Club Mgmt. Board of Directors as led by President Andrew Wealshy - Ted Richards joins the board

[Bunk Moreland]

As for Solomon’s stuff, ok, but it’s just more of the same crap. “We’ve got one of ours running the place now so let’s back him”, bleed for the club, bla bla

How about “you need experts to have success in the AFL now, we have some experts, let them do their ****ing jobs, you don’t know better than them”

 

[Vander18]

And not just that, but also because the right people don't apply for the right roles in an unstable organisation. You want to be a destination for coaches and support staff, not just the odd player.

You achieve this by getting the right people in at the top.

If you don’t have the right people at the top none of this happens.

You have to be ruthless and move your leaders on if they aren’t the right people.

 

[faible]

You achieve this by getting the right people in at the top.

If you don’t have the right people at the top none of this happens.

You have to be ruthless and move your leaders on if they aren’t the right people.

Who?

We'd had a string of incompetence and meddling.

Thus the whole need for stability.

 

[Lore]

As for Solomon’s stuff, ok, but it’s just more of the same crap. “We’ve got one of ours running the place now so let’s back him”, bleed for the club, bla bla

How about “you need experts to have success in the AFL now, we have some experts, let them do their ****ing jobs, you don’t know better than them”

Barham tried the iron fist and it led to mutiny Now we have the velvet glove, time will tell whether it contains an iron fist. But I think we're still a step ahead of where we were when we had Tanner and Brasher

 

[yodellinhank]

The thing I found interesting on Footy Classified last night (which I watched this morning) was actually some of the bits Eddie had to say, along the lines of the same thing that pushes the right people away also causes you to hang onto the wrong people for too long.

well he would know...

 

[SpeckieMcVeigh]

I like all the (relative) optimism in this thread, but I just cannot be as optimistic. Barham is the one that severed Dodoro from this club. Welsh has links to him.

I am looking for two things from Welsh this off-season. Keeping Scott at all costs and keeping the current direction we're heading from a list build perspective. If either of the two aren't met, then we're done.

I didn't love comments he made about denying that we are in a rebuild.

Obviously the aim is to compete every year, and we have a ridiculous amount of cap space available that we should use. But unless we're getting premium guys who fit our list makeup and age profile, I don't want us spending for the sake of it. I might just lose my mind if we get the 2026 equivalents of Stringer, Devon Smith and Shiel.

 

[ant555]

I didn't love comments he made about denying that we are in a rebuild.

Obviously the aim is to compete every year, and we have a ridiculous amount of cap space available that we should use. But unless we're getting premium guys who fit our list makeup and age profile, I don't want us spending for the sake of it. I might just lose my mind if we get the 2026 equivalents of Stringer, Devon Smith and Shiel.

Clubs never admit they are in a full rebuild.

 

[BomberFan355]

Spoke well, like everything about it so far. If Zac isn't at Essendon day 1 of pre-season though, it won't be a good look.

 

[Nicholas61]

As for Solomon’s stuff, ok, but it’s just more of the same crap. “We’ve got one of ours running the place now so let’s back him”, bleed for the club, bla bla

How about “you need experts to have success in the AFL now, we have some experts, let them do their ****ing jobs, you don’t know better than them”

Haven't seen the email and not sure if it has an element of being vague - would be good if he was specific and said to the ex players to fully get behind Vozzo, Scott and Rosa, and give them full space, backing and a few years to execute their plan. I get the feeling though Solo does genuinely care for the club.

The injury carnage couldn't have come at a worse time as we know the old faction would be agitating and attempting to capitalise on any such misfortune but we all saw enough that our new draftees were of a different and better quality than previous decades' and we showed mettle which I attribute to those changes in personnel and Scott (such as the Geelong match at GMHBA that are usually catastrophes especially given the ravaged list we had that evening).

 

[cobra land]

I preface this by saying that I'm easily pleased but so far I've liked the messaging by Welsh and what he wants the club to stand for.

I get the impression that he's confident that he has the support from ex teammates and players to get behind Vozzo & Scott and that he believes in what they are trying to build.

