Carlton president Mark LoGiudice talks with Herald Sun chief football writer Mark Robinson
CARLTON president Mark LoGiudice tells Mark Robinson the club’s present predicament is due to a decade of poor administration.
AFL
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
HERALD Sun chief football writer Mark Robinson sits down with Carlton president Mark LoGiudice.
Mark Robinson:Describe Carlton’s predicament on the field.
Mark LoGiudice: This would be a result of five to 10 years of poor administration and recruiting.
MR: We can all see the recruiting, but the administration?
ML: Yes. You have to look at the whole business. The result on-field is a make up of administration, recruiting and at board level, because the board is ultimately responsible for the football club.
MR: Describe the actual predicament on-field?
ML: We don’t have enough depth on our list, full stop. We have great talent on our list, but I don’t think it runs deep enough.
MR: The whole country is asking: Where’s the effort in the first two games? Where’s the spirit? Do you ask the same questions?
ML: The players need to take responsibility also for the what happens. It can’t be only a president or CEO or the coaching. Marc Murphy put his hand up and spoke to the media on Monday, which is a start.
MR: What did you think when Mark Maclure went after Mick Malthouse in the media?
ML: It’s not for me to tell people what to say, but a legend of our club in Mark Maclure ... it’s disappointing when he comes out and says those things publicly. But he’s got an opinion.
MR: Fans are disillusioned. You lost the first two games, but the way you lost the first two games ...
ML: I think it’s slightly exaggerated. We’re two games in, I know we lost, I’m not sitting here saying I’m happy with the way we’re going on-field. But let’s not over-exaggerate this. Geelong has also lost two games, there are other clubs who have lost two games, why not the hysteria there?
MR: Because it’s Carlton and because Mick is coming out of contract and because Mick’s behaviour attracts media attention. He is news every day of the week, good or bad.
ML: We are trying to change of the brand of the Carlton Football Club. No, the brand is the brand. It is known in history as one of the big four clubs and you can’t change that. It helps you sell newspapers.
MR: You’re not a top four club now, on or off the field. You’re far away from being a top four Victorian club.
ML: What’s your definition of a top-four club? In history, we’re known as one of the top-four clubs.
MR:You were, but not now Mark. There’s Hawthorn, Geelong, Collingwood, Richmond’s membership is flying. Essendon is 55,000-plus. You must agree you’re not a top-four club.
ML: What is your definition of top four?
MR:Strong financial position, soaring memberships, success on field, good branding.
ML: I agree we have not had a good run, but as part of the overall AFL brand, Carlton is still extremely important.
MR: Part of your legacy, maybe, is to return this club to big-four status.
ML: The whole AFL environment has changed and we’ve probably, what’s the word, probably hung on to the ‘95 premiership too long. We need to move on. From an overall perspective we need to change.
MR: The club hasn’t been able to create new history?
ML: It’s 20 years ago this year and we will celebrate the ‘95 premiership this year.
MR: And then let it go.
ML: (laughing) ... and then as a club we need to move on, which is part of the plan. We need to restructure, regroup, which I told you last June. We’re fixing some areas. Off-field, the restructure of the club has happened. We’ve got a new CEO, a new CFO which started yesterday, we’ve got a new COO, we’ve got a new branding manager, we’ve got Stephen Silvagni as the new list manager.
MR:Why was there a sweep out of people?
ML: It’s not a sweep out.
MR:It sounds like one. How many staff have you turned over since you became president?
ML: I don’t know. I really don’t know. In the restructure of the club and in attempt to change the culture at the club, people have either been willing to get on or get off.
MR: Clearly one of those people was Shane Rogers, your recruiting manager, who signed a contract extension and then walked a couple of weeks before Round 1.
ML: He’s obviously not happy with the way we’re doing things.
MR:It was said to me Rogers wasn’t keen on working with Silvagni. True?
ML: Probably one’s a new way of doing things and one’s an old way.
MR:Is SOS the most important man in the football department?
