Tomorrow night we see footy back on the fields and on our TV’s. Tomorrow night St Kilda v Richmond kick-off a tenuous AFLW season. I say tenuous, given the situation around the country with regards to the Omicron strain of COVID-19 and the significant rise of cases. Given last season was cut short due to the increase of COVID cases, I suspect that every club, every player, administrator, coach, supporter and the AFL mechanism as a whole will be crossing every finger in the hope that it doesn’t get cancelled again.

The competition has been growing steadily since the AFLW started as a viable and dynamic part of the AFL world. We are seeing skills and abilities grow with each and every season. We are seeing girls who once had nowhere to go to in terms of their footy goals to be able to, if lucky enough, get selected to play for a club in the AFLW world.

For Carlton, we have seen players move away from the Navy Blue and seek new teams and new environments. I’m not here to discuss their motivations or their seeming bitterness towards a club they started with. I want to concentrate on the upcoming season and the club’s possibilities currently in front of them.

One of the most significant things that came out so far has been the very emotional video by our very own Darcy Vescio. I applauded and shed tears with Darcy as they declared themselves to be non-binary.

The raw and deep-seated way they announced to the world who they want to be seen deserves our respect, admiration, and understanding. Yet it seems that some just do not get this and resort to sinking into a gutter of criticism and ridicule that is, well, simply, showing the level of empathy and understanding that some just do not have. Some people believe that it is better to voice a nasty side instead of saying nothing (and this includes our men’s team).

I am a huge, huge, huge supporter of someone being who they are and what they want to be seen as, so long as it does not hurt or affect others. Darcy should be recognized for giving a public voice to those who feel the same way and are too scared to say anything. I want to concentrate not on their statement, but on their skills in the field and their leadership in the team, and I sincerely believe that across the AFLW world, they are a force that every player wants to contain.

I am looking forward to seeing the growth in skills and general “grunt” on the field with familiar players and seeing how much they have developed over the year. I am also looking forward to seeing our newbies and what they will bring to the team.

Season 2022 begins this Friday, and I cannot wait. I cannot wait to see how the team is fairing and how much we have grown and become a better, stronger and more determined team. I believe this starts not with the game on Sunday but started with a fearless and determined player who began the year on their terms and their identification. The strength in their statement should be the start of voicing the team’s intention of being nothing but themselves on the field and off and putting their passion into the game they love and the team they represent.

Can’t explain it, but I do feel a tinge of excitement about this season in the AFLW. I just hope that it won’t be interrupted or cancelled this year.

#GOBLUES!

See link below for Darcy’s video.

https://www.carltonfc.com.au/video/1043768/unfiltered-darcy-vescio?videoId=1043768&modal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1641345300001

“Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure? Measure a year?” (Lyrics Seasons of Love, Rent)

Powerful words, and given the year we have had, they have a very significant meaning, especially as a Victorian and a Carlton FC supporter. So how do we measure 2021, given what has been played out in the media and on social media, regarding what has transpired at our club?

I can honestly say that I have learned a lot about many who spout words that carry no real meaning. I have learned that some steep to online name-calling, bullying on social media then turnaround and insist on equality and respect. I have learned that if you have a different view or opinion, you are not a true Carlton supporter.

The most wonderful thing about our society is that people can have differing views and opinions without being arrested, jailed or beaten up (in most cases). Yet, for some, the very difference is what irks them, and they cannot and do not accept this. They resort to a low that is similar to the low that we saw when protestors literally desecrated the Shrine of Remembrance in Victoria. I have no issue with anyone’s right to disagree, but it must be done with integrity and respect, any other way, and you are no better than the countries where speaking out could cost you your life.

Our club this year went through a significant overhaul, and some were excited about this; some were not. Some embraced it, some did not. Some were adamant that the club had got it right; some were skeptical. No matter what side you sit on or what you believe, it will take five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes to measure the success or failure of 2022.

