Michael Warner: Amid the chaos and belligerence at Melbourne, Gary Pert finally ran out of chances

Gary Pert says he’s leaving the Dees on his terms. Kate Roffey said the same. But Melbourne fans aren’t stupid, it’s clear the cleansing of the Dees’ board debacle is on, writes Michael Warner.

Gary Pert insists he’s departing Melbourne on his own terms, not the club’s.

Former president Kate Roffey said the same when she hit the exits seven weeks ago.

But Demons fans – and the football public – aren’t stupid.

In truth, Melbourne is cleansing itself of the chief protagonists from a boardroom debacle that ripped the club apart.

It was Pert back in October 2020 who made the fateful call to remove long-serving Demons doctor Zeeshan Arain, just days after the respected medico had sounded the alarm about the culture within the club.

The Arain sacking triggered a series of events that would haunt the club, despite the glory of a now distant 2021 premiership.

Kate Roffey and Gary Pert lift the premiership cup in 2021. Picture: Michael Klein

Arrogance and belligerence by Pert and members of Roffey’s board after the sudden removal of president Glen Bartlett, who was pushing to get to the bottom of the culture allegations, enabled the dispute to infect all quarters of the club for a full three seasons, derailing any prospect of sustained success.

Pert was front and centre in the chaos and machinations, and like Roffey, finally ran out of chances.

His well-timed resignation comes ahead of the handing down of two reviews into the club’s flailing operations and further renewal of the board.

Interim president Brad Green and fellow director Geoff Porz (who wasn’t around when the Bartlett dispute began) have emerged in recent weeks as the adults in the room at Melbourne.

Former vice-president Geoff Freeman, who like many influential Demons supporters had become exasperated at the off-field turmoil, was prepared to make a run for the presidency until meeting with Green and Porz in South Yarra earlier this month.

Freeman was assured that change was coming and that the deeply damaging – and costly – legal stoush with Bartlett was set to be resolved.

Dr Zeeshan Arain. Picture: Tony Gough

The AFL is not without blame for the unnecessary and avoidable crisis that has engulfed Melbourne.

Fully briefed in those early months of 2021, league commission chairman Richard Goyder and then AFL boss Gillon McLachlan sat back and said nothing as the knife was plunged into Bartlett’s back.

The departures of Pert and Roffey – and several other board members – gives the Demons a chance to enter season 2025 with clean air. But it will count for nothing if Bartlett’s litigation is not quickly put to bed.

Another year of court cases and mud slinging won’t work.

When it ends, spare a thought for Dr Arain who first blew the whistle on the goings on at Melbourne and later exposed the secret “off the books” illicit drugs testing regime that has long operated within the game.

Pert announced he would be leaving the Dees on Thursday. Picture: Michael Klein.

“A lot of people owe Dr Arain an apology,” federal MP Andrew Wilkie said on Thursday.

“At significant risk to himself, Dr Arain spoke out about strong concerns he had for the culture at the Melbourne Football Club that others are finally and belatedly acknowledging.

“If some inside the AFL had the same level of integrity as him, we would have a safer game.”

Dr Arain was ostracised by league chiefs and house-trained club medicos, who have turned a blind eye to poor behaviour and rampant illicit drug use.

Yet the doctor’s concerns have been borne out publicly and spectacularly. He has been vindicated.

Common sense is prevailing at Melbourne and the ringleaders of the circus are all heading out the door.

Originally published as Michael Warner: Amid the chaos and belligerence at Melbourne, Gary Pert finally ran out of chances