Having an ex player at the helm who seems to have the clubs best intentions at heart is a refreshing change, I loved how he played and I love his loyalty and passion for the club.

I hope these traits can rub off on the current list and also us supporters because I definitely feel that we have lost that over the last 5/10 years.

 

[Mercurial89]

Clubs never admit they are in a full rebuild.

Smart clubs do not commit to very easily measurable short term statements that they are locked into and the moment they are proven incorrect (before a ball is bounced in another game you play), you are already undermined.
It does not matter that he didn't admit to a rebuild per se.
He denied it wholeheartedly. Just as strong were his comments on Zach and on bringing people into the club.
Those two things are not guaranteed to happen.

What is guaranteed? Media attention on both of those events, IF they do not go the way he said, his comments on the rebuild are instantly turned into "well of course they are in a rebuild and they don't even know it", this is the pressure that bad clubs and bad operators bring on themselves.

Now, they COULD go our way, but it does not gain us anything. We will not get credit for Zach staying, it will be narrative of held to contract.
We will not get credit for attracting a middling ruckman, it will be seen as scrambling.

It was a bad bet, and not a good start, all the faction stuff aside.
I understand total honesty is probably not feasible for an organisation in this area speaking to thousands of emotional fans.
There were and are better ways to handle this than the way they are.

 

[ghostdog]

He can hardly say we will be crap next year can he. In the history of the game find me a president of a club that has come out and layed out a negative line for the next season.

Opportunity - a time or set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something.

We have an opportunity to climb back up the ladder. That is what he is saying. Opportunity.

There is actually no reason why we can not possibly make a rise up the ladder next season. You have listed a lot of reasonable reasons why we may not but the flip side is players like Caddy,Kako,Roberts,Nguyen,Clarke,Johnson,Visintini,May and Unwin can improve.

Yes there are real question marks on Reid and Ridley and Parish getting on the park. I have my doubts the new fitness team can make a difference but it is not out of the realms of possibility.

You do not actually have to have a great ruck to be an okay side.

He is the president of the club. He has to push the positive line. No new president starts of by saying to the members "sorry but we will be rather ordinary next year and our current plan may be a dog and we have no idea if we will be any good by 2027" He also has a responsibility to not shit on the playing group by downplaying expectations. The football department has to 100% believe they can make a rise back up the ladder. The young blokes do not want to hear the president lowering expectations.

Personally I think you are reading too much into what is basically a standard football speech from a new president who has to sell a positive plan.

I have doubts on the time line of their build being realistic and I am certainly thinking we are more likely to be bottom 5 and not pushing back up to where we where as an 11-12 win side. However it only takes a few little positive things like young players seizing the moment and the momentum can shift.

No, that is what you are saying he said, which he literally did not say. You can't put words in his mouth.
And he's the Prez now. Words and actual meanings matter, which is why you've chosen to define 'opportunity' yourself.

I agree that he needs to push a positive line. I never suggested otherwise. I also would never have expected him to say we would be crap.

'Opportunity' is a great word. So is 'possibility.' They're not negative. They offer some hope to beleaguered fans, but they also don't put everyone in the gun.

So you can be an apologist all you like but Welsh is in the executive chair now. His words matter and he needs to be conscious of that, because language pedants like me take notice and will hold him accountable. If there is a Hird faction, for example, they will have it noted because it has actually literally been said, no matter what your interpretation is. And if Scott doesn't deliver so we "quickly climb back up the ladder", they will take the 'opportunity' to seize Welsh's own words to support their own pro-Hird (or Dodoro or Little or whomever) agenda.

 

[ghostdog]

All he needs to say is we haven’t had success for a very, very long time and we are determined to get it right this time, so we’re dedicated to building our list properly and not taking any shortcuts. We’re off to a great start with some gun kids and that will continue with our draft hand, while we have plenty of cap space for free agency opportunities too.

That’s it.

None of this crap about rising up the ladder or outcomes, that will only bite him on the arse when the factions want to get rid of him.

It amazes me how consistently wrong Essendon can go on simple communications and messaging.

100% agree.

