Lucifers Hero

Talk of PJ being ‘shut out’ of, or unhappy with the process might be ‘fugazi’ or there may be some substance. I don't know. But before we get hung up about it, it is worth looking at a typical Executive Search process - Bartlett/Board engages Russell Reynolds who use their network to identify, interview and profile candidates from which a short list is compiled to give to Barlett. He (and nominees eg another Board member, AFL rep) choose which to interview and who to recommend to the Board. The process happens at RR premises or other neutral venues. RR would have strict confidentiality protocols precluding them from discussing candidates/short list with anyone outside this process (and certainly not with the boss or referee of a candidate). So on a rational level I can see how the process by its nature, excludes an incumbent CEO/boss of multiple candidates ie PJ, from the loop. I can also see all sorts of things that may displease a candidate or PJ during that process but I would only be speculating to write them here. However, on an emotional level, if I was in PJ’s shoes I would desperately want to have a say in who takes over the care of my ‘foster child’ and push for ‘my guy’ or 'guys' to carry on my work. Which of course is exactly why independent executive search firms are engaged. It would be a very sad day, if PJ was to leave us on a downer as he deserves to go in a blaze of glory. So I will assume the talk of him not being happy is just 'fugazi'.

Just found these tweets. It seems Tom Browne has backtracked a bit on his comment about our President 'thumbing his nose' at Jackson: And So last night's media ooh, aah stuff was probably just a knee jerk reaction to give themselves something to write about as they missed the scoop. Today, wiser heads prevail

Short answer: No. But it is common to have succession planning in place. Long answer: Ultimately it is still the responsibility of a Board to find the best candidate. Bartlett drove the search process having engaged head hunters: Russell Reynolds. In our case it is our Board and the AFL (who still pull the strings as we are not entirely out of the woods). Caroline Wilson reported a few weeks ago that MFC wanted Mahoney but the AFL had other ideas. No idea if that is true. However, we do know the AFL is not beyond using Machiavellian methods to get its way. If the AFL did lean on our Board to appoint Pert I understand why. It is highly probable they will chip in land and or $ for our new facilities and they want to make sure the CEO can deliver. Pert has a track record of achievement in that area which is our next and critical phase of development. He is definitely the low risk option.

I'm not worried about the three internal candidates who missed out. Two of them would be disappointed regardless of who got the gig. Hopefully, good practice and good sense has prevailed and they were told where their experiences fell short of the requirements. If its all done with goodwill there is no reason for someone to spit the dummy and just leave. After all, to be CEO of an AFL club, or senior staffer in AFL HQ a person needs AFL 'endorsement'. So they need to gain the AFL's confidence and the required experience which may be at the Dees or elsewhere. The person I am more worried about losing is Jason Taylor. Hopefully, he and Pert were good mates at the Pies as I would hate for Taylor to start looking elsewhere. He is a real 'must keep' for mine.

I saw that and thought: not for us. He is 31 in a few weeks and had a plantar fascia injury a few months ago. Came back early and immediately did more damage and now out for at least 2-3 weeks. It sounds similar to our own JV situation so MM could be out a lot longer. At least Jack has time and youth on his side. With Murphy one is never too sure how many he games he would get to play before he retires.

A little bit underwhelmed, Bb?

A few points on overseeing a footy department. 1. Sometimes the CEO and the Board must get involved in list management eg when a player decision will bring much media scrutiny eg Grimes, Trengove, Watts, Lever. Or selection of Captains etc. It s essential everyone sings from the same song book when the media comes calling. 2. Chris Judd recently said on FC that Bolton is rock solid as their coach and they had just extended his contract. Judd's explanation was that the Board had signed off on the List Management strategy and the Game Plan. Bolton was delivering to the Board's KPI's. 3. I would expect the CEO and Board to sign off on any 'outside the parameters' player contracts. etc It is about good governance, so the CEO and the Board must be involved in the football matters but at a strategic level and not a day to day management level. The key is to get the balance right between the Eddie show; the CS/CC level interference and letting the football department do their own thing. Only time will tell if Pert can do that. (I doubt he would have survived for 10 years as a CEO anywhere if he wasn't a very good juggler).

