Collingwood figures Eddie McGuire, Tony Shaw and Mick McGuane weigh in on the club’s presidency fight
Eddie McGuire has vehemently denied suggestions Collingwood has offered him an unofficial role at the club amid the Magpies’ boardroom chaos.
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Former Collingwood president Eddie McGuire has revealed he has been playing a behind the scenes role involving club sponsorships since his shock departure.
McGuire is refusing to take sides in the Magpies’ boardroom stoush, urging his successor Mark Korda and challenger Jeff Browne to sit down and “get it sorted”.
Declaring the club’s boardroom battle “heartbreaking to watch”, McGuire denied he had been offered an unofficial role to return to the club in the background.
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Asked if he was in the Korda or Browne camp, McGuire said he was aware he still carried “too much weight” with members to buy into the club’s boardroom fight.
He said it was his wish for Korda and Browne to sit down to “work it out”.
“I’m not buying into it. I still know that I hold too much weight as far as the members are concerned,” McGuire said on Footy Classified.
“I’m not buying into the situation and I’m not going to get dragged in on it.
“What breaks my heart is that for 23 years none of this happened at Collingwood and now it is and we need to get a resolution.
“The way I think that should be done is I would love to see Mark Korda and Jeff Browne sit down one more time and try and work it out and try and work out what’s best for the Collingwood Football Club.
“Let’s get it sorted, get Mark Korda and Jeff Browne in the same room and fight for Collingwood, that’s all we want.”
NewsCorp revealed this week there was “talk” of an informal role for McGuire at a Browne-led Collingwood.
McGuire denied he had already been offered an unofficial role at the club.
“I’m sick of being called a liar, I’m sick of it,” McGuire said.
“I gave 23 years of my life to the Collingwood Football Club and anything I have ever done is for the benefit of the Collingwood Football Club.
“If I thought I was going to have more benefit to the football club, I would still be the president. So I’m not.
“I am not involved in the football club in any way, I speak to people everywhere. Have I spoken to Jeff Browne? Yes I have. Have I spoken to Mark Korda? Yes I have.
“Have I helped the sponsorships in the last month at the Collingwood Football Club and the AFL? Yes I do. Why? Because I love football.”
PIE GREATS’ STRONG MESSAGE TO WARRING FACTIONS
Collingwood legend Tony Shaw has urged the Magpies’ warring factions to come to a quick resolution, warning against the fight for the presidency becoming a “popularity contest.”
Shaw’s comments come as 40-year club member David Hatley revealed he was still chasing signatures to cause a spill of the board and an election.
While Shaw said it was crucial the issue was resolved quickly, the sitting seven members of Collingwood’s board have already rejected ex-Channel 9 boss Jeff Browne’s proposal for a peaceful takeover.
The fight for control is now almost certain to end up in an ugly war decided at an Emergency General Meeting.
“I’ve got no idea if he (Browne) is the right man for the job or not,” Shaw said.
“He’s got the credentials that would probably suit, but we’ve got to go through the process now and I hope they do it the right way and get it done without too many ructions so the club can get back on an organised level and get some respect back.”
The 1990 premiership captain said he was not backing one man over the other.
“He (Browne) has come out now and I think it’s good he’s come out, so let’s get it done quickly and get it over and done with,” Shaw said.
“Hopefully they can do it without having to go to an election, which is always a pain in the backside.
“All I’m worried about is the Collingwood Football Club; I don’t want this to become a popularity contest.
“I want to make sure that whoever is going to be in there has a plan, probably going back to what Brendon Gale did at Richmond when he came out and said ‘this is what we’re trying to achieve.’
“I’m not worried about the personalities involved.
“I’ve met Jeff a number of times and Mark Korda the same, but I’m not on anyone’s side except Collingwood’s side.”
Fellow Magpies premiership hero Mick McGuane warned against a long and drawn out saga.
“We just have to make sure the club is at the forefront of everyone’s mind and don’t allow this spat to continue for a long period of time,” McGuane said.
“Because I think at the moment the club requires stability and strong leadership.”
Hatley has already gathered more than 1700 signatures from members eager to see an election at Collingwood, and he is chasing more online.
“We’ll see what eventuates from the (Mark) Korda/ (Jeff) Browne meeting whenever that occurs, then we’ll reassess,” Hatley said.
“In the interim, nothing has changed from our perspective we’ll still collect signatures online until this Covid situation settles in Victoria as we can’t meet with Korda anyway.”
Hatley has requested from the club a full list of eligible voting members so he can cross check his signatures.
“We have asked the club for a list in order for us to validate,” he said.
“We will reimburse the club for their time.
“We are proud to have given (the members) a voice and we will ensure our board recognises the level of discontent in the Magpie Army and disconnection with the leadership of the club.”
IS THERE A ROLE FOR EDDIE IN BROWNE’S PIES VISION?
Jeff Browne had seen enough by the time his beloved Magpies went down to the lowly Gold Coast Suns on a dreary Saturday afternoon at the MCG five weeks ago.
As if the listless 24-point drubbing wasn’t enough, just 24,397 fans turned up – the second-lowest crowd for a Collingwood fixture at the home of football since 1988.
Collingwood was broken and Browne, 66, the former AFL legal adviser and one-time boss of Channel 9, reckoned he was the man to fix it.
SCROLL DOWN TO READ BROWNE’S FULL STATEMENT
Watching the game alone on TV at his Brighton home, he committed to the decision to form a ticket and challenge Mark Korda’s board.
Since his name first surfaced as a potential presidential suitor in February, Browne says he has been encouraged by what he describes as “a wave” of Collingwood fans – from the rank-and-file to the top end of town – urging him to run.
The decision by powerful player agent Craig Kelly to publicly endorse him in late April was the first real signal to the Korda-led board that trouble was on its way.
But as a lifelong Magpies man, Browne is at pains to point out that his bid for the club’s top job has nothing to do with the fate of his old mate Eddie McGuire or his close links to the suits at AFL House.
The changing circumstances in his life, having shifted his base from Perth to Melbourne over summer, and the fall out from Collingwood’s calamitous trade period and the leaking of the damning ‘Do Better’ report have all paved the way for his bid to take charge at the Holden Centre.
His group will request a meeting with the Magpies board in coming weeks and seek a voluntary handover of the club.
Three of the current seven Collingwood directors will be offered a spot on the Browne-led board.
Should it be rejected – and it surely will – Magpie fans could be headed for the polls for the first time in a generation.
Black and white runs through Browne’s blood.
He pulled on the famous jumper in 1971 playing in the under 19s, while his brother Murray Browne played 47 games in the seniors between 1981-85.
Collingwood has been a club divided since the sudden exit of McGuire in early February and many in his corner, including Pies great Peter Moore – the father of star defender Darcy Moore – say he is the only man who can unite the factions and drive the resurgence.
There is talk, too, of an informal role for McGuire somewhere in the background.
The dilemma surrounding the future of coach (and Kelly client) Nathan Buckley is another that will require sensitive negotiation.
Korda and Co insist that a board “coup” is the last distraction Collingwood needs, but it’s clear that Browne will put a team forward if members force an extraordinary general election and let the paid-up Magpie members have their say in the future direction of the club.
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