 

[crackers65]

Clubs never admit they are in a full rebuild.

Except when it turns to dog shit. Then it’s “what do you expect, have some patience, we are in a rebuild”

 

[ant555]

No, that is what you are saying he said, which he literally did not say. You can't put words in his mouth.
And he's the Prez now. Words and actual meanings matter, which is why you've chosen to define 'opportunity' yourself.

I agree that he needs to push a positive line. I never suggested otherwise. I also would never have expected him to say we would be crap.

'Opportunity' is a great word. So is 'possibility.' They're not negative. They offer some hope to beleaguered fans, but they also don't put everyone in the gun.

So you can be an apologist all you like but Welsh is in the executive chair now. His words matter and he needs to be conscious of that, because language pedants like me take notice and will hold him accountable. If there is a Hird faction, for example, they will have it noted because it has actually literally been said, no matter what your interpretation is. And if Scott doesn't deliver so we "quickly climb back up the ladder", they will take the 'opportunity' to seize Welsh's own words to support their own pro-Hird (or Dodoro or Little or whomever) agenda.

Best clean your ears out.
From around 1.46 in the interview.
We have the ability to build off this platform created by Dave Barham to push quickly up the ladder on the field but really up the ladder off the field by looking at new opportunities and taking more risks.

I am not an apologist for anyone. Yes his words do matter. So does him projecting a positive image to the playing group as well. You do not build a good football club if you have the president talking doom and gloom while we have a young playing group looking to make their mark.
Pendants like you can please yourself. Name me one president that has ever not promoted a positive message about his club ?

 

[ant555]

Except when it turns to dog shit. Then it’s “what do you expect, have some patience, we are in a rebuild”

And that is generally after they have spent 4 or so years in the bottom 4 having a reset.

 

[The Big Boy]

Seems like hes main focus foe where we are at was getting the players fit and healthy. Which i think is definitely numero uno on what we need.

 

[ghostdog]

Best clean your ears out.
From around 1.46 in the interview.
We have the ability to build off this platform created by Dave Barham to push quickly up the ladder on the field but really up the ladder off the field by looking at new opportunities and taking more risks.

I am not an apologist for anyone. Yes his words do matter. So does him projecting a positive image to the playing group as well. You do not build a good football club if you have the president talking doom and gloom while we have a young playing group looking to make their mark.
Pendants like you can please yourself. Name me one president that has ever not promoted a positive message about his club ?

Okay, good then.
It was a good save, pushing up the ladder off the field. I'll be looking forward to how that works.
In the mean time, 'pushing quickly up the ladder on the field'... it is what it is.

 

[Lore]

There you go. Now you can argue about what he actually said.


Intro:

Eddie McGuire: So, our opening segment tonight is all about this famous football club and what's been happening in recent times. But first of all, Andrew, congratulations mate. It is an amazing honour to be the president of such an amazing football club in the Essendon Footy Club. And as a boy, you grew up in Broad Meadows, mate, congratulations, welcome to the Broad Meadows Presidents Club.

Andrew Welsh

Andrew Welsh

Age

42

Ht

188cm

Wt

88kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.4

4star

K

9.7

4star

HB

6.7

4star

M

4.6

4star

T

2.9

4star

CL

1.6

4star

No current season stats available

D

9.6

3star

K

7.4

3star

HB

2.2

2star

M

4.0

4star

T

3.6

5star

: That makes two of us now, doesn't it? No, thanks Ed. It's been an enormously humbling day. The amount of people that have reached out to me, both internally at the club, past players, past volunteers, and my broader friendship group. So it's been really humbling. We've got a lot of work to do, but you know, it's been a great day that has just been finished up recently with the news of Jordan Ridley

14

Jordan Ridley

Age

27

Ht

195cm

Wt

94kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

15.6

4star

K

11.1

4star

HB

4.5

3star

M

6.4

5star

T

1.7

4star

MG

244.8

4star

D

17.0

4star

K

11.9

5star

HB

5.1

3star

M

6.7

5star

T

1.7

3star

MG

265.4

4star

D

13.8

4star

K

9.6

4star

HB

4.2

4star

M

5.2

5star

T

1.4

4star

MG

208.2

4star

, which is terrific.