Last year Collingwood was a shambles: Gubby was suspended, Eddie was under pressure on many fronts and nearly cost CFC major sponsors. Pert fell on his sword. There are no secrets in the AFL. Any dirty laundry Pert had would have been well aired and the club would have quizzed him as they did Goodwin when he came from Ess. We have come too far and too much work still to do for our Board to take the chance with someone who can't deliver and keep the solid culture PJ et al have created. Trust Jackson. Trust the Board. They haven't let us down yet. I don't think they have this time.

Quotes from the article: "He was endorsed by the Demons board on Wednesday after being described as the standout candidate from a short-list of five. Pert, who comes with the blessing of the AFL, will replace Peter Jackson, who is contracted until the end of October". "The Demons considered Pert the perfect fit for a club on the rise, as well as his expertise in new facilities as Melbourne is set to announce plans for a new training and administration base away from their current set-up at the MCG and adjacent AAMI Park". For mine, he fits the bill of having a breadth of experience in clubs and the industry, knows his way around the halls of AFL HQ and is our Board's choice. The more I think about it the more I like it. He is a very good operator. No leaks! Well done MFC for keeping it quiet!

To my mind, failing the NDH test means someone does DH type things from time to time but it doesn't mean they are a DH as a person so no I didn't call him such. The last sentence of your post suggests he doesn't fit Goodwin's mantra of players having the right behaviours.

I have a horrible feeling that might be Tyson. He doesn't draw the attention Watts did so the media don't ask too many questions but their are some unsettling similarities.

@Sir Why You Little You ask what happened? From the Crows Chairman: https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/crows-chairman-makes-concession-on-camp-20180614-p4zlg6.html “The people that were running the camp probably could’ve explored better ways of using some terminology that might’ve had an impact on our Aboriginal Indigenous players … we addressed that some months ago." Yet the company, Collective Mind is still running programs for them and their captain is proudly on the Home page of said company's website. http://www.collectivemind.com.au/ That they are still using the company and that what was said/way it was said has been described as 'unthinkable' makes one wonder where the Crows really are at with their indigenous policies and respect and support of indigenous players. Given that the camp was in some secret place, out of contact with the outside world (and family) it is easy to understand how Eddie might be very uncomfortable with his place at the Crows. The way Eddie has handled this shows he is the one with dignity and integrity.

The round starts early this week with Port vs Bulldogs tonight at Adelaide Oval. Some important games this weekend: - Top 4 play each other - Big 8 point games. Potential Home Final at stake: 3rd vs 1st: Swans vs Eagles 4th vs 2nd: Geelong vs Tigers. - Top 8 aspirants: 11th vs 10th: Hawks vs Crows The other two games are Freo vs Carlton and GCS vs Saints. Freo to take care of Carlton who seem happy to get the wooden spoon again (and the draft spoils that go with it). And GCS and Saints will be some sort of scraggy arm wrestle.

I guess it wouldn't surprise to know that 2016 was his last OOC year. I have little confidence that he will do the hard work consistently. Seems to like flashy, cameos too much.

Yes, check my post above - I named the more important OOC players to retain: Bugg, Balic, Keilty, Harmes, Johnstone. We shopped Kent around last year. No takers so it isn't a matter of being 'squeezed' out this year as he is probably a better player than most of those I've named. Simply, there is no place for DH's on our list or most AFL lists.

Thanks for giving the gist of the article, Wb. Kent fails the NDH test and is not a team player. There were no takers for him last year. His manager (correctly) is canvassing the options early, this year. Given how Freo and Eagles are playing he would struggle to get a trade to back 'home'. But GCS might take him, maybe even Carlton or StKilda. But I think he has limited options. When it comes down to other players who are OOC this year, I would rather we keep the likes of Bugg, Balic, Keilty, Harmes, Johnstone. We may see more of these articles if players have had a 'mid-season review'. Edit @poitaI'm guessing the 'midfield minutes' is the saving face pitch his manager is putting out there.