As for me, I have been skeptical and hesitant, but it does not make me any inclined to not support a club I love. I don’t support a club based on a person or persons. I base it on the club as a whole. People come and go, but the foundation of what makes a club is the one that should be supported. It should also be nurtured and strengthened by a culture that includes everyone, no matter their views (regarding the club).

So for the last time in 2021, may the season be one of togetherness, happy times and a feeling of what the club and footy must stand for – community.
May 2022 measure our year that sees us close the door to the last ten years and open it anew with a sense of hope and promise of possibilities. May we embrace our differences with respect and understand that we all want the same thing – a successful club in the end!

Merry Christmas to all that celebrate it, and a happy, safe and keep well, New Year.

#GOBLUES!

Liam Jones has called time on his AFL career amid the issue he has had with his reluctance to get the COVID-19 vaccine. After the announcement and the release from the Carlton FC that neither will make no further statement on his decision, the huge dichotomy between supporters and the media makes me ask…what the hell is wrong with people?

I do not understand those that spout respect and the rights of people to choose the life that is for them, then do a 360 and berate and call him names that are anything but respectful. Let me be perfectly clear. I am fully vaccinated! It is my choice, my educated choice not based on conspiracy theories or those spouted on media platforms, but based on a discussion I have had with my GP, whom I have been a patient of his for over twenty years. He knows me. He knows my stance on medication, and he knows my medical history. It is his information and advice that it is the only one that I took on board. He went through the pros and cons, and I made my decision. It was not based on “following the sheep pack”, as some have said those vaccinated are doing.

I am pro-vaccination, but I respect everyone’s decision based on informative knowledge and not websites that promote one way or another, nor those so-called “experts” who are not. No matter who you are, everyone has the right to choose a path that is theirs and theirs alone. If it means not getting vaccinated, then it is their choice. It is also their choice to live in a way that is not steeped in violence but one that, for them, right now, is the only way they can live. It is their choice, and if that means they don’t mix in the community as they would have liked, then so be it. Yes, it would put others in the community in harm’s way, but then again, walking past a person who smokes puts others in harm’s way with the proliferation of secondary smoke inhalation.

But this is not the point of this, well, rant. The way some have treated Jones’s decision shows that they may talk the talk but do not walk the walk in terms of what it means to have respect. Is it based on their limited parameters of the definition of respect? That it is their definition and only theirs that is correct? Has anyone thought that maybe there is more to the story than just a reluctance to get vaccinated? Why should a person, no matter who they are, have to tell us their reasonings? If they want to walk away, then logically, there has to be more than what is being alluded to, doesn’t there?

Social media has become a place that does not “share the good” but displays a nastiness that borders on bullying, harassment and disrespect. Given what the world is experiencing now, shouldn’t we all have more compassion and empathy? Shouldn’t we work together to mend our world rather than fractionalize it even more with the vitriol others spout on social media? What is wrong with people?

I have been appalled by some who post sarcastic and bullying posts directed at our players and supporters on social media. I have chosen not to reply to their posts because I refuse to sink to their level.

I am a Carlton FC supporter, and while in the past year, the club has seen a fracture that I hope in time will mend, and even if I have been critical of how this year has transpired, I have not sunk to a level of name-calling. I have been criticized for my views, but I accept that others have different ideas, but on the whole, I have total respect for their opinions, as long as it is based on logic and not insults.

The tirade from others about Liam Jones’s decision is not respectful, and neither are others’ disregard for his decision. I disagree with it, but I accept it because it is his and his alone and to be honest, I think there is more to this than meets the eye, and whether this is revealed or not, makes no difference to me, and it shouldn’t to you. Accept it. Respect it and move on!

Good luck, Liam Jones!

#GOBLUES!

Every year since 2001, every Carlton supporter has gone down a dark and gloomy road from the scandal that rocked the club to the turning over of five coaches in ten years.  We have played out the demise of this great and one of the oldest clubs in the AFL world in the pages of history that have not been that kind to us.  We have seen amazing players who should have more to their resumes than what they left with and while we have seen some success, there has not been much.