Ridley:

Eddie: Now that's a massive result, that, for Jordan. Just give us 10 seconds on how important it is for him to say, I'm staying at the Bombers.

Welsh: Oh, it's massively important, and I fully appreciate how Jordan has gone about his due diligence. He hasn't been able to play, unfortunately, due to injury. But we've implemented now probably the best one-two combination in the high-performance area in recent months. So that's given Jordan a lot of confidence that we are invested in that area to get him back onto the footy field.

How he came to be on the board & STABILITY

James Hird: Woosh I want to talk about—Andrew, sorry, can't call you Woosh now you're president—I want to talk about you for a minute. You first came to football club, Essendon Football Club, in 2001 as an 18-year-old. You were a bright-eyed kid, you were energetic, you're enthusiastic, you gave your heart and soul to the club. To now be the president, I mean, you couldn't have thought back in 2001, this is where you're going to get to. But how do you feel about it? And what are your plans first up?

Welsh: Yeah, it's a real honour, as I said, Hirdy. I didn't understand how boards worked back in the day when I was playing. I was fully focused on the task and job there. I look at, when David Barham approached me a few years ago to come on to the board, I had no interest. I didn't. I was, you know, young family, business was going really well. But I agreed to get involved, and then very quickly I realised that I hadn't lost the passion for Essendon. I actually forgot how good the football club is, how good the people in the football club is, how important our supporters are and how great they are. So that's really provided me energy off the work and the hard work that David Barham's done in recent years to build those foundations for us. So we are stable, but I don't want the football club to think that stable is where we stop. Stable gives us the ability now to really drive forward in all areas, whether it be on field, off field, and the high performance is a critical part of that.

Attitude & goals:

Hird: So when you talk about stable, the performances haven't been there on the field, and there's been a lot of rumblings behind the scenes, and there's rumours of this, rumours of that. How do you explain stability when you hear about a lot of stuff that's rumoured in innuendo?

Welsh: Yeah, my approach to leadership and how I go about my life is a "see ball, get ball" mentality, and "see problem, fix problem, or understand what that problem is". I think we continue to hear of innuendo and uncertainty and unrest, and what I can say is that in leadership you need to listen, and I want to listen to what those concerns are. We are a club full of passionate people, full of people that have great ideas potentially. I'm wanting to hear those, but what I'm wanting to do is make sure that this period is a galvanising period for our club and not one that allows groups to continue in self-interest rather than as a collective.

Old Essendon, New Essendon: We Are Essendon

Hird: And I keep hearing about a thing called 'Old Essendon', 'New Essendon'. What do you make of the, I mean, I don't think there's anything like Old Essendon, New Essendon. What do you make of Old Essendon, New Essendon? And are you one or the other?

Welsh: Am I Old Essendon or am I New Essendon?

Hird: I'm asking you.

Welsh: Yeah, so We Are Essendon, Hirdy. And the likes of yourself instilled in people like me what it is to be an Essendon person. And an Essendon person is sticking together. It's supporting each other, not just in actions, but in words. It's about seeing issues and resolving issues. So I'm very open and willing to continue to make sure that we've got great fabric within our football club. I'm part of that fabric, you're part of that fabric. How do we make sure those good parts of our fabric evolves into what could be the best era of our football club coming up?

Factions & establishing unity:

Eddie: Welshy, you played in the last Essendon finals win. It seems to me as an outsider that the club's been riven by factions ever since basically that last game. It's so important for you now to actually forgive on behalf of Essendon so many good people who have been driven away. There's always mistakes in football clubs and you'll lose a lot of good people for the wrong reasons sometimes and you inherit a lot of people who are no good for the same reasons. What are you going to do to try and bring the Essendon family back together?

