AFL 2024: Inside Port Adelaide’s members election board battle between club greats Bruce Abernethy and Warren Tredrea
Warren Tredrea says Ken Hinkley has his full support and that he’s not here to rip the place down he loves as Port Adelaide’s board battle heats up.
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It is the heavyweight board battle between two club greats turned media personalities that has polarised the Port Adelaide football community.
The club’s only AFL premiership captain, Warren Tredrea, has the backing of inaugural Power president Greg Boulton and former chief executive John James.
Boulton’s successor Brett Duncanson is in the corner of the other candidate, seven-time Port Adelaide SANFL premiership star Bruce Abernethy.
So too are Power defender Ryan Burton – the partner of Abernethy’s daughter – and family of the late Bruce Weber, the Port president behind the club’s initial AFL push in 1990.
Tredrea and Abernethy are going head-to-head for a members-elected position, the winner of which will be revealed at the Power’s annual general meeting on February 9.
Two club champions on the same ballot would ensure a high-profile race at any AFL team.
This one has added spice because of their respective histories.
Tredrea is the outspoken media commentator who in the past 12 months has called coach Ken Hinkley’s contract “untenable” before a 13-game club record winning streak, accused chairman David Koch of gaslighting him and had an attempt to immediately join the board rejected.
Abernethy is the sports presenter and former Port Adelaide director brutally axed on AFL grand final day 12 years ago who cynics believe is returning as part of a club ploy to try to stop Tredrea from winning.
Tredrea, the Power’s all-time leading goalkicker, is adamant he is not trying to get on the board to “rip the place down that I love”.
Instead, the former skipper insists he can be an asset for Koch, Hinkley and the club.
While his detractors may think differently, Tredrea says he has no agenda against either of the longstanding Port Adelaide leaders.
“I’m willing to work with anyone to make our club better,” Tredrea told this masthead.
“My agenda is to get in, support, ask questions and offer my expertise in the areas I’ve worked in.
“I’m not here to change everything.”
Abernethy, the 1988 Jack Oatey Medallist, vehemently rejects suggestions the club coerced him to run again.
“If you know me, I’m sometimes stubborn to a point that I don’t do things that other people want me to,” Abernethy told this masthead.
“I do what I want to do.”
The theory in some Port Adelaide circles is that the Power has convinced Abernethy – either directly or via close friend Duncanson – to stand against Tredrea.
Abernethy does not deny meeting club chief executive Matthew Richardson – a confidant of Duncanson and fellow advisory board member of construction business BluBuilt – in the lead-up to nominating.
“When I was thinking about it, I spoke to Richo,” Abernethy said.
“We went and I had a beer, he had a coffee … and he spoke about the board make-up and the future.
“He said ‘you decide if it’s right for you’ but there was certainly no pressure on me to nominate or not to.”
Until last week, there was to be another name on the ballot.
Kathy Nagle, whose three-year board term had expired, was set to stand again before withdrawing from the process citing work commitments.
Nagle was this week replaced as Western Hospital chief executive after it was put into voluntary administration.
Her departure means the Power board will get either a new face or a returning one.
Tredrea’s view is that the directors’ room needs fresh blood and he can bring new ideas.
Abernethy believes having someone who knows what to expect is highly beneficial.
“You don’t just roll in and say ‘here’s my list of wants’ and it happens,” he said.
“You’ve got to work out how to make it happen.”
The last time two Port Adelaide playing greats vied for the same board spot was in 2019 when inaugural Power captain Gavin Wanganeen outpolled seven-time SANFL premiership player George Fiacchi, who was the incumbent.
Wanganeen stepped down two years ago.
The timeline of this latest board battle has a distinct tennis flavour.
In August 2022, Darren Cahill, coach of Australian Open winner Jannik Sinner, vacated his AFL-appointed board seat, which Tredrea offered to fill.
But Koch knocked him back 12 months ago, much to Tredrea’s disappointment.
The chairman told him he did not want to choose one club legend over another and he would need to stand at the members’ election.
When Tredrea made his “untenable” comment after the Power’s Showdown loss last April,
Koch returned serve by saying the former centre half-forward had a new podcast to promote.
Tredrea fired back: “I can’t ignore multiple times now he’s gaslighting”.
Asked about his relationship with Koch now, Tredrea simply said: “It’s fine”.
That period seemed to serve as an election platform for Tredrea, even if he did not nominate for the board until November.
Although widely panned for his Hinkley criticism as Port turned its season around and booked a top-four berth, Power fans wanting change in key roles admired him for speaking up.
Port’s semi-final exit has seemingly boosted Tredrea’s stock among that section of supporters.
So what would a Tredrea win mean for Hinkley, who signed a new two-year deal in August before the club’s straight-sets finals disappointment?
“He’s the coach, he’s signed a contract extension the club was unanimous with and that’s the end of that discussion. That’s the reality,” Tredrea said.
“I’m there to work with Ken if I’m elected.
“But bear in mind, we’re there to put support around people.
“Ken Hinkley is senior coach of the Port Adelaide footy club and he has my full support.”
On one hand, Hinkley has led the Power to three top-four finishes in four seasons, including two preliminary finals, has won at least 10 games in all 11 campaigns and is regularly described as a much-loved father figure to his players.
The alternate perspective is that since 2014, Port has won just two finals, is 2-5 in the major round and has fallen short of the top eight five times.
“My view on Ken is he’s had a very successful run in terms of a win-loss ratio,” Abernethy said of a coach that was 148-100 overall (59.68 per cent).
“I think we’ve lost our way a little bit in the way we play football in terms of the Port Adelaide way.
“You’re not going to win premierships like the Magpies did (in the SANFL) – it’s the AFL, it’s a lot harder and there’s rules to even the comp.