We have seen how each and every time a coach gets tossed out, there is a promise that the next one will get this club to where it needs to be.  And through all of this, supporters, real, true die-hard, bleed blue, supporters have stuck by the club. For the past twenty years, we have played as a victim of a circumstance that was not of the supporters doing, and it is they who have suffered the most in this regard. I am tired of playing the victim as it is not one that I subscribe to in my life in any way shape or form, and the club as a whole, in its entirety, also needs to stop playing the victim and stop with the talk and get with the action.

This year, we have seen the club succumb once more to being in the realm of the media in all forms, not for the right reasons, and the club has again had the dark clouds loom over Ikon Park. We have been fractured and split. Yet we have seen maybe a glimmer of sunshine amongst the dark clouds with the change of a CEO, a President, some of the Board and more importantly, the Head Coach and the assistants. Yet even though we have once more gone down the road of sackings, and they were massive ones, the glimmer lies in that maybe, just maybe, it is right this time. But no one, not even Luke Sayers, can comfortably state that all of what happened in the past, is now behind us, with any firm commitment. For some, it is words that have been said before, and there needs to be action, not rhetoric.

Sure, there have been massive changes at the club, and hopefully, they will be for the better and get this club back to where it belongs – at the top. Sure, we have the playing depth that can hopefully garnish success but saying it is vastly different from actually showing it. I am not someone who will go along with the crowd that state that the changes made will ensure success when there is not one person in the world who can guarantee that in this sense, with absolute certainty. And those who do hold some scepticism are fully entitled to harbour that. Does that mean they are any less supporters or supportive of the club and the team – absolutely NOT! They are still fully paid-up members, supporters, fans, die-hard, bleed navy blue people. But they want to see the change, not just hear it. They want to see that the Board will do precisely what it must do – support the players, the coaches and those around them to ensure that one thing and one thing only must be achieved – success. They want to see that even if obstacles and bumps in the road thwart this journey, that they will back all those involved to the very end. You can talk the talk, but you need to walk the walk to garnish any real credibility, and that starts with drawing a line in the sand of our past and say “ENOUGH!” Right here and now, the rise of the Carlton FC begins, and we will not allow our past twenty years to dictate our future. Do that and show that, and I can guarantee one thing – those hesitant supporters will not be anymore. Only then can we stop playing the victim of our past and become a success for the now and the future.

A video on YouTube has summed up the past twenty years of our club, and if you watch it, you could be sad and angry with what has happened, but now we have a chance to put that back into the basement of history to gather dust, where it belongs. We now have to cross that line from the past and look ahead to the future. It does not come with concrete guarantees, but it will come with a chance to heal and move forward with pride in the Navy Blue. This has to be something that everyone at the club, from the Board to the grounds people, have to get behind, fully and completely. Because without that, we will keep running on a wheel that just does not stop. We have to stop and stop now.

We have to step over that line of the past and concentrate on the possibilities of what the future could hold for the club. It starts not with words, not with changes within the club, but with a determination that these changes will be the foundation of eventual success. It begins with action on the field and the culture within the club. Do that, and our past will gather dust in the realms of history. If not, then the cycle will continue, and all that would have changed would be just the changing faces of people.

I am hopeful, cautiously, but hopeful. But never doubt for one second that I will not continue to support the club or pay my membership or go to games wherever they may be, but I am one of those who is tired of words and want to see action. Not in particular areas, but across the entire club, which means action in changing our culture to one of pride of representing the Navy Blue no matter if you are a player or an administrator.

The heart of our club lies in its history of success, not in the history of the past twenty years, especially the last ten. It’s time to reignite that and collectively walk over that line of being a victim to being a success. That is what I want to see.

#GOBLUES!

The announcement that after weeks of speculation and posturing, Carlton FC has now confirmed the appointment of Michael Voss as senior Coach. With the appointment of Brian Cook as the new CEO and the sacking of some of the assistant coaches, it seems that on the surface, Carlton has come out and made a statement that should lead them into future successes.