Welsh: Yeah, it is listening Ed, and I get disappointed and I get sad in many ways of some of people that have been involved with the club for a long period of time, how they're treated, and haven't had the ability to move on with their lives. It impacts them, it impacts their families. I want to see that change. I want to bring people who may have not left the football club in best terms, be embraced by the football club, feel welcome back at the football club. Because, as you said, times change, things move on, and this can be a real galvanising moment, is what I'm putting it to, for our football club, for our past players, to get them in, being part of the solution and not the problem. Making sure that our members and supporters are seeing the vision and what we're looking to achieve on-field, and bringing them along for the journey off-field as well.

Merrett:

Tom Morris: Is it as simple as you being appointed to the presidency that will unify the club and give it unity? Because I was interested in this quote from you today, when you spoke to the Essendon website around unity. "The power of Essendon has always been in our unity. When we stand together as one, as players both past and present, we can be formidable again." Your captain still wants to leave the club. So how unified are you really?

Welsh: Yeah, so Zach's been very clear as of last night on his position. He's finished up the season frustrated. And I understand that. He's a winner. He's a winner. He's an Essendon person. He's a fantastic guy. He's thinking through what is best for Zach into the future. But I can say he's playing at Essendon. And I hear, "Well, he's made this call. It's not recoverable." Football clubs are amazing places of forgiveness and embracement. And I can guarantee you day one of preseason with Zach that things will be resolved and he will be the very best footballer, the very best champion player that he's been for the club and will continue to be.

Further changes to satisfy Merrett?

Hird: So you've changed the fitness staff. You've made clear changes. You've got the best one, two in the competition. Is there anything else that has to change around the football department for someone like Zach to be happy?

Welsh: Yeah, so we're going to continue to go out and source the best people who can help within our football department, both men's and women's programs. Our clear focus as a football club is our football teams. We need to be a football-focused football club. And as strange as that seems, at times I think you can take your eyes off what our priority is. And our priority is providing the best environment, a really connected environment within our football teams and within our football club.

Email to past players, "put the club ahead of yourself":

Hird: And are you aware of the email that went around today amongst the past players? I think 365 past players have received this email to get behind you, stop having factions and get behind and support you.

Eddie: Can I ask who sent it?

Hird: I won't say who sent it, but it was a past player who sent it.

Eddie: A significant past player?

Hird: A significant past player went to pretty much 365 names on this email and basically said, "if you've got a gripe, get over yourself and get on and back Andrew Welsh

Andrew Welsh

Age

42

Ht

188cm

Wt

88kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.4

4star

K

9.7

4star

HB

6.7

4star

M

4.6

4star

T

2.9

4star

CL

1.6

4star

No current season stats available

D

9.6

3star

K

7.4

3star

HB

2.2

2star

M

4.0

4star

T

3.6

5star

".

Welsh: Yeah, and the response to that email has been phenomenal. And that goes back to, let's be part of the solution to get our club back to where we want it to be, rather than the problem and at many times, a feeling of self ahead of club.

Brad Scott:

Eddie: The coach seems to have a PR problem with Essendon people and that might even be Essendon players. Now he was brought in as an agent of change, which is an easy title to have and a hard one to execute. What's Brad's position out there? And is he someone now who needs to come in and play a different role or do you just play the role of president and bring people with him for the ride?

Welsh: Yeah, we've got exceptional leadership with Craig Vozzo as a real football CEO. Brad is an outstanding coach. We probably underestimated the state of the football area when Brad was appointed. So we as a club, and I'm head of football governance, had to take a hard approach to really lift the standards within that area and that has been done. We didn't have the ability this year to implement a football program. We had 15 debutants. People would go, "great, young players". That's not great. We don't want to be in that position. We want to have the rising stars we had, but we don't want to be having that many debutants. So Brad's a fantastic coach. He's got full support and we find that this period now is going to give him the real ability with the high performance area solved to start getting on and building that high performance development area that he's been working on.

"REBUILD or destination club":

Morris: So I hear what you're saying about Merrett, that he'll be there day one of pre-season. How do you allay his fears that he's part of a rebuild and the club won't be successful in his time at the club?

Welsh: Yeah, so I'm not convinced around a rebuild, Tom.

Morris: So what would you call it then?

Welsh: Well, we've got some high quality young players that we've been able to draft in. We're building capacity within our salary cap to target some high A-grade players, but also make sure that we're bringing in multiple A-grade players.

