Warren Tredrea: Only a ruthless response can fix South Australia’s middle-tier AFL clubs
Transparency and where the Crows and Power go from here are big issues for fans. Which is why both clubs need totally independent reviews of their football departments and boardrooms, with the findings made public.
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IT’S time Adelaide and Port Adelaide became ruthless again.
What started out as a season of great promise quickly rolled into one of frustration and underachievement.
For our clubs, their plights couldn’t be more different.
Adelaide possesses one of the oldest lists in the competition and appears well that truly is over the hill and in desperate need of a clean-out.
Port Adelaide’s list overhaul is already under way after refreshing its playing stocks with youth but it must go to the next level to be any hope of once again claiming the ultimate success. But as different as their list dynamics appear, the SA clubs are also very similar in other areas. Both need to kill off underperformance in their lists and there must be no room for mediocrity.
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Unfortunately, both are middle-of-the-rung clubs, and this hurts like hell.
With the players’ individual end-of-season reviews happening, I ask who is reviewing the clubs themselves?
Now their 2019 season is over, for the fans, nothing short of an independent review of the clubs will suffice.
And when I say independent, I mean totally independent. It has to be a review conducted by someone outside the club and without the representation or interference of officials from either the Crows or Power. Anything short of 100 per cent independence won’t wash. Crows’ and Power fans deserve more than lip service and so-called accountability where no one actually pays the price for their club’s poor showing.
It’s not just their football departments made up of coaching, development, leadership and list management that must be reviewed, identifying what they are good at and where they’re lacking.
Their boardrooms should also come under close scrutiny for governance of the club’s strategic plan and implementation, to ensure all club officials are performing at their optimum and acting in the best interests of their club.
For the employees, players, officials and board members who are interviewed, they must be able to speak openly and honestly without the threat of reprisal. That way, we get 100 per cent truth, and not versions of it.
Four greatly respected AFL powerbrokers – former CEO Wayne Jackson, ex-Sydney and Power football manager Rob Snowdon, former PAFC chairman Greg Boulton and CEO Brian Cunningham – are names that quickly spring to mind when thinking of key people who could perform these vital club reviews. They know how a successful club runs and they all have a wealth of experience and knowledge to draw upon to get to the bottom of where our clubs are going wrong.
While I’m not sure this job would appeal to them, it can’t hurt to ask.
Over the past two years, Adelaide has won only 50 per cent (22-22) of its games while Port Adelaide has won 52 per cent (23-21). It’s not good enough. It was only two years ago the Crows played off in a grand final, while Port has only played in one final since the start of the 2015 season, with a 53 per cent win-loss ratio for 59 wins and 52 losses, and finishes of ninth, 10th, seventh, 10th and 10th over the past five years. It has clearly underperformed.
And that’s why a fresh set of eyes are a must to get to the bottom of where our clubs are going wrong, and how to fix it.
Transparency and where our clubs go to from here is a big issue with fans. Neither club’s supporters feel they are be listened to and that’s why clear, concise, messaging to engage the fans is a must.
When the external reviews are complete, they must be made public to members; that includes the positive findings as well as the recommended changes. Only then should the clubs make the decisive changes needed for success.
Transparency, honesty and accountability are the only way forward, to learn from their mistakes and right the wrongs, so our teams can prosper in 2020.