While I congratulate the club for getting Brian Cook and the appointment of Michael Voss, I will not be one of those people who will jump up and down right now. I have been down that path before, and I will reserve my judgement and excitement until mid-way next season when we should hopefully see the fruits of what has transpired since the Bye this year.

I will respectfully support the new coach and get behind him to achieve what he and the club want to achieve, but I will not be one that will be thrilled. I need to see results. I will not listen to anyone who says they can guarantee that we will get better because I’m tired of talk. I want to see action. I will not be one that will blindly follow rhetoric for the sake of it.

I have the right to support the club, and I will with the same passion and vigour that I always have done, but it will be with some trepidation. If I’m proven that the changes made at the club will ensure success, then and only then will I get excited. But the process of how we got to where we are has shown me the true nature of some, and I cannot forget that.

Over the past months, I have seen how what has transpired has seen ego’s being stroked and blind following without rationality. I have seen and read those who just cannot accept that others have a right to a different view and opinion. Irrespective of where you sit, everyone has the right to disagree. It is how this disagreement gets communicated that shows the true nature of someone.

I would like to say congratulations to Michael Voss for becoming the coach of Carlton FC. I wish you nothing but success, and I really hope you can turn this club around. I will not pressure you to insist that in 2022 you have to take the team to the top 8. Work through the issues, come up with solutions, and ensure that together with Brian Cook and whoever is there to support you does just that – support you. I hope in season 2022, the club turns a corner for the better, but given what has transpired over the past ten years, I am entitled to reserve my final judgement.

Congratulations Michael Voss.

GO BLUES!

What is transformation? What is the essence of what this word means? How does this apply to the Carlton FC and the position it is in at the moment?

Transformation happens when a complete change in the appearance or character of something or someone, so much so that the thing or person is improved.

If you have a run-down or old house and renovate it, you are transforming it from old, dull and worn out to a bright, new, fresh building. When you transform an old car into one that looks brand new, you are improving the car from what it was to what it is now.

The transformation of a person is when that person looks at themselves and say I need to change. They can change their appearance and look, but they must also change who they are for the transformation to be complete and valid. Transforming a house or a car can only be seen on the surface, and that is because an inanimate object is just that – something that has no real heart or soul. Transforming a person must contain two transformations to be legitimately honest and complete – surface and under the surface. Otherwise, everyone can see the outside transformations, but inside, nothing changes and therefore, the transformation is superficial, and while the appearance may change, the core of a person does not.

The same transformation occurs when it comes to the collective in an organization and, in this case, a football club because it is not the building that may be transformed but those that traverse its corridors that is pivotal in a successful transformation.

Peggy Johnson, former Executive Vice President of Microsoft and now CEO of Magic Leap, a company that designs and produces head-mounted virtual retinal 3D displays, stated that ‘when a culture is broken, the cracks show – morale is weakened, but so is profit and performance. That’s why culture has to be at the core of any business transformation.’ She also states that many companies have nice-sounding cultural values like integrity, respect, and excellence, but if those values don’t map to specific behaviors, they quickly get lost. Instead, we see what’s called a halo effect, where leaders tend to overvalue specific attributes and undervalue others.

The Carlton FC in its entirety is under the sharp, blinding spotlight of the AFL footy world, and it has been since the announcement of the review that happened mid-season. It saw the resignation of a President and the coming in of a new one, who brought in four new appointees to replace ones that left, no matter under what terms that happened. On the surface, the changes made, the transformation could be seen as one to enable the Carlton FC to move progressively towards eventual success. But this is surface transformation only, nothing more, as it does not get to the very heart and soul of what has been wrong at the club – its culture. Here’s why.

