AFL’s search for Andrew Dillon’s second in command continues despite seven-figure carrot

AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon is dangling one of the juiciest carrots in football. But, as Jay Clark writes, he can’t find somebody to take it.

AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon is dangling one of the juiciest carrots in football.

Up his sleeve is one of the most plum jobs in the game, a seven-figure salary and the pathway to potentially replace him as AFL chief executive one day.

But 12 months on from the first few conversations, the league’s search for a new chief operating officer or deputy CEO continues.

Melbourne Cricket Club chief executive Stuart Fox said this week his passion and commitment to the MCG role was as strong as ever, suggesting to AFL heavyweights he was happy to stay in one of the most coveted jobs in Australian sport.

Stuart Fox looks set to stay on as the MCC CEO. Picture: David Crosling

As one senior footy figure said this week, “he would be mad to ever leave that (MCG) gig”.

And soon work will ramp up on refurbishing the Shane Warne Stand as part of a major project which will modernise the seating and coterie options at the venue, develop the external concourse, link up with Richmond, and increase the capacity at the home of footy.

But for the AFL, however, the knock back would be a major disappointment.

As the Herald Sun revealed last week, Fox was the top target in the AFL’s search for a chief operating officer to ride shotgun alongside Dillon and deal closely with the clubs on the never-ending issues which punctuate the weekly football news cycle.

Andrew Dillon is searching for a right-hand man. Picture: Getty Images

The sort of issues like Ken Hinkley’s blow-up at the Hawks after last year’s epic semi-final win.

To say clubs, including Port Adelaide clearly, remain flat he copped a $20,000 fine for his plane gibe at Hawk Jack Ginnivan is an understatement, considering the same grudge match has since become the main drawcard of Gather Round in three weeks.

Hinkley did the wrong thing in an emotional moment and he quickly acknowledged the mistake, to his credit.

But Port Adelaide roll their eyes about the fact the league has condemned Hinkley for the same behaviour that has since been plastered across the Gather Round billboards.

Can you have it both ways?

Regardless, six months on it remains unclear whether the Power ever hit send on that five-figure bank transfer, anyway.

Certainly, president David Koch, who has strong support as the AFL’s next Commission chairman, wasn’t keen to push the button.

But a likely decision from Fox to stay put at the MCG after recently helping the Victorian Government ink the NFL deal to play one game at the MCG in 2026 continues a string of near misses from league headquarters in Dillon’s bid to lure another highly-experienced and respected senior executive to Docklands.

For more than one year, club bosses have offered Dillon the same strong advice.

Dillon would love a helping hand in some of the AFL’s biggest issues. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Secure a senior person from football’s top shelf to bolster the expertise and club acumen and help share the decision-making load at AFL headquarters.

Problem is, no one has taken the bait as the new second-in-charge, even if it comes with a whopping pay packet and a potential gateway to take over footy’s top job in five-plus years.

So, as Eddie McGuire would say, who wants to be a millionaire?

It is a strange predicament for Dillon whose biggest headache, somewhat ironically, is finding someone to fill his own shoes when he went from second in charge at the AFL to replacing Gillon McLachlan as CEO.

Once upon a time this was one of the most sought-after jobs in football, at a time when the game was otherwise in rude financial health after a whopping $4.5 billion broadcast rights agreement in 2022.

But the question top football figures are asking themselves these days is whether it is more enjoyable and fulfilling to run a club rather than run the game?

The trend clearly suggests senior club jobs hold more appeal in recent times in the AFL staffing merry-go-round.

As several club CEO’s pointed out this week, it is not to discredit the smart, talented and capable fleet of staff at AFL executive level, including football boss Laura Kane, legal counsel Stephen Meade, strategy and tech boss Walter Lee, people and culture chief Sarah Fair, finance GM Matthew Chun and corporate affairs jet Brian Walsh, among others.

Bringing back the Indigenous All-Stars was a good move by the AFL. Picture: Getty Images

The Indigenous All-Stars game was a total success, membership, broadcast and attendance are flying, the league is confident of a scoring uptick, and the continued growth of the northern clubs remains a top priority.

But at times, clubs want more engagement and transparency at league headquarters, especially on the difficult issues including concussion, balancing rule changes and tribunal outcomes, a 19th club, the illicit drugs policy, AFLW cost and strategy, and fixture equality.

It can be bureaucratic at AFL House and perhaps not as much fun as chasing flags on the clubs’ front line.

What clubs have called for is someone like Fox, Sydney’s Tom Harley or Fremantle’s Simon Garlick to effectively perform the role Travis Auld and even Dillon himself used to fulfil under former AFL chief executive McLachlan.

Auld’s job was to ensure 80 per cent of the club’s complaints and issues never reached McLachlan’s desk.

He was the backstop, and the full stop on a lot of club headaches. He was the conduit. The fire blanket.

But since Auld left to join the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, Kylie Rogers landed at Victoria Racing Club and McLachlan took over Tabcorp, the AFL has been looking to fill a gap.

And on Sunday it was Auld who hosted the AFL’s top brass in the chairman’s club as the rain belted down on the Formula Ones at Albert Park.

Said one senior club figure “I think Andrew (Dillon) knows one more experienced person would be an asset for him and the team, especially dealing with the clubs, but (the big) question is who is it going to be? Think they have been looking for a while.”

“They would love someone who has a lot of experience dealing with clubs on football issues.”

The problem is that Fox has given the impression he will stay based on recent media interviews and passion for redeveloping the MCG, former Richmond premiership CEO Brendon Gale took the Tassie CEO job instead, Graham Wright knocked back a role in the AFL football department, and highly-respected Harley looks set to stay as CEO at Sydney Swans.

Fremantle boss Garlick is also highly regarded and a friend of Dillon’s but he said no to Melbourne about their CEO role on the grounds he was committed to helping deliver Fremantle a first flag.

Garlick’s family is also well set in the west.

Experienced Brisbane CEO Greg Swann’s name has also come up, but he also recently extended his contract up north.

Former West Coast chief executive Trevor Nisbett, 67, knows every back road in the game but considered retirement before joining the league in a part-time advisory role.

He is working as executive manager of clubs and is expected to deliver a report on the league’s relationships and function with its clubs, which could provide some impetus for tweaks.

But generally-speaking, the recent trend has been to take up a senior role at a club over a prime position at league HQ.

So why any of the top candidates won’t go for one of the most powerful positions in footy is seen as one of the biggest head scratchers in the game.

Steve Hocking went from AFL footy boss to Geelong CEO, Brad Scott left the AFL to reclaim his coaching clipboard, and Port Adelaide footy boss Chris Davies remained at the Power.

Perhaps the appeal of being part of a team which feels the exhilaration of winning each week trumps the broader good of steering the game and developing its participants.

But then there is former Collingwood president McGuire, who has been pushed as a potential AFL Commissioner, despite recently taking up a position on the MCG Trust.

McGuire has a hotline to Commission chairman Richard Goyder, whose term ends next year, but has flagged an interest to remain in the job until 2028.

St Kilda chairman Andrew Bassat seems unconvinced of the plan after leading the shake-up of the draft system, and being hit, in turn, with a dreaded fixture for the Saints.

There is some uncertainty over who should replace Goyder, although Port Adelaide president Koch could be the one to watch.

Sydney Swans’ president Andrew Pridham is another.

And as for Dillon, and the vacant office currently next to his, he will have to keep dangling that carrot.