News Don Pyke appointed next CEO commencing Jan 15

[Altum Volantes]

The double use of the exclamation point on ‘It means a lot!!’ is awful.

I’ll give The Don the benefit of the doubt for now but sack his proofreader (probably Stocksy).

 

[Priddis Is Done]

Don's first email to members. Bolded probably didn't need to be said but I'm glad he said it

Love it. Inspiring words from our Leader.

 

[Spooky17]

Is Don. Is good.

 

[Rowan18]

I like how he explicitly stated the performance across all 3 teams has been unacceptable.

 

[DanWCE]

Don's first email to members. Bolded probably didn't need to be said but I'm glad he said it

I don't know. Maybe it did. Our song lyrics would lead you to believe otherwise. Don is here to right our majestic ship

 

[Altum Volantes]

The club is asking for your questions for The Don via Facebook for an upcoming interview with Will Schofield

31

Will Schofield

Age

35

Ht

196cm

Wt

94kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

10.6

3star

K

6.5

3star

HB

4.1

3star

M

3.9

4star

T

1.8

4star

MG

154.0

2star

D

5.0

1star

K

2.5

1star

HB

2.5

2star

M

0.5

1star

T

1.5

2star

MG

70.5

1star

D

7.4

2star

K

5.4

2star

HB

2.0

2star

M

3.2

4star

T

1.8

4star

.

Please take a moment to submit something insightful for them to likely ignore, instead focusing on the hive mind of nuffies asking ‘WHY YOU NO BRING BACK TEAM SONG?!1’

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

WHY DIDN'T YOU RIP UP THE OPTUS TURF BEFORE YOU STARTED AS CEO?

 

[JoshWoodenSpoon]

Hi Don, just a quick one on Jetta - what's the point in persisting?

 

[DickDunn]

This is excellent leadership by Pyke. We have rarely led the way with this sort of thing - good to see us taking a stand on an important social issue

AFL clubs push for stand on violence against women

AFL clubs have backed a move by West Coast urging the league to make an organised and coordinated statement this weekend condemning violence against women.

www.theage.com.au

AFL clubs, led by West Coast, are urging the competition to make a statement against violence against women during this weekend’s round of matches.
West Coast chief executive Don Pyke wrote to AFL bosses Andrew Dillon and Laura Kane calling for the AFL and clubs to make an organised and coordinated statement this weekend condemning violence against women.
An AFL spokesman said that all clubs had responded positively to Pyke’s proposal and the AFL was working with clubs to come up with the appropriate response before the weekend.
The response was likely to involve players and coaches on the field before the games, according to a senior source familiar with the discussions.
Pyke’s initiative, which was circulated in a letter to all clubs, was backed by North Melbourne’s CEO Jennifer Watt, who referred to the difficulty that North Melbourne had experienced in finding appropriate services aimed at improving the behaviour of former player Tarryn Thomas

26

Tarryn Thomas

Age

24

Ht

190cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.0

3star

K

5.3

2star

HB

5.7

4star

M

2.1

2star

T

3.3

5star

CL

0.9

3star

D

7.8

2star

K

4.0

1star

HB

3.8

3star

M

1.3

1star

T

3.2

4star

CL

0.2

2star

D

12.8

4star

K

6.2

3star

HB

6.6

4star

M

2.8

3star

T

3.8

5star

CL

0.4

3star

.


In his letter, Pyke raised the idea of the players from all clubs wearing orange armbands. But a senior official from another club said that the clubs were yet to work out what kind of gesture would be fitting, but that there was strong support for a statement.
One club boss also posed whether the AFL and clubs could make a more far-reaching contribution to the issue than just using the public forum of this weekend’s games.
In his correspondence, new West Coast boss Pyke also mentioned the death of a woman in Perth in recent days and the current national climate that has led to major protests in capital cities – and large turnouts – condemning the continued killings of women by men.
Prime Minister Albanese has called a snap national cabinet meeting about violence against women on Wednesday to address growing community uproar about rates of violence against women. In 2024, a woman has been violently killed every four days – a significantly higher rate than in recent years.


The Prime Minister attended a march calling for action against violence against women in Sydney on the weekend.
Thomas was sacked by the Kangaroos for inappropriate behaviour towards women earlier this year and is serving an 18-match AFL-imposed suspension. Thomas has to complete an education course before the AFL consents to allowing him to be registered to play again, but he cannot return to the AFL in 2024 due to the timing of his suspension.
Thomas was suspended by North Melbourne in 2023 and initially charged by police with threatening to distribute an intimate image before prosecutors agreed to drop the charge in July and replaced it with another offence of using a carriage service to harass. He did not record a conviction for a criminal offence.
Police have not charged Thomas for any of the subsequent incidents from 2024 that led to his AFL suspension.

​

The AFL has a partnership with Our Watch, the national organisation committed to preventing violence against women and children.
Our Watch CEO Patty Kinnersly is also a member of the Carlton board and has been influential in shaping the “Carlton Respects” program, which promotes gender equality and was developed, according to the club, “in response to the alarming statistics around family and domestic violence in Australia”.
The deaths of 29 women in the first four months of this year equated to one every 4.17 days. “We are looking at a shocking rate of violent deaths of women this year that exceeds anything Australia has experienced in recent years,” Kinnersly said last week. “The community, men and women, are demanding that this ends, and ends now.”