Pretty much agree with that except maybe GWS as they are getting there very best players back from injury. Only thing is we will not have taken a real 'scalp' all season ie an in-form team at the time we beat them (except maybe Port). While I do believe that once in the finals anyone can win the silverware unless we can beat a couple of Port, GWS, Cats, Swans, Eagles then I don't like our chances of going very far in September. I want to see us do more than just make the finals and would hate for us to go out in a landslide like Ess or close shave like Port last year.

I don't think we will miss finals. To me we not only need to make finals we need to show we are a true finals contender. The test for this I think will be round 21 vs Sydney at the G. In that game we will need to: Deal with big time expectations/pressure Beat an inform top team Show our game plan stands up at the G vs smart, well disciplined, well coached teams. (Our MCG wins have been vs poor/average teams, as are those before rnd 21). Redeem our abysmal 2017 performance vs Syd at the G: 7.8.50 vs 11.19.85 (15 scoring shots to 30!!) If we lose other 'tests' vs good teams (Port and Geelong) the pressure for the Syd game will be very higher on the richter scale. Round 21 is the litmus test for how much we have improved! It is the closest 'like for like' we have to 2017. We will have everything to play for and to show how much we have improved physically, mentally and tactically. Players and coaches will need to be at their 100% best to beat Sydney. Win and we will the finals a decent shake. Lose and we will be making up the numbers.

Either the coaches didn't see Gibson's comments/votes beforehand or they concur. If they didn't see them they should start doing so. If they concur it is a bit concerning.

Not an oversight. Votes on Club website: 3 Votes: Jay Kennedy-Harris. 2 Votes: Oskar Baker. 1 Vote: Corey Wagner But there might be a clue here as to why Tyson isn't in the votes: Apologies to: Dom Tyson and Tom Bugg compiled some impressive midfield numbers and were unlucky to miss out on votes. The pair found plenty of the ball and shared it with each other regularly, looking dominant at VFL-level. Perhaps the possessions from 'sharing the ball' regularly were devalued...?

That is not quite what Gus said. What I heard was that on Monday we weren't at our best. So not being at our best if we had limped over the line then they could become complacent going into the bye break. So losing on QB prevents that. Sorry to be pedantic. http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-06-13/podcast-are-magpies-genuine-premiership-contender It is a worry tho' that our players would become complacent at any time in the season regardless of how many games we win or by how much: blowout or close shave. Not sure they're cured of the 'bathwater syndrome' yet. Agree Gus is really good on AFL Exchange. He is on air often. Anyone know if it is a regular gig for him?

Not sure if this has been posted anywhere - Tom Mc and Oliver made TOTW. http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2018-06-13/oliver-mcdonald-in-team-of-the-week And on FC the other night Chris Judd named Oliver as the best under 21y.o. in the league and will one day win a Brownlow?

I'm a fan for his loyalty and his love of the demons. His fans and detractors alike acknowledged his sublime skills and his lack of intensity for the contest, inconsistency and for setting a poor example. Nothing to fess up about there. However, I do fess up to defending him against the vitriol thrown at him by his detractors on this board. Anyway, we have heard it all before. Perhaps the mods can merge this with the designated 'Jack Watts in 2018' thread.

Sorry, I can't support that. Essendon deliberately cheated on a large scale. It callously used its players as guinea pigs. I have no issue with the players' now. They paid a hefty price and mostly moved elsewhere. But the club will in my eyes, forever be cheats and do not deserve to be part of major celebrations for any cause.

Lewis's take on why we the lost: http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2018-06-12/losses-provide-chance-to-learn-lewis “They blocked up the corridor which forced us down the line a lot.” “They isolated their forwards, (Mason) Cox had a really good day and a few of their other forwards pitched in as well, so it wasn’t a great day defensively from us,” “They were dominant around the midfield, our defenders were out of play and our forwards were out of play, so there’s learnings to come from every line.” Yep, a lot to learn from yesterday. While its a damn shame we couldn't adjust for any of that during the game we can be confident that a plan will be put in place for next time it happens, I hope.