1 week ago
3
The search for the next AFL Commission chair has taken another twist after a group of club presidents pushed for the 18 clubs to have a direct say in appointing Richard Goyder’s successor.
Former Western Bulldogs president and respected class action lawyer Peter Gordon is a serious contender for the league’s highest office, while former Collingwood boss Jeff Browne appears to have come back into calculations as a result of the clubs’ push for a direct say in the election of the next commissioner and therefore chairman.
Peter Gordon at the 2023 grand final lunch.Credit: Jesse Marlow
The presidents met on Monday in response to Goyder’s decision to step down in March, with an agreement among a number of them - The Age cannot confirm exactly how many - proposing that the presidents of the 18 clubs interview the four candidates themselves.
Some clubs expressed disappointment that the nominations committee, made up of commissioners and some club representatives, had not reached a consensus, according to competition sources.
The clubs’ proposal would reduce the influence of the commission on the choice of chairman – and likely enhance Browne’s prospects.
The four candidates are former club presidents Browne (Collingwood), Gordon (Western Bulldogs) and Craig Drummond (Geelong), and Peter Allen, the former Essendon director and Scentre Group CEO. Allen has been interviewed by the subcommittee, but is regarded as a long shot to be chairman.
The nominations committee consists of commissioners Goyder, Simone Wilkie and Andrew Ireland, as well as club representatives Andrew Bassat (St Kilda), Sonja Hood (North Melbourne), John Olsen (Adelaide), Andrew Pridham (Sydney) and Andrew Wellington (Brisbane Lions).
Browne had been a strong contender for the chairman’s job before Goyder insisted that the commission make the final call on the appointment.
Browne’s long stint as the AFL’s external legal adviser, coupled with his experience as managing director of Nine Network and later replacing Eddie McGuire as Collingwood president, was viewed as a favourable apprenticeship among some clubs.
Now in his early 70s, he’s taken this year off to concentrate on his health, but did not rule himself out of contention for the top job when asked by The Age in May, nor again at a Collingwood president’s dinner only a few weeks ago.
Richard Goyder at this year’s hall of fame function.Credit: Getty
Drummond, a former CEO of Goldman Sachs JB Were and Medibank Private, is now chairman of Transurban.
Goyder, the former Qantas chairman, had initially indicated he intended to seek another term before handing over to the next chair.
The lack of succession planning at AFL headquarters has been a source of angst among critics, who point to Gillon McLachlan’s protracted farewell as league chief executive under Goyder’s tenure.
The AFL is governed by a commission of 10, which elects a chair from within its own ranks.
The commissioners are chosen by a nominations committee, but once Goyder confirmed his departure, it meant the nominations committee was, in effect, being asked to choose the chair.
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
Most Viewed in Sport
Loading