 

[PremiershipNo4]

Far out, has this bloke been a breath of fresh air for the footy club. Thank you Don

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

Is Don. Is good.

 

[InTheWings]

Don also brought up waving scarves and jackets this Saturday as well. Love that he is promoting the traditions.

 

[THE A5]

Don also open to the idea of deleting Dark Sharks account

 

[Spod]

It's amazing how much he has changed the club in such a short time - it feels powerful, proud and meaningful again. That seemed very far away six months ago.

 

[Mulldogg]

Don also brought up waving scarves and jackets this Saturday as well. Love that he is promoting the traditions.

I’m curious to see footage from the game when we wore the all yellow strip. Must have been very early days. 1988?

I think I’ve seen a game where we wore the royal blue wings with the yellow shorts but not the full Big Bird look.

 

[InTheWings]

I’m curious to see footage from the game when we wore the all yellow strip. Must have been very early days. 1988?

I think I’ve seen a game where we wore the royal blue wings with the yellow shorts but not the full Big Bird look.

According to this site http://www.footyjumpers.com/1987WCE.htm round 11 1987 against Footscray was one of the games.

 

[Farang83150]

Always remember Steve Malaxos in the yellow shorts, don't know why but he was the first one I thought of when Pyke mentioned the yellow the other day.

 

[ROO DOGG]

Loved the interview with pyke on the Scodown, he answered every question perfectly. Finally the club is open to new ideas like staying over east for a fortnight to cut down travel. Looking forward to some of the changes in the near future.

 

[Dazzler9]

I’m curious to see footage from the game when we wore the all yellow strip. Must have been very early days. 1988?

I think I’ve seen a game where we wore the royal blue wings with the yellow shorts but not the full Big Bird look.

 

[RookiePick]

Dermie using his noggin'

Ripper grab by Winmar!

 

[Altum Volantes]

This is excellent leadership by Pyke. We have rarely led the way with this sort of thing - good to see us taking a stand on an important social issue

AFL clubs push for stand on violence against women

AFL clubs have backed a move by West Coast urging the league to make an organised and coordinated statement this weekend condemning violence against women.

www.theage.com.au

What I liked about that was that it has been done internally, not via the media.

Judging by the article, the information has come from North Melbourne (of course, they can’t help themselves).

Don and team probably would have preferred to wait for the details to be confirmed before putting it out to the world but oh well, it’s an important message.

 

[Altum Volantes]

I’m curious to see footage from the game when we wore the all yellow strip. Must have been very early days. 1988?

I think I’ve seen a game where we wore the royal blue wings with the yellow shorts but not the full Big Bird look.

I’m more concerned about Don’s recollection of when we wore the ‘full yellow’ - he didn’t debut for the club until Round 1 1989 - and we had shelved the yellow jumper at the end of 1988.

According to the footyjumpers website, we didn’t don (pun fully intended) it at all in ‘89 - let alone with yellow shorts. I don’t recall the club bringing it back again until Retro Rounds in the 2000s, after Don had retired.

Is it possible the club wore the full yellow in an unlisted practice game or perhaps an unseen intraclub match early in Don’s playing days?

Yes, entirely.

OR could this be the first chink in the armour of Teflon Don? His ‘Gaff and Brayshaw played golf on the weekend’ moment?

The plot thickens like yellow custard.

 

[FKASC]

This is excellent leadership by Pyke. We have rarely led the way with this sort of thing - good to see us taking a stand on an important social issue

AFL clubs push for stand on violence against women

AFL clubs have backed a move by West Coast urging the league to make an organised and coordinated statement this weekend condemning violence against women.

www.theage.com.au

Pleasantly shocked that the club was proactive on this. Pity he wasn’t focusing on tearing up the MRP turf, but still.

 

[AsterixTheGaul]

Don is leading this club to be more relevant.

Traditions - bringing back banners, scarf waving, etc
Recruiting the best - Pearce, Harley, Clarke, Innes, Burgin
Eradicating prior mistake - inflatable and reusable tunnel
Influencing the AFL - this round, hopefully on drafting rules, priority pick abolishment, etc

This sort of influence has to be felt by Noah as he leads the "Us young boys brigade"

As one of the early movers in the "Time to farewell King Nissie I", this was the breathe of fresh air I had hoped and that we have lacked. I must say it is happening faster than I had expected.

Now I can start to dream about premiership cup number 5 with more optimism.

 

[Keys]

Don is leading this club to be more relevant.

Traditions - bringing back banners, scarf waving, etc
Recruiting the best - Pearce, Harley, Clarke, Innes, Burgin
Eradicating prior mistake - inflatable and reusable tunnel
Influencing the AFL - this round, hopefully on drafting rules, priority pick abolishment, etc

This sort of influence has to be felt by Noah as he leads the "Us young boys brigade"

As one of the early movers in the "Time to farewell King Nissie I", this was the breathe of fresh air I had hoped and that we have lacked. I must say it is happening faster than I had expected.

Now I can start to dream about premiership cup number 5 with more optimism.

I broadly agree with your post but if the Burgin you’ve mentioned is Matt Burgin the sports psychologist, he’s been at the club since the end of 2022

Pyke has been a breath of fresh air as you said but some of the changes were either made or in progress prior to his appointment

What he’s been very good at is reconnecting with the club’s traditions and bringing renewed focus on our successful history without losing sight of the work required to reach those heights again