Club Mgmt. Board of Directors as led by President Dave Barham

[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

    49

    Ht

    193cm

    Wt

    90kg

    Pos.

    Def

    Career

    Season

    Last 5

    D

    14.1

    4star

    K

    9.7

    4star

    HB

    4.5

    3star

    M

    4.5

    4star

    T

    1.0

    3star

    No current season stats available

    D

    8.0

    2star

    K

    4.4

    2star

    HB

    3.6

    3star

    M

    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

  Age

  40

  Ht

  190cm

  Wt

  98kg

  Pos.

  Def

  Career

  Season

  Last 5

  D

  13.4

  3star

  K

  6.3

  2star

  HB

  7.0

  4star

  M

  5.3

  5star

  T

  1.3

  3star

  No current season stats available

  D

  10.6

  3star

  K

  6.2

  3star

  HB

  4.4

  4star

  M

  3.6

  4star

  T

  1.0

  3star

  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

    Age

    46

    Ht

    180cm

    Wt

    83kg

    Pos.

    Fwd

    Career

    Season

    Last 5

    D

    11.3

    3star

    K

    6.8

    3star

    HB

    4.5

    3star

    M

    3.5

    4star

    T

    1.6

    4star

    G

    0.9

    4star

    No current season stats available

    D

    9.2

    3star

    K

    5.4

    2star

    HB

    3.8

    3star

    M

    2.2

    3star

    T

    1.6

    4star

    G

    0.4

    3star

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

    Age

    37

    Ht

    186cm

    Wt

    86kg

    Pos.

    D/M

    Career

    Season

    Last 5

    D

    23.5

    5star

    K

    12.1

    4star

    HB

    11.5

    5star

    M

    5.5

    5star

    T

    2.7

    4star

    MG

    310.5

    4star

    No current season stats available

    D

    15.0

    4star

    K

    6.8

    3star

    HB

    8.2

    5star

    M

    4.8

    5star

    T

    2.8

    5star

    , 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

 

[Old Campaigner]

Probably not really for here but I did hear the reason the Saints do not want him doing goal kicking with King and the reason Daniher stopped using him was the fact he was not just offering goal kicking advice but also advice to the effect they should not follow the coaches game plan and follow his advice. He could certainly give some good advice but not being in the actual coaching group was an issue. Joe of course does not really take advice from anyone much , not even family so he could not be bothered with Lloyd in the end.

* me lol

Is there a single person in the AFL industry who is simultaneously competent, capable of staying in their own lane and willing to serve the interests of a larger organisation without cracking the sads when they don't get their way?

 

[Dave]

Yep. It is Hird and Bomber all over again. No process again.

Process? This is Essington. We don't do process!!!!!!!!!

 

[DERO]

Not sure we have the time for process.

 

[elphamale]

I don't mind the idea of keeping Rutten on for a year post-review. Hardwick was in a similar situation with his job potentially on the line but Richmond's review was able to help him improve his coaching and the rest is history.


The best bit is that it sounds like the board was split on whether an external review was required or not, and they disagreed so vehemently that it cost Brasher his job.

And I ******* wonder why a bunch of senior people at a perennially under performing club were so deathly afraid of any kind of external investigation into club operations...

My biggest concern now is that the external review and it's findings may not be accepted by it's opponents on the board. Richmond from the sound of it had complete buy-in from the entire club when they went about theirs, but I worry that there's a critical mass of barnacles on the hull at Essendon which will stymie the uptake of any recommendations.

Comparing Rutten to Hardwick is like comparing a marshmallow to a diamond in the rough.
Bottom line: In order to achieve premiership success, we need to be ruthless on & off the field. Clarko (if not too late) is our man & I reckon right now he would favour our list (in terms of 3-5 year potential) vs Norfs.

 

[bombadeer]

* me lol

Is there a single person in the AFL industry who is simultaneously competent, capable of staying in their own lane and willing to serve the interests of a larger organisation without cracking the sads when they don't get their way?

There are a lot of big egos in footy

 

[The Prosecutor]

Not sure we have the time for process.

Which is a direct result of a poor process to begin with.

 

[ant555]

Lloyd himself is a chief contributor to the rot that has set in at the club.

Brilliant player, but like a lot of superstar forward he was at his best when he focused on himself and the me-first attitude that has plagued us for 15+years can be traced to the period of his captaincy under Knights.

100% on the money. Jobes introduction to the leadership group was Lloyd saying to the coach after round 1 that they where ****ed in a leadership meeting. Also know there was a bit of a blow up between him and Hird about captaincy a few years after he retired . Hird pulled him up over some media comments and basically told him he was not a captains arsehole .

 

[84859300]

I hear that there is/ was a big push from members of various coterie groups.

You know when your club is no good, when decisions are being made by others outside of the organisation for the better of the organisation.

