Success starts with the CEO

[Sanctorum]

Read an interesting article in the Weekend Australian by John Stensholt and Jessica Halloran, a inside story on the rise of the Melbourne FC leading up to next Saturday's Grand Final with the Western Bulldogs. The following paragraphs are illuminating in identifying the core of the success of AFL clubs, especially the statement highlighted in red:

"Melbourne was none of that back in 2013 when Demetriou, having overseen huge penalties on the club for a tanking scandal, arrived to meet McLardy and Jalland. The verbose AFL boss did not mince his words, even after Jalland, still smarting at the tanking fines, presented him with a thick file of slights against the club.

Demetriou would tell the Melbourne duo they needed to sack CEO Cameron Schwab, then effectively sack themselves. Melbourne, a powerhouse of the 1950s in particular, had tolerated mediocrity for too long. Unbeknown to McLardy and Jalland, Demetriou, on his way to the meeting, had called respected ex-Essendon boss Peter Jackson to gauge his interest in fixing Melbourne.

“The most important person isn’t the coach, it is the CEO,” Demetriou recalls. “The CEO identifies the coach, the coaching panel, the spend on the panel and so on. They had to get that right.”

Schwab was sacked, Jackson came aboard and McLardy and Jalland would resign within months as a huge overhaul of the board and administration began."

It seems that the Carlton FC has confirmed Andrew Demetrious' analysis as they sacked their CEO to bring in former veteran Geelong CEO Brian Cook to get the Blues back on track.

Matt Finnis was appointed CEO of St Kilda FC in 2014 following a successful career as CEO of the AFL PLayers Association, his background is commercial law (as is Simon Lethlean) and he is involved in a number of other sporting and charitable organisations. I am not in any way qualified to pass judgment on Finnis' performance over the past 7 years, and it is certainly true to say that a number of successful AFL clubs have had long serving CEOs.

Nonetheless, the next couple of years will be a stern test for Matt Finnis, as continued mediocrity by the team in 2022 will place the Board under pressure to overhaul the off-field personnel, starting with the CEO.

[saynta]

Think Ian Drake.

[Saints58]

I really think since Simon Lethlean came on board and then Gags we have really seen a improvement in the way the club is run.
Simon Lethlean has applied for CEO positions at other clubs and it wouldn't be good if we lost him, as they are building something really good at the Saints.

[Yorkeys]

Cook un-retirement: can you beat father time? Tiger nearly did but...

Good judgement v Ego? I suspect it is a mistake that Brian & Carlton will regret. One fight too many? Carlton very different environment to Geelong's comfort zone. We shall see.

[Wayne42]

Apparently the first thing on Cook's agenda is to burn any remaining brown paper bags.

[cwrcyn]

Will Cook be to Carlton as CEO what Blight was to us as coach?

[Teflon]

I’d remove Finnis
Anointing Lethlean as CEO he has that win at all costs drive
Finnis into popular politics eg gender neutral toilets etc
All very left leaning..but none it takes the club forward commercially

[Sanctorum]

I don't mind the idea of Simon Lethlean becoming CEO, the couple of times I've met him and observing how he operates suggests to me that he would re-invigorate the administration of the club and bring more high quality people to guide the team's fortunes.

He clearly has aspirations to be a club CEO.

His close relationship with the AFL hierarchy, especially Gil McLachlan, could be a big plus as well.

[cwrcyn]

The return to Moorabbin and its redevelopment and the Danny Frawley centre all under Finnis. Job well done, I reckon