Harvey Wallbanger

Members have been told to wait for the results of our external reviews to drop? They may then be consulted about buying a membership. Say end of October?

Love it. The Great and the Good will decide what is good for us. We weren't even having an external review (or two) a month ago. Then a light was shone on the place and (blink of the eye) the President departed. No need to share anything with the members. It's all going swimmingly. Relax - the remaining Board members have it all under control.

"Quietly, behind the scenes". Gee that sort of approach has worked well during the last three years. Three current Federal Court cases on foot with suits against the current President (until the Board vote again later this year), the current Vice President (twice), a retiring director (twice) the immediate former President (twice), a former director and two other current directors (once).

Just wondering if anyone knew how our external reviews were going? We know Darren Shand is helping out Gary Pert and Brad Green reviewing the Football Department. Anyone know who the unnamed "external independent expert" is who is helping the Board examine itself?

I feel we need to get to the bottom (or is it the top?) of this!

You're right - GWS list him as 194 cm - earlier reports had him at 197 cm. Lost an inch somewhere along the way. 🙂

197 cm actually

Welcome back Kev. Beasley did an ACL Kev so you won't see her for a while.

One for the AFL Integrity Unit for sure! Or did Mr Dillon just read it out incorrectly?

And then the Big O does his shoulder. Grundy is blessed - oh well, over to you Darcy Fort.

Saturday 28 November 2026 apparently.

I think Brody is the Swans' biggest weakness next weekend. Longmire will hope that they play Geelong rather than Brisbane. I thought Sweet monstered Brody tonight. The Swans were smashed in clearance.

Did you read the extract? - We got to the second stage of a feasibility last time. Don't get me wrong. I hope it happens - but please keep us informed. The members might actually be able to help. There are a lot of us.

Oh dear - I thought we had that side of politics covered? Who does he barrack for?

Extract below from the end of year 2022 Annual report: The Club continued discussions regarding a long-term Training & Administration Facility, participating in second stage feasibility study with the Victorian State Government on a site within the Melbourne & Olympic Parks precinct. Securing an appropriate outcome is a strategic priority of the Club, however it is a long-term project that can only move at the speed determined by the Victorian State Government given our requirement for land and funding. We thank the Victorian State Government and AFL for their continued support as we pursue a long-term home for the Club. You may be thinking about the proposal to build over Jolimont station which got scotched in the time frame you mentioned. The extract above does remind us of the distance between a feasibility study (that one had a second stage!) and construction commencing......and/or nothing happening at all.

So no-one should resign? So no accountability for the CEO who has been there since 2018 and penned a 4-year strategic plan suggesting construction commencement in the MCG precinct in 2023? There may be good reasons why that didn't/hasn't happened, but the members haven't been told? Is that possibility officially dead? - I suspect Yes. Please tell us - or is the MCG precinct Plan B? Any of this home base failure part of the external reviews going on? Perhaps not - because one review is of the Board itself and most of them have been there 3 years or less (so can claim the last plan wasn't theirs). And the other review is of the football department. Guess who isn't specifically being reviewed?

Thank you for standing down Skuit. And Whispering Jack, I am not being paid to post on this site, so please don't send me a bill. 🙂

I hear he wants to but he's not allowed to.

Please explain how those words are not correct? Candidates may not be "giving an interview that is transmitted to the general public by way of the media, including radio, television, blog or vlog"

Making the reasonable assumption that he spent something similar to the Club on legals in this case (and he had a history of donating generously to the Club before the CEO told him those donations were no longer welcome) I reckon the Club starts about $1.4 million behind on the foundations for Caulfield. What a shame - all of that to avoid a Board candidate being interviewed by Gerard Whateley - no other Victorian AFL Club prevents that. Maybe raises a few questions about the personal ambitions of the Board incumbents as they review themselves. Ollie, I don't think this will be forgotten when the financials for this year drop and the Q&A opens at the AGM.

A balanced and capable Board? This is a Board that spent $650,000 "winning" a case which adopted pretty much all of the sensible changes to election rules and processes that were proposed in October last year. And in their triumph, they told members - don't worry we'll chase the bloke to recover costs. What did they get? Zero. Don't think there will be any flashy announcements about that development.

Hopefully a few more may be interested this year DD. The rule changes emerging from the Federal Court case mean all voting members will get a direct notice before the Call for Nominations is made and will also be provided with a timetable of events through to the AGM.

Jimmy Munro last year and Mitch this year - boy we need to firm things up down there.

Pretty clear that Skuit has a high opinion of the Board and the CEO and I, a simple supporter, do not. Hopefully the members will get their chance to express their opinion in respect of the former soon. I wonder what the "external" review of the Board of itself/by itself will conclude?

Gee you don't think much of our poor old voting members do you? That elitist approach you have just outlined has led to how many Court cases recently? - just finished one (how much did that cost?) to make changes to election processes that were obvious, continued just to stop Board candidates being interviewed by Gerard Whateley. And three cases on the go at the moment - one against 4 Board members, a second against 7 Board members and a single one against the current Vice President. Not to mention the worst facilities in the AFL. A Board that has jettisoned two Presidents in three years. I can see the AFL looking over proceedings at Melbourne and saying "everything's just fine!".