Hawthorn post-season news: Gary Ayres throws weight behind Andy Gowers board bid

Hawthorn premiership legend Gary Ayres has thrown his support behind a former teammate’s bid to land a spot on the Hawks board. And he says it’s not about Jeff Kennett.

Port Melbourne Couch Gary Ayres.

Dual Norm Smith medallist Gary Ayres is backing his Hawthorn premiership teammate Andy Gowers’ bid to return to the Hawks’ board.

A board battle is brewing at Waverley Park, with Gowers and ex-Australian Super boss Ian Silk putting their hands up for election, in opposition to current director Tim Shearer and potential newcomer Simon Taylor.

Jeff Kennett’s board has selected Taylor, who played 85 games for Hawthorn, to fill the board vacancy.

There is also another challenging group, Hawks for Change, which includes triple premiership player James Morrissey, an outspoken critic of Kennett.

But Ayres has nominated Gowers, who served as the football director on Hawthorn’s board for four years from late 2013.

They both played in the Hawks’ 1991 grand final defeat of West Coast, one of five flags all-time great Ayres was part of in the brown and gold.

If elected, Gowers would join football director Richie Vandenberg as the only former players on the board.

Ayres, who also coached Geelong, Adelaide and VFL club Port Melbourne, said he knew the board challenge would generate interest, but said it was about change for the better.

His understanding was Gowers’ board move did not include trying to overthrow Kennett, who has two years to run on his latest presidency term.

“Obviously, everyone sets a pretty high standard, and when you look at Hawthorn’s record, it’s been quite unbelievable over a long period of time,” Ayres told SEN.

“Just of late, things haven’t been going the way everyone would like.

“(Gowers) was on the board as football director back in 2014-15, when they won a couple of flags, and he’s been a successful businessman for a long period of time.

“He understands the game from a footballing perspective, and just offers another voice and he’d certainly be very happy to challenge if there’s any thinking that may need to be dived into … to get the best result.”

Ayres stopped short of criticising Kennett and the coaching succession plan from Alastair Clarkson to Sam Mitchell but said the latter could “perhaps” have been “handled better”.