ML: He and the coach, yes. For the next three to five years he most likely will be. Let’s not skirt around the edges, this is a rebuild here. We’re rebuilding. We’ve said it in roundabout ways I suppose, but this is a rebuild. We’ve done the off-field with those changes and with the appointment of SOS, we will get our on-field right.
MR: It makes the decision on the coach enormous.
ML: Absolutely, no doubt.
MR:Will SOS have a say in that?
ML: No, definitely not. We will put a committee together, we’ll get the right expertise to make the right decisions.
MR:If you reappoint Mick, it has to be a three to five-year appointment. Do you agree?
ML: I’m not going to make any comment about that. We will review that at the back end of the season. We won’t be pressured by anyone. We won’t budge. When we’re ready we’ll announce the decision. I really don’t get this part about contracts. If you sign a contract you’re secure for that contract period.
MR:If you sack Mick, that rules out Ross Lyon as a replacement.
ML: Now you’re just throwing names up.
MR:Football is based on relationships and SOS is great mates with Ross Lyon. But Lyon is contracted to the end of 2017. Did you know that?
ML: No ... I haven’t thought about Ross Lyon.
MR:If you had all the Carlton fans in front of you, what would you say to them?
ML: This is where Carlton is today. We don’t need to go over old ground. We have a plan in place which will bring the Carlton Football Club back to where it should be. The Ten Drivers of Success (strategy plan) are in place. We are rebuilding this football club and we need all members to be part of the journey. Everyone needs to be patient, everyone needs to be on board.
MR:Do you interfere with list management?
ML: No, I don’t. But there’s one thing we’re confident about — Steve Silvagni is not scared to trade and not scared to recruit.
MR:So, if he came to you and said: ‘We can trade Marc Murphy or Bryce Gibbs for first round picks?
ML: As a board, we will listen to SOS and Andy McKay (head of football) who will come to us with a recommendation. They will need to define and provide us a plan with a process they’ve followed and say this is in the best interests of the Carlton footy club.
MR:So, hypothetically, SOS comes to the board and says we need to trade Marc Murphy. Do you say, “I trust you Stephen Silvagni’, or do you say, ‘We are not trading our captain?’
ML: Don’t worry, we will test every decision. We will have a robust discussion on any plan. There’s a process in place: There’s the plan, then the explanation, then discussion and then the decision.
MR:Will you make hard decisions?
ML: I’ve only been here since June and there’s been changes in management and there’s been a great change in culture throughout the club.
MR:Well, no player has been arrested in recent times and I say that because Carlton has had a colourful history in recent times. Tell me, did you have a say in Jeff Garlett and Mitch Robinson not being at the football club?
ML: (Pause). The right answer is this..
MR: It’s a yes or no answer, Mark.
ML: I gave my opinion and the final decision was made by the CEO and Andrew McKay. The answer is this, the week that happened we had a home game and in my president’s speech I said, ‘We wouldn’t tolerate this sort of behaviour at the Carlton Football Club’.
MR: So, you told the CEO we don’t want them at the football club?
ML: Yes. We need cultural change.
MR:How do you think Mick has handled the media this year?
ML: Great. Been fantastic.
MR: What are you going to do about Channel Seven and the post-match press conferences?
ML: The CEO handles that. My personal view is we don’t want to make a mockery of the press conferences after the game. Let’s talk football, that’s why the AFL put that in place, so media could talk to coaches after the game. Let’s not turn it into a circus. If it’s an opportunity to turn it into a circus, then maybe we shouldn’t have them.
MR: Is this club in crisis?
ML: Definitely not. It’s only a crisis when you don’t have a plan of where you’re heading. We know exactly where we are heading. We’ve got a plan, we’ve got a strategy. We’re far from crisis.
Originally published as Carlton president Mark LoGiudice talks with Herald Sun chief football writer Mark Robinson
Hall’s long-distance Gallen plan
Barry Hall has revealed how he plans to beat his shorter but more experienced opponent in their much-anticipated bout.
Hall gets kick from little masters
Andrew Moloney is the hot favourite to become Australia’s only current world boxing champion when he battles Brooklyn’s Elton Dharry on the same night that his mate Barry Hall fights Paul Gallen.