Ian Silk Hawthorn: Peter Schwab questions Alastair Clarkson exit during members forum
With the end of the Jeff Kennett reign brought forward, the Hawthorn presidency has become a hotbed of intrigue - but a club legend has a ‘good person’ in mind.
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Hawthorn great Peter Schwab has hit out at the club’s handling of former coach Alastair Clarkson’s departure as he anointed Ian Silk as a “great candidate” to succeed Jeff Kennett as Hawks president.
Schwab hosted an online meeting for the Hawks for Change supporter group on Tuesday night along with ex-Australian Super boss and Hawthorn board candidate Silk and former premiership player Andy Gowers, who is set to chair a nomination committee charged with finding Kennett’s replacement.
Kennett’s current term as Hawks’ president is due to expire at the end of 2023 but he wrote to members last week advising them of a succession plan to identify his replacement by July next year.
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The former Victorian premier has come under fire over the club’s decision to part ways with four-time premiership coach Clarkson while the Hawks for Change group has been pushing for changes at the club’s board level.
Former Hawthorn coach and three-time premiership player Schwab said “too many” of the club’s members were “disenchanted” with the way some issues had unfolded at the club.
While he said Hawks for Change was behind new coach Sam Mitchell, he said the way Clarkson’s departure had been handled had not been well-received.
“Let me say that everyone is behind Sam, first off,” Schwab said on SEN.
“I think it wasn’t a good ending for someone who has arguably been one of the greatest coaches that we have ever had.
“I don’t think anyone was pleased in the way that was done and let’s be quite blunt, also you don’t want a massive salary sitting and being paid to someone who’s no longer at the footy club in an environment where there is a soft salary cap.
“It wasn’t great and I personally think it could have been handled a lot better.”
Schwab said the online forum, attended by more than 200 supporters and members, had been an opportunity to introduce Silk and his plans standing for the board.
The former league umpires boss said Silk would be a strong candidate to replace Kennett.
“I think he would be a great candidate … I nominated him to be a board member so I think Ian has got great credentials,” Schwab said.
“But that will be up to that (nomination) committee. I think he is a good person to look at.”
Gowers also backed Silk’s credentials as a candidate for the club’s next president.
“He’s run the largest super fund in this country, extremely successfully, and he’s a tried-and-true Hawthorn person,” Gowers said.
“He’s got it in his blood, and his record speaks for itself... from my discussions with him, I think he is an outstanding candidate.”
Schwab, who was introduced to the Hawks for Change movement through former teammate James Morrissey, said the impetus behind the group had been a disconnect between members and the club’s leadership.
He said Kennett had done a “great job” for Hawthorn but there was disenchantment and all clubs needed to “rejuvenate”.
“I think Jeff has done a great job for the footy club, but I think everyone was saying at what point are we going to find a successor?,” Schwab said.
“You don’t have a group organised if there is not some disenchantment with the way things have probably gone.
“This is not a slur on anyone on that board but I think at times you have got to be careful you don’t drift away from your members because ultimately they are the people you exist for.
“Too many of them feel a little bit disenchanted with some of the things that have happened.”
Gowers said Hawks for Change had played a pivotal role at bringing change to a head.
“Jeff’s acknowledged it’s time to hand over the baton and we have an agreed process...with a deadline next year,” Gowers told SEN.
“Now the process begins to find the best person...it’s fair to say we needed a circuit breaker and that was the circuit breaker.”
The 1991 Hawthorn premiership player also agreed Clarkson’s messy exit contributed to a push for change at board level.
“It’s had an impact on people’s views and I know there’s general disenchantment in the membership,” Gowers said.
“If you had your time over again maybe you do things differently but that might also be wishful thinking.”
Silk told the Hawthorn members’ forum the Hawks should be exploring ways to phase out pokies as a source of revenue despite admitting it had helped the club financially.
“I’m very much of the school that, particularly as a family club, we should be ceasing our connection with poker machines and poker machine revenue,” Silk said.
“But we need to do it in a timely fashion that doesn’t cause the club very significant financial difficulties.
“At some point we’re going to have to make a call on it.”
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Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett has unveiled plans to identify his successor in a move that could see the former Victorian premier end his tenure at the club at the end of next season.
In a letter to members on Thursday night, Kennett detailed plans to find a preferred candidate by July next year. Kennett’s final term in the Hawks was due to end at the end of 2023.
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Kennett has come under fire over the club’s decision to part ways with four-time premiership coach Alastair Clarkson, while supporter group Hawks for Change has also been pushing for changes at the club’s board level.
A newly-formed nominations committee will now lead the search for Kennett’s replacement.
“The time has come for the Board to start the process of my succession and your next President,” Kennett told members.
“On the agreement of the board of their recommendation, and the acceptance of the nominee, and his or her availability to commence work, we will then decide when I hand over the baton.
“So, life is about changes and opportunities, and with our new coach, the club is in such a good and strong position to move into 2022.”
Kennett’s surprise move came after supporter group Hawks for Change gathered almost 3000 signatures seeking a spill of the president’s position.
The group had been lobbying the board for change in recent weeks.
As part of these discussions, the board has agreed to form a new nominations committee - comprising board members and non board members - which will be finalised before the club’s December AGM.
That committee will help choose the next president.
It is understood Kennett told the board of his decision on Wednesday after a number of meetings in recent weeks.
Former Australian Super boss Ian Silk – who had been challenging for a board position – is now likely to join the club’s board, while premiership player and former board member Andrew Gowers could become a part of the nominations committee to help choose Kennett’s successor.
Kennett took over from Ian Dicker as president in 2005 before the Hawks claimed the 2008 premiership in an upset win over Geelong.
He then stood down in 2011 with the club claiming three consecutive flags in the subsequent years after his departure before returning for a second stint following the resignation of Richard Garvey.
“I was asked to return to the presidency of the club by the previous board in 2017 to address some issues that were causing concern,” he said.
“It was my intention to only stay for one term of three years. Then Covid-19 struck us all, and I was asked to stay to guide the club and the competition through Covid.”
In some good news for Kennett and the Hawks, the club said the AFL will support its new training base in Dingley, which would see the multi-million dollar Kennedy Community Centre completed by 2023.
Asked on Thursday night about a report the Hawks were budgeting for a catastrophic decline of membership revenue as a result of the sacking of coach Clarkson, Kennett said; “it is totally incorrect, we are budgeting for a slight increase in 2022 on top of this year, which was our second-best membership year ever.”
“More importantly, we are in day four of the new financial year and we have already re-signed 43,000 members which is more than half of the total we were aiming for.”
In his letter, Kennett urged members to support one of his two preferred board candidates, Tim Shearer, to keep his role, given his position on the Hawthorn Foundation.
“There will be two vacancies for the board, so exercise your judgment on the other position, but Tim’s return to the board is essential.”
Kennett’s move comes as two other clubs – Melbourne and Collingwood – flagged changes to their boards.
Former Demons president Glenn Bartlett – who was sensationally removed from the role earlier in the season in favour of Kate Roffey – has now left the club’s board.
Meanwhile, Magpies board member Peter Murphy – who initially shared the co-presidency along with Mark Korda in the wake of Eddie McGuire’s shock departure in February – has decided against nominating to contest the club’s election.
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