Eddie: Andrew, you can't, you're not going to say exactly, but we reported on this show that the Bombers had a war chest of about 2 million last year coming into this year. So if Merritt was to go, that's going to be significant higher again. 2 to 2.5 is pretty good war chest to have. So is that now where you are, where this year you're hoping to bring players through, and the Bombers now with hopefully you can prove you've got stability, can go and be a destination club because, I'll reiterate it: Essendon is a great football club that has just gone through a horror period, whether it was self-inflicted or otherwise, just circumstances has cruelled this club over the last 20 years. Some of that was hubris back in the early part when the bombers were really great. But you've got the chance now to re-calibrate this incredible institution.

Welsh: Yeah, and that's why this is a real galvanising period for us, Ed, because if you're looking from afar, and you're questioning whether you're coming to Essendon, now we want to be making a statement, that we want to be a destination club, not just for high talent, for players, but also for coaching staff, for support staff, high performance—Matthew Innes is an amazing get for us. So that is a focus of ours. Stability makes you attractive when we are starting to go after some real high end talent.

The Pass Mark:

Hird: If you talk about, it's not a rebuild, what's a pass mark for this trade period and what you can bring in? And then into next year, what do you hope to achieve out of wins and losses in the season?

Welsh: Yeah, so what I'm really looking forward to, is getting players on the park to give us the chance to actually even contemplate wins and losses, Hirdy. We hadn't had the ability to do that. I think the resilience of the playing group and the coaching group this year was phenomenal to be honest because we were going into games where the players had only just met their new teammates the day before. But for them to not win through that period, the coaches to get on a coach the best they possibly could, I think showed amazing resilience. So what we need to do is get our high performance program bedded. We need to get our players playing football. And from there, we will start measuring where we're going to be and when we're going to be. But it's not a rebuild of years away. We've got good talent. We've got good capacity to get in and be active in the trade period both this year and coming years.

Ends:

Eddie: Andrew, you're a winner. You grew up, as I said, in Broadmeadows. Your second cousin's Dane Swan

Dane Swan

Age

41

Ht

185cm

Wt

93kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

26.9

5star

K

16.4

5star

HB

10.4

5star

M

5.9

5star

T

3.1

5star

CL

5.4

5star

No current season stats available

D

12.0

3star

K

7.0

3star

HB

5.0

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

1.0

3star

. You're part of that Scottish fraternity out in Broadmeadows that I know so well. You stayed at school because football kept you in. You went to a scholarship college. You ended up at Windy Hill and played great football. You had injuries and the like. You've been a massive success in property development and you're a self-made person. A little bit different to a lot of the corporates we see coming into football these days. But you're Essendon, right down from your tie right through to your heart. And for what it's worth, tonight, I think there will be a lot of Essendon supporters when we go to the break, who will be punching the air and high-fiving each other. From somebody who's on the cheap seats and has had a wonderful relation with the Essendon Football Club, with Anzac Day and the like, and people like this bloke [Hird] and many others, Kevin Sheedy to today, we wish you all the best because a strong Essendon is something that's essential to the AFL, except when you play Collingwood! But seriously, mate, it's a big step for you. It's a courageous move in your time of life. It's something you don't need to do, but I think everybody in football is glad you have, and good luck.

Welsh: Thanks for the kind words, Ed. I'm looking forward to it.

Hird: Thanks, Andrew. Good luck.

Eddie: Andrew Welsh

Andrew Welsh

Age

42

Ht

188cm

Wt

88kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.4

4star

K

9.7

4star

HB

6.7

4star

M

4.6

4star

T

2.9

4star

CL

1.6

4star

No current season stats available

D

9.6

3star

K

7.4

3star

HB

2.2

2star

M

4.0

4star

T

3.6

5star

is the president of the famous Essendon Football Club.

