving Truck but it was a panic move based on missing out on Clarkson. If he was not available all this happens after the last round with less circus .

 

[Dave]

Thought he did a good job. dodoro does it again. Seriously, how the actual * ?

It’s not what you know mate….

 

[brutus76]

More blood. More blood.

 

[Beerfish]

So we’re not going to get any input from the external review with regards to the head coach or CEO positions, we’re just going to sort those out separate to the review?

Shouldn’t we be taking feedback from the external review on filling those positions so we don’t make the same mistakes as before?

Agree. Seems odd that they're making all these major calls before the review even gets underway.

Oh wait, no it doesn't..

 

[andleanback]

It was about moving Truck but it was a panic move based on missing out on Clarkson. If he was not available all this happens after the last round with less circus .

Yeah but barham wanting this regardless, that was my point.

 

[Zach Package]

Did a more than acceptable job with the commercial side of it so I’ve got no doubt he’ll land on his feet in the sports industry but as far as footy goes. Yikes.

There was a time where appointing him so young was ‘bold and courageous’

 

[ant555]

Campbell now gone.

I owe a few people responses to some posts. I haven't forgotten, particularly JayJ20.

My impression of a lot of the discussion here is that we got side tracked with what was really the least relevant thing that happened last week: the treatment of Rutten. That's a human story, I feel and felt for the man but, at the end of the day, it was just noise.

There are only 18 jobs available. Gun coaches will coach us because they are unfulfilled without flags and/or because they have the egos to believe they can turn this ship around. That ego is an essential part of being a coach.

However, and in terms of the discussion here, Barham was caricatured and posters then became polarised into 2 camps: a) the players are the problem; or b) Rutten was the problem.

It was never that simple and I don't analyse based on caricatures. The truth is that it was a combination together with the football department leadership and executive.

Barham was right when he resigned, as the internal review was announced, only to be talked into staying on. He was right 10 days ago, too.

Sure, things were messy but that's politics. He can't just assume control of the board. He needed votes and the balance of votes was tied in with sycophants who needed something more than Barham's opinion. The botched internal review provided that.

An external review will now take place. Campbell has jumped or been pushed to protect his reputation. While I would like him to suffer the indignity Rutten has suffered it doesn't matter. His departure is the main thing.

I would like it to be official that Rutten's appointment was really just a way to deflect from mistakes, more than being a reflection of the belief that he was the best person to coach Essendon, read Cal's article from earlier this week, it makes it easier to move on (if you haven't already). But that's not important and Rutten has been through enough.

We are getting close to a blank slate. This should make a review easier because it will not feel the need to be diplomatic at least in terms of the recommendations.

So far so good.

One point here . The internal review was not botched. For some reason it took of in the media and then the public that it was something it was not. Brasher stated at the time it was never a review on positions but a review on how they could improve the player development and recruiting and the scope to spend more money to bolster them.

Should they have done an external review. Yes it is needed but the internal review is exactly what it was set up to be.
The mistake Brasher made was announcing it.

 

[rumply]

 

[ant555]

Yeah but barham wanting this regardless, that was my point.

Still badly handled and looked desperate.