 

[bombadeer]

Let’s just focus on the ends rather than the means: get the best coach available.

 

[ScrappyCoCo]

Offer made. Offer accepted. He is on his way to the Hanger.

 

[Zach Package]

It has not been hard. What I do not like is he has been big on giving a well deserved roast but he has never offered any solutions.

Exactly, he’s a blowhard that’s more interested in getting a 15 second soundbyte for social media than giving anything constructive, not just Essendon.

His understanding of what it takes to have success in modern footy is basically non existent.

 

[Old Campaigner]

Comparing Rutten to Hardwick is like comparing a marshmallow to a diamond in the rough.
Bottom line: In order to achieve premiership success, we need to be ruthless on & off the field. Clarko (if not too late) is our man & I reckon right now he would favour our list (in terms of 3-5 year potential) vs Norfs.

But Richmond were not exactly ruthless on or off the field prior to their review. Hardwick was seen as a bit of a joke and Cotchin made a name for himself gathering 30 useless touches each week.

As a club they used their review to improve themselves (which is kinda the point) using more or less the same cattle they had in previous years.

We may get Clarkson and he may do a fine job, but if we don't end up with him on board it isn't the end of the world. And frankly I wouldn't blame him for not accepting our offer because as I've said many times before there's a rot at Essendon and until it gets cut out I'm not sure even he can take the club where we want it.

 

[Call Me Cake]

Fox - 7:09PM

The Bombers believe Clarkson is interested in becoming their next senior coach with Nine reporting the club met with the ex-Hawks boss and his manager on Monday.

 

[Phone]

Yep. It is Hird and Bomber all over again. No process again.

well it can't go any worse this time so there's that.

 

[cAsEy_18]

I think we all need to look at it this way

Regardless of any decision we make:

• Change coach vs keep coach
• Board changes
• List changes

Now picture the worst case scenario of any of those situations and tell me - does it look any worse than yesterday/the last 20yrs have looked?

Worst case, from whatever we do, is to continue to suck.

They say it’s darkest before the dawn. Well we’re in Antarctica in the middle of ******* winter.
Who cares what we do - it cannot be worse

 

[ant555]

well it can't go any worse this time so there's that.

You would hope not.

 

[Pleasedonot]

I harbour the same reservations people are voicing here. What happens when we have another woeful start to our first year under Clarkson? I just have so little faith in this operation - we'll somehow find a way to * up the legacy of the greatest modern coach so long as the cancer that is the vested interests and boys club morons who run the club remain.

 

[cAsEy_18]

I harbour the same reservations people are voicing here. What happens when we have another woeful start to our first year under Clarkson? I just have so little faith in this operation - we'll somehow find a way to * up the legacy of the greatest modern coach so long as the cancer that is the vested interests and boys club morons who run the club remain.

I mean, if that is exactly what happens… then this is a silver lining isn’t it?

 

[Pleasedonot]

well it can't go any worse this time so there's that.

Come on man, you'd think after 20 years of utter ineptitude you'd know Essendon can say "HOLD MY BEER" better than any club in the league. There is literally no bottom.

 

[Ati Tude]

But Richmond were not exactly ruthless on or off the field prior to their review. Hardwick was seen as a bit of a joke and Cotchin made a name for himself gathering 30 useless touches each week.

As a club they used their review to improve themselves (which is kinda the point) using more or less the same cattle they had in previous years.

We may get Clarkson and he may do a fine job, but if we don't end up with him on board it isn't the end of the world. And frankly I wouldn't blame him for not accepting our offer because as I've said many times before there's a rot at Essendon and until it gets cut out I'm not sure even he can take the club where we want it.

One thing I always remember is that in final round of 2016, Swans beat Richmond by 113 points. Tigers won the flag the next year. Things can change quickly sometimes. Not saying we will win the premiership next year by any stretch, but I remember many people gunning at Dimma at end of 2016.

 

[Pleasedonot]

I mean, if that is exactly what happens… then this is a silver lining isn’t it?

Ha - I mean, yeah...funny stuff except its end result is we're still rudderless and shithouse!

 

[Call Me Cake]

David King said it best.

"They're a young side learning bad habits."

 

[tandino]

Process? This is Essington. We don't do process!!!!!!!!!

I guess no process is a type of process.

 

[Duckworth]

But Clarkson is a w***er.

 

[Phone]

Come on man, you'd think after 20 years of utter ineptitude you'd know Essendon can say "HOLD MY BEER" better than any club in the league. There is literally no bottom.

Look, if we again have 38 players banned from doping whilst large sections of the fanbase and key stakeholders go around saying and believing we didn't do anything wrong I'll eat my words but I'm quietly confident!

it just occurred me that hiring Clarkson means no more long sleeves so I dunno about this now.