Luke Sayers has been on the Board at the Carlton FC for some years. In all that time, if he saw that things needed to change at the club, where was his voice then? Is it because he now has a power that he did not have before to make the necessary transformation at the club that is his and his alone? What does that tell you about the person where the only way they afford a change, a transformation, is when they become powerful? That they sat in the background, biding their time. Sure he has made some changes, and you could say that they are transformations themselves, but while the changes may be required, they only address the issues on the surface. They do not get to the real heart of the transformation – the toxic culture at the club. This is because Sayers did not make fundamental changes at the Board level but brought in those he has a close connection to, and therefore, while on the surface, the transformation of the Board could be seen as a good thing. But at its heart and soul, nothing much has changed. The past has been swapped out for the same characteristics that grace the present Board. The changes do not allow the transformation to get to the heart and soul of the issues at Carlton FC – its culture and one that Sayers has been a part of for quite some time.

Dr Jim Taylor is an internationally recognized authority on sports psychology and what it takes to succeed as an athlete and part of a team. He stated that ‘how team members think, feel, behave, and perform are all influenced by the environment in which they practice and compete.’ He also works with organizations, and he states that ‘developing a healthy team culture is as important in the sports world as in the corporate world.’ The culture is ‘the expression of a team’s values, attitudes, and goals about sports, competition, and relationships.’ He reiterates that ‘when a team has a defined culture that is understood and accepted by all of its members, they feel an implicit pressure (in the good sense) to support that culture.’

If Sayers believes that the club needed to be transformed to be successful, which has been done given what has transpired, he is also a part of the problem that has got the club to where it is now. If he felt that transformations needed to be made, where was he before he became President? Instead of looking at the very heart and soul of the issues at Carlton, he, along with others, have decided that transformation comes in the form of throwing copious amounts of money at some, in the hope that this will make the club a better one when that only allows a surface transformation. It becomes an inanimate transformation such as one where the appearance is changed, but the heart and soul remain the same. As with this type of transformation, eventually, the cracks will appear and then once more, there will be an attempt to transform the surface only by those who cannot see past their self-interest, and the Carlton FC will once more be seen as nothing more than a club that failed in their transformation.

The opportunity to ensure that Carlton completes a complete transformation has to start with any organization’s heart and soul – its culture. If that does not change, the surface transformation will be just that, on the surface. Quick, instant and one that cannot be sustained no matter whom they bring in and what they pay them.

#GO BLUES!

I read a comment on social media that is succinct, direct and on point. The basic premise was that at Carlton, all members and supporters agree that a change is needed. However, that while change has occurred within the football department, at Board level, the issue is that those who have now stepped in still have links to those behind the scenes at the Carlton FC. So while there is a “change” in this respect, it is a change that is linked to the premise of “job for the boys/girls”. Excellent point and, well, spot on!

If you look at those who have been a part of the “change” at Board level, you have to see that nothing much has changed. You have a major sponsor of the club, Lincoln Indicators, while has done a lot for the club, is this seen as a “paid” Board appointee? Is the person there because of their financial influence? Are they there because the Board feel this person deserves it because of financial sponsorship? Is this the same scenario as previous Board appointees, being money talks?

Then there is a person who was appointed to the Board who comes from JP Morgan Australia. Again, this person’s background seems to be steeped in “jobs for the boys” because their ties with Luke Sayers. This person is the Australian Business & Community Network co-founder, and Sayers is a Council Member and Director of the same network. Again the questions have to be asked, was this person appointed because of this connection?

Another person appointed to the Board runs their own media company and has a direct link to those on the Board and past Board members. This person is also part of the group called Assembled, where Carlton ex-President Mark Loguidice is a Director and where Craig Matheson, current Board member, is also a Director. This person is a part of a business group called, Assembled. This group, if you look on their website, has as one of their clients the Carlton FC. Again, the question has to be asked, given the connections, were they appointed because of these connections?

An article was written that what is happening at the club is like A Game of Thrones plot and given the connections each protagonist has on the Board now, you have to think that each person is there because of a connection to each other and not because they could possibly be the best person to move this club forward.

Besides the appointment of Greg Williams, it seems that the changes made on the Board are those who have a connection not only to Luke Sayers but each other. Does this make it a change for the club’s good, or does it smell of not what you know but whom you know? The changes seem to be one where nothing much has changed, really. Those who are making the decisions at our club, and it is our club, the members, seem to be based along the line, of the same old principles not of diversity or the best talent to best serve the club and make cultural changes, but of those who have a historical or current tie-in with Luke Sayers.