From Footy Classified: GF, Ken Hinkley & Andrew Welsh

Andrew Welsh

Age

42

Ht

188cm

Wt

88kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.4

4star

K

9.7

4star

HB

6.7

4star

M

4.6

4star

T

2.9

4star

CL

1.6

4star

No current season stats available

D

9.6

3star

K

7.4

3star

HB

2.2

2star

M

4.0

4star

T

3.6

5star

, 24 Sep 2025

This material may be protected by copyright.

 

[Lore]

Do I need to transcribe the club website interview too?

 

[ant555]

Okay, good then.
It was a good save, pushing up the ladder off the field. I'll be looking forward to how that works.
In the mean time, 'pushing quickly up the ladder on the field'... it is what it is.

On footy classified when Hird asked the question about wins and losses next year he basically laid it at the feet of Matthew Innes and the new strength and conditioning coach being able to get the players on the field so we can see where we are at along with a number of good young players we already have. He mentioned chasing A grade players but we where always going to do that and have been doing it, just have not landed any.
Quickly up the ladder is most likely not about next year but within two years based on his answer about it not being a rebuild. He does not view it as a rebuild as the plan is not a long and extended period. Quickly up the ladder is more likely have players fit and playing by the back end of the season and looking to rise up the ladder in 2027. This does align with what Vozzo and Rosa have going on.

 

[ant555]

Smart clubs do not commit to very easily measurable short term statements that they are locked into and the moment they are proven incorrect (before a ball is bounced in another game you play), you are already undermined.
It does not matter that he didn't admit to a rebuild per se.
He denied it wholeheartedly. Just as strong were his comments on Zach and on bringing people into the club.
Those two things are not guaranteed to happen.

What is guaranteed? Media attention on both of those events, IF they do not go the way he said, his comments on the rebuild are instantly turned into "well of course they are in a rebuild and they don't even know it", this is the pressure that bad clubs and bad operators bring on themselves.

Now, they COULD go our way, but it does not gain us anything. We will not get credit for Zach staying, it will be narrative of held to contract.
We will not get credit for attracting a middling ruckman, it will be seen as scrambling.

It was a bad bet, and not a good start, all the faction stuff aside.
I understand total honesty is probably not feasible for an organisation in this area speaking to thousands of emotional fans.
There were and are better ways to handle this than the way they are.

When he was pushed by Hird on footy classified about next year he did not say finals or wins. He said with the new fitness guys the measure will be getting the players fit and playing good footy and we will see where we are. He said we could not implement anything this year because we simply had too many players out of the side at any one time. I think his comment earlier about quickly up the ladder was not meant to be an indicator for next season per say which is why he quickly threw in off the field as well and finding opportunities to improve all areas.

He has certainly doubled down with the Merret stuff. It could possibly blow up on him but my gut feel is it will be a situation where a deal will not get done as I suspect the Hawks certainly do not see his value / price in the same bracket we do. Should he say I guarantee 100% Merrett will be playing with us in round 1 next year. You could say not. Should have been more along the lines of we want Zach to be playing for us and he is a contracted player. No guarantee.

 

[ghostdog]

On footy classified when Hird asked the question about wins and losses next year he basically laid it at the feet of Matthew Innes and the new strength and conditioning coach being able to get the players on the field so we can see where we are at along with a number of good young players we already have. He mentioned chasing A grade players but we where always going to do that and have been doing it, just have not landed any.
Quickly up the ladder is most likely not about next year but within two years based on his answer about it not being a rebuild. He does not view it as a rebuild as the plan is not a long and extended period. Quickly up the ladder is more likely have players fit and playing by the back end of the season and looking to rise up the ladder in 2027. This does align with what Vozzo and Rosa have going on.

That has much more logical clarity about it. I really hope supporters can be patient and not expect too much too 'quickly.'
Innes will have his work cut out for him.

 

[ant555]

That has much more logical clarity about it. I really hope supporters can be patient and not expect too much too 'quickly.'
Innes will have his work cut out for him.

Yes we will have to wait and see. I am not sold on anyone magically being able to fix Ridley and Parish and Langford but you never know.
Also not sold on their time line. I think it will be longer unless they do some miraculous maneuvering.

 

[yodellinhank]

Clubs never admit they are in a full rebuild.

My name is George. I'm unemployed and live with my parents.