AFL 2021: Hawthorn greats David Parkin and Peter Hudson back Jeff Kennett’s man in board election
A key member of the Jeff Kennett faction at Hawthorn has received some heavyweight support ahead of Friday’s board election.
AFL
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Hawthorn greats David Parkin and Peter Hudson are urging members to reappoint the Hawks director behind the club’s $100 million Dingley training base.
Tim Shearer, chair of the Kennedy Community Centre fundraising committee, is one of three candidates vying for two board positions as Hawthorn members go to the polls on Friday.
Shearer must out-vote ex-Australian Super boss Ian Silk or lawyer Jennifer Holstock to retain his seat on the Jeff Kennett-led Hawthorn board.
Parkin, captain of the club’s 1971 premiership team, said it was crucial Shearer was re-elected.
“What Hawthorn are doing (at Dingley) is quite unique and it will be an asset forever,” Parkin said.
“And on that basis, Tim has been an essential component or resource in ensuring that it is underwritten and finished in a manner that we want – so there has been a huge connection of his work and what I would call the viable future of the Hawthorn footy club.
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“Tim has been a friend of our family forever … and the work he has done for Hawthorn has been quite incredible over the last five or six years.
“He has been a fundraiser second to none. He is a really good man in terms of his values and behaviours and is just an absolute asset to the club.
“I’m hoping members will understand that and vote accordingly.”
The Hawks are on track to shift their base from Waverley to the new site of Dingley which will be spread across 80 acres and boast features such as an MCG-sized ground, elite aquatic and gym facilities and a 500-seat stand.
Hudson, who kicked 100 goals in a season five times for the Hawks, said he had served under Shearer on the Dingley fundraising committee.
“I think I am reasonably well qualified to talk on it because I am in all the meetings, I sit there with Tim and I see it first-hand and I can’t speak highly enough of him to be honest,” Hudson said.
“I’ve followed all of the stories regarding the Hawthorn election and the situation where he is up for re-election and the first thing I thought of was, ‘Crikey – what happens to our campaign if there is no Tim Shearer?’
“The politics aside, it really worried me that we would lose the momentum that Tim has so capably built up as chairman.
“To me (Dingley) is the future of the club. There is a lot to do but by crikey there is a lot that’s been done. I’ve probably been in awe of Tim because I don’t know that there would be a lot of people around who could do what he’s done.”
Parkin said Kennett, who has been under attack by a rebel supporter group, had been a “magnificent leader” of Hawthorn.
“I’ve locked horns with Jeff like lots of people but I’m a life member of the club and you cannot underestimate the positive impact that he has had on that club over such a long period of time,” Parkin said.
“There would be very few people in the history of the club, including the Kennedys and Doc Ferguson and people like that, that have achieved or been leading in the achievements of that club over such a long time.
“People should never, ever doubt Jeff’s capacity to do the right thing by the Hawthorn Football Club.”
Hudson said of Kennett: “He’s done a lot of wonderful things for the club. There’s no question about that. The other thing I have a little think about from time to time is the fact that I was the No. 1 ticket holder for the majority of years that he was the president, so I’ve seen a lot of him and I get on very well with Jeff”.
HOW HAWKS PULLED OFF $1.7M COVID PROFIT
Just three candidates will battle it out for two Hawthorn board positions when Hawks members go to the polls on Friday.
Despite weeks of rumblings led by the rebel Hawks for Change support group, only two outside candidates will compete for a seat on president Jeff Kennett’s board.
Current director Tim Shearer, the chair of Hawthorn’s Dingley training base fundraising committee, will be vying for one of two spots alongside ex-Australian Super boss Ian Silk and lawyer Jennifer Holdstock.
Andy Gowers, Simon Taylor and Charles Spicer have pulled out of the race.
Voting will be open to all full Hawthorn members on Friday morning, unlike the Collingwood election in which just 12,000 members are qualified to have a say on who represents the Magpies board next year.
Voting closes on December 12 and the results will be announced at the club’s Annual General Meeting on December 14.
It comes as the Hawks, on Wednesday, announced a $1.7 million net operating profit for 2021, including a $255,747 surplus for traditional football operations revenue.
Kennett credited the Hawks’ 77,000 members and commercial partners for enabling the club to maintain its financial independence during a pandemic that has created two years of challenges and uncertainty.
Kennett had been under pressure for the club’s handling of a messy succession plan that saw Sam Mitchell take the coaching role from Clarkson who still had a year to run on his contract.
But the president, who has indicated he will start a process to identify his successor, said the club was in a strong position off the field.
“We were pleased to see crowds back at both the MCG and UTAS Stadium this year and we look forward to this happening more in 2022,” he said.
***The club released a statement with key points of its financial report including:
> The club had a Football operations net surplus of $255,747 for the financial year;
> Consolidated net operating surplus of $1,715,481 for the year ending 31 October 2021;
> The club membership base was at 77,079 for 2021, another strong year from our loyal members;
> Hawthorn’s consolidated net asset position increased to $55.2m from $54.4m in 2020;
> The club’s consolidated cash position increased to $30.9m (2020: $26.6m) at 31 October 2021;
> HFC Foundation received donations of $886,038 towards the Kennedy Community Centre facility project during the year.
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