“I think we might be playing a brand of football during the season that wins games and gets you there, but football changes in September.
“It’s about playing a brand of football that can win you a flag.
“I think we’re a little bit behind.
“But I’m someone from the outside, so the reality is you have to get in and have a look at it (to know what needs changing).”
As the April Fool’s Day defeat to the Crows sparked Tredrea’s Hinkley criticism, the night paved the way for this board battle, according to Abernethy.
“I went to the Showdown … and walked through the parklands to my car steaming,” he said.
“You end up going ‘why steam? Do something about it.”
The advice from Duncanson was: “You keep complaining and whinging, have a go”.
Abernethy’s previous board stint, from 2005-12, included arguably the club’s darkest chapter.
Poor crowds led to tarpaulins on bays of seats at Football Park, the Power’s finances were in turmoil, the club did not feature in September after its 2007 grand final hammering and narrowly avoided its first AFL wooden spoon in 2011.
But that board also unified Port Adelaide’s SANFL and AFL sides as “one club”, worked on the licence handover from the SANFL to the AFL and set the Power on the path to Adelaide Oval.
“They’re three enormous wins to bridge the bottom line a significant amount of money,” Abernethy said.
“We copped an enormous amount of flak and relationships got extremely strained among a number of people, but I look back now at where our club is and I’m extremely proud of my time and being involved with Brett on the board.”
Abernethy felt the public perception of that era was harshly judged “but that comes with understanding of what boards do”.
“Boards should be judged on where something is in three, five, 10 years,” he said.
“They don’t decide if you win games on Saturday or if you lost the Saturday before.
“They’re about strategic future.”
Initially bitter after being dumped in an AFL-inspired clean-out in 2012, Abernethy said he was at a time in his life when he was prepared to put himself through football politics again.
“We all have conflicts, we all have blues, but the sun always comes up in the morning and we move on,” he said.
“The reality is one day we won’t be on this planet and I don’t want to be sitting on my last day going ‘I should’ve done that’.”
Both are South Australian and Port Adelaide football hall of fame members, but Abernethy and Tredrea have contrasting journeys in the game.
Abernethy’s career started and ended at Port Adelaide, where he lined up in 190 SANFL matches, intersected by stints at North Melbourne, Collingwood and the Crows.
Tredrea, the son of former Port Adelaide player Gary Tredrea, was a one-club player, rising from a SANFL premiership forward to one of the Power’s greats.
Only Abernethy has experience on the board.
But the candidates’ stated reasons for running are nearly identical: to try to help the club they love and believing the board needs an ex-player on there.
Former Power football operations manager Rob Snowdon is the only director with inner sanctum experience.
“If there was a – I’ll pull a name out of a hat – Paul Roos on that board, I’d go ‘it’s a guy I respect with football credibility who has played the game’ … but there seems to be a hole there,” Abernethy said.
“Warren and I are on the same page that there’s an opportunity there for someone who’s been through the mill to offer some insight into it.”
Tredrea added: “The board has got wonderfully credentialed people, but in terms of footy … there’s no one with any playing or premiership experience who can give their insights into what they went through as a player and can understand what they’re going through right now and what resources need to be put around them”.
“I’m relatively new out of the game, am up with trends on how the game’s being played.
“Clearly I’ve said some stuff over the journey which has challenged thinking but challenging thinking isn’t a case of not loving the place.
“I think I can help rejuvenate what’s been a really successful period for the club off the field where we’ve fallen ever so slightly short on the field.
“Port’s got close a number of times – that’s the history that I had to live through (from 2001-03).”
Tredrea said if he was elected he would be available to mentor Connor Rozee about the captaincy or the club’s young forwards.
“In the 20th year since the 2004 premiership, what could be better than if Port Adelaide could get over the line and I could play a small little role to help out,” he said.
“I want to help bring that joy to the fans again, albeit I’m not in a position to do it on the field.”
The other obvious similarity between Abernethy and Tredrea are their media commitments.
They used to go head-to-head presenting sports bulletins on TV – Abernethy with Channel 7 and Tredrea with Channel 9.
Tredrea is suing his former employer for almost $1.4m, claiming wrongful dismissal for terminating his contract after not getting the coronavirus vaccine.
He is now with FIVEEaa and has his own podcast, the Big Deal.
Tredrea said he was approached to run for the Power board many years ago and felt now was a good fit because he did not work full-time in the media.
“There’s some stuff that’s been reported – yes, I’ll have a small, part-time role with FIVEaa where I’ll call games but I’ll be able to juggle those situations,” he said.
“There are many people in the competition who do that: Jimmy Bartel (GWS), Leigh Matthews (Brisbane), Luke Darcy (Western Bulldogs) and Mark Ricciuto (Adelaide) – and my role in the media is significantly less than those guys.
“But also I’m serious about confidentiality.
“I wouldn’t be breaking ranks or undermining.
“If it’s a poor performance, Port fans will know, they don’t need for me to say that.”
Election rules stipulate that only Power members as of October 31 last year can vote.
Fans with multiple memberships in their names need to contact the club and supply details of who else wants to vote for them to be eligible.
Polling opened on January 25 and was due to close on February 7.
Although rivals in this race, Abernethy and Tredrea have always got on well.
“I love the fact it’s a member election because it’s a fans club and they get to choose who they want,” Tredrea said.
Abernethy added: “We’ve got no issues whatsoever. Tredders is a champion of the club, a premiership captain and I admire him greatly as a player.
“And I admire him greatly for putting his hand up because all you do when you put your hand up is cop flak.
“I want people to vote and people to have a say on the future at the club.
“Don’t whinge to me at the bar about this, that and everything else if you’re not going to vote.”
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