Some have said that discord between what is happening now regarding the search for a senior coach and those who disagree with what has transpired over the months has hindered the possibility of acquiring one of the greatest coaches of the modern era- Alistair Clarkson. If you believe that, then look deeper. Why would Clarko come to a club with serious, very serious cultural issues far greater than the talented players at the club? Why would any senior coach want to go to a club that is so fractured that news is being leaked everywhere before members are informed? Where a Board announced a mid-season review not of the entire club, but only parts of it, instead of waiting until the end of the season? What does this say about any club, anywhere? Why would any coach want to come to a club that has gone through three coaches in the past ten years, two sacked mid-season and one knew mid-way through the season that his time was up? What does this say about how the club treats its people? What does this say about the culture of our club? Then you ask yourself, do you not think that two other coaches of our club, Brett Ratten and Brendon Bolton, would not have informed Clarko about the toxic culture at the club given how they were treated? Then seen how David Teague was then treated. He would have seen how the culture of this club has been fraught with a toxicity that just does not seem to end.

For any sporting club, anywhere in the world, culture is paramount to ensure consistency and the outside view of being a club of choice. A player will want to come to a club that, well, has its “shit together” off-field. It will be an attractive place for a player, a coach, and an administrator who wants to move clubs because they can see consistency, respect, encouragement, and progression in an environment that will make them a better player and person, making the team and the club better. Do we have that? Nope, and I believe that Clarko could see that. Why on earth would he even want to contemplate becoming part of a club with the club’s culture now?

Then the Board sought to get Ross Lyon. He arrogantly said that his thirteen years as a coach would be the only thing the club should consider. Would he be a good fit for the club? No! He has been out of the game since the end of 2019, and while this is not a long time between then and now, the game has changed, and it would beg the question, is his coaching style suitable for the game today? I don’t think so. Now he has come out and says he is taking himself out of the process. Why? He says after a few conversations with Sayers, after much thought, he withdrew.

So now the Board is in a quandary as they seem to be scraping the bottom of the barrel in its search for a suitable senior coach. It has dug a deep, smelly hole for itself that could have enormous ramifications for the club long-term. If the Board aimed to get Clarko, then the sacking of Teague has proven that he wants to go nowhere near this club that treats others with such disrespect and cavalier attitude of an arrogance that it now has.

Look at who is on the Board and where their connections lie and tell me that the change made is fresh and in-line to make the club one that every player, coach or administrator wants to continue their career. Because it is not, and until the members take back the club, away from the same old people who have taken this club to where it is today, total disarray, nothing will change.

We need fresh, well suited and experienced people on the Board who can turn this club around from the ground up and instill a culture that is admired and respected on every level. Changing board members for the same type and connected people do nothing to progress us forward. We need a change, a dramatic change, otherwise, in two years, we will be in the same position, and we could lose players in the team who just do not want to be a part of a toxic culture at a club that promotes respect, but does not act on that.

I am a member of the Carlton FC, and I insist my voice be heard. You should as well.

#MAKECARLTONGREATAGAIN #TIMEFORCHANGE

P.S There has been talk that we should all get over the sacking of Teague. The point that many cannot, is that it showed the true culture of a club, total lack of respect. So, for me, I cannot get over how the club handled it, and this in on the shoulders of the current members of the Board.

Over these past days, what has transpired has cut all Carlton supporters to the core, irrespective of where you stand. Yet social media and people’s positions are rife with mixed views and thoughts met with vitriol and nasty comments. It seems that if you don’t believe in a viewpoint, you are either “stupid”, “a dim wit”, “crazy”, or “self-centered”. You are seen as someone who is out for their own gain and not for the good of the Carlton FC. It has become clear to me that for some, having a view or an opinion that is different means that you are not a true Carlton person; that you don’t have the heart to make Carlton a great club again because it is all about you and your needs and wants. I don’t understand this.

No matter who they are, everybody has a right to a view or opinion, not one steeped in violence or derogatory tendencies, but based on their perspective and opinion. You can disagree, you can argue, but to say that someone because of their differences are not genuine Carlton people, is not a society that is supposedly one of democracy. We all have the right to say we disagree and not be called vicious names, nasty commentary or labelled as acting in self-interest.

The EGM that has been in the media and social media seems to be, for some, tantamount to a spill of the Board. Incorrect. It seems that for some, the EGM is where others who are not on the current Board will be replaced by incumbents that so far, no one knows who they are. Incorrect.

The definition of what an EGM is, and this is not from Wikipedia, is an unscheduled meeting of an organization’s members where that organization wants to make a decision that requires the shareholders (members) approval. It does not mean that those who have petitioned for a call for an EGM are therefore automatically elected, in this case, to the Board, but it forces the Board to allow its members to make a decision. What the EGM does is give the organizations members the power to make a decision.

This is our club, the members, and we have a right to be a part of what direction we want our club to take. If you are content to allow others to do that in the hope that they will steer the club in the right direction, then that is your right to do so. But if you are not and want to make the club accountable for the debacle this club has been in for a long time, then as a member, you have the right to say that. And you have the right to do that without being called names, have nasty comments directed at you.

Some have stated categorically that members must allow Luke Sayers and his new Board to make the necessary changes to get this club back to being a success. They have said that anyone who sees otherwise does not have the club’s best interest at heart. That they should go and support another club. That they are only in it for their self-interest. That these people do not have the right to voice their view or opinion as it is not the correct one; that is what some say. They say that we need to give the current Board time and a chance to make the changes.

Luke Sayers has been a part of the Board for some time and, he along with others, have been instrumental in making the decisions the club has made in the past. If they and he disagreed with the club’s direction, then why didn’t they say anything? I am supposed to support and agree with a President I know nothing about and have never met. I am supposed to support a person who says that changes will now be made at the club when he was a part of previous decisions that included hiring and firing coaches! I have the right to disagree and do that without being called names, have vitriol directed at me or that I disagree out of self-interest.

I have been in the past a huge supporter of the Carlton Board. I have defended it and the decisions it has made. I have supported David Teague and probably always will be, but that is not the issue. The issue is not whether he should have been sacked or not, but how the club has handled it under Luke Sayers. I have been involved in business for a long time, and in my profession, which is an HR Manager, no employee of any company would be treated the way David Teague has without a case being sent to Fair Work. Some will say this is the nature of the business of sport and then say sport is a business. Correct, it is a business and their staff, including the senior coach, is an employee of that business. To be treated the way he has, shows a complete lack of respect for anyone involved in that organization, including some members and supporters of the club who have bullied and degraded him on social media.

We are a fractured club and are relying on a group of people who have been a part of our issues to now lead us to success. We are being asked to allow them time to make changes when they have been a part of the fracture. We are being told that if we don’t support them, we are also a part of the problem. We are being told that we must unite now for the club to grow, and if we don’t, we are only doing it for self-interest.

I am proud to be a Carlton supporter and member and always will. But I am not proud of what has transpired this year. I am not proud of the way this year has been handled and who it now affects. For a club that purports to support respect, they have done nothing that resembles respect, including some on social media.

We are a fractured club, and I do not, right now, believe that we have the right people within the organization to heal this fracture. I will not bow down to those who say that this Board will now do what it was supposed to have done in the past and accept that their changes will be the right ones.

You don’t have to agree with me, but you have to respect my right to voice my opinion as I respect yours. But don’t tell me it is out of self-interest because it is only out of a love for a club that has been a part of my life since I came to Australia. My ego will not be stroked by those who seek to influence my view and push me in a direction I do not ascribe. I am tired of where our club is now and it seems the continual cycle that it has been, and the depth it has sunk to in its treatment of others. As a member, I have the right to say enough and make those accountable, well, accountable.

Always – GO BLUES!