AFL 2021: Jeff Browne seeking six new directors for Pies takeover bid

A joint declaration from the Magpies’ board that it would resist Jeff Browne’s demands has forced the former Channel 9 boss to take matters into his own hands.

Jeff Browne is mounting a Collingwood board challenge.

Would-be Collingwood president Jeff Browne will push ahead with his plans to take over the ailing Magpies and will now seek to bring six new directors with him.

Browne initially sought to negotiate a peaceful handover of power, offering to allow three current directors to stay on and sit alongside his four candidates.

But a strongly-worded joint declaration of the Magpies’ board that it would resist the former Channel 9 boss’ demands has strengthened his resolve to expand his own ticket to seven.

Browne has already canvassed a number of prospective candidates as the club lurches towards a potentially bitter election, if an extraordinary general meeting is called.

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Jeff Browne will bring six new directors with him if he takes over at the Pies.

Long-time Collingwood member David Hatley has already collected more than 1700 signatures of eligible voters, which he said was more than double the numbers required to bring about an EGM.

Melbourne’s Covid lockdown has meant Hatley has been unable to meet for a second time with president Mark Korda - as promised - or lodge his signatures which could trigger an election.

It comes as Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley on Friday threw his support behind the current board, describing the Magpies’ current woes as “not fatal.”

Former Magpie and property developer Paul Tuddenham has already been linked as a prospective member of Browne’s ticket.

While Tuddenham did not wish to comment on Friday about any potential role he could play, he endorsed Browne as the right fit for Collingwood into the future.

Tuddenham told the Herald Sun: “I genuinely think Jeff Browne is the best person to be president of the Collingwood Football Club.”

The son of Magpie legend Des, Tuddenham is seen as a candidate who could also bring his property expertise to the club, especially given plans to further expand the Magpies’ home base.

Club greats Peter Moore and Craig Kelly have publicly supported Browne’s push for the presidency, but there would be some complications about either serving on a Magpies’ board.

Both have sons playing with the Magpies at the moment, while Kelly is one of the AFL’s leading player managers, and also manages out-of-contract coach Nathan Buckley.

Browne unveiled his blueprint to take charge of the Holden Centre in the Herald Sun earlier this week, which has led to the Pies’ seven sitting directors uniting against him.

The seven directors – president Mark Korda, vice-presidents Sizer and Paul Licuria, Neil Wilson, Christine Holgate, Peter Murphy and Bridie O’Donnell – have signed a joint declaration vowing not to be splintered by Browne’s demands to take four of the seven board spots.

Nathan Buckley attends training at Olympic Park. Picture: Michael Klein

Buckley said on Friday he had not discussed the issue with the players, but the out-of-contract coach declared he believed the current board was populated with the right people to take the club forward.

“It’s something that happens above my head and obviously it’s topical right here, right now with the advent of more conversations coming out in the open,” Buckley said.

“But I believe that most of those people have Collingwood’s best interests at heart.

“What I would say and for what it’s worth, I actually believe there has been a whole heap of change to this football club over the last three or four years in particular.

“I think we’re a much better organisation across those years and I believe the people that are on the current board have had no small part in that progress.

“Yes, we’re struggling at the moment on the field and our win-loss doesn’t look great and there have been some challenges in terms of the salary cap and obviously the Do Better report which was really public.

“But there has been that much change that has taken place (and) I believe the people on the current board are the right people to take the club forward, and believe in time that will be vindicated.”

When asked if further change would have a destabilising effect on the club, Buckley said:

“That’s up for the people that are in those discussions to work out.

“I believe they all want the Collingwood Football Club to prosper and everyone is hurting at the moment with the situation we’re in in 2021, but the situation we’re in is not fatal.

“It’s a moment in time and there’s a lot of things that are working for us and will come through in coming years no doubt.

“The board’s role is governance and making sure the right processes are followed and the right people are put in place to make decisions.

Jeff Browne at the 2010 Grand Final.

There’s been a fair bit of change to our football department, our administration and definitely change in our environment and the way we go about our business.

“With the backdrop of two wins and nine losses it’s really difficult to sell that or see that, but I’m really sure that will come to fruition.

“It was really obvious two or three years ago and it hasn’t changed; we’re still a good organisation in that sense.”

PIES DIRECTOR HITS OUT AT BROWNE

Collingwood director Jodie Sizer said she would not consider serving on a board led by Jeff Browne, whom she described as a member of the game’s “old boys’ club”.

Sizer is one of seven sitting Magpies board members who have signed a declaration to stand united against Browne’s push to replace Mark Korda as president.

The board has vowed not to give in to the ex-Channel 9 boss’ demands to take over four of the seven director seats.

“I’m the kid that was at Victoria Park collecting cans to buy a badge, to celebrate my heroes … and we (the current board) are also feeling this pain, and are 100 per cent committed to the work,” Sizer told SEN.

“I wouldn’t be serving under the leadership of someone (like) Jeff Browne, who is coming together with an agenda of power and privilege to suggest what an individual might know as to be his individual aspirations.”

Asked by broadcaster Gerard Whateley if Browne, a close friend of ex-president Eddie McGuire, was representative of the game’s “boys’ club” establishment, Sizer said: “I don’t know Jeff personally, but that’s what it looks to represent to me and I just struggle with the mandate that he’s created for himself.

Mark Anderson, Eddie McGuire, Jodie Sizer and Peter Murphy hold a press conference to discuss the release of Collingwood’s ‘Do Better’ report into racism at the club. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

“To me, it’s about the actions that I’m seeing demonstrated in how this is playing out in a public conversation, which is not for the best interests of the organisation.

“We are up for collaborating, we are up for talking to better understand from our members and partners about where there is further information that we should be looking at.

“We have been in a change process for some time now, but it does look to me that it represents the old boys’ club trying to make calls about what happens without full consideration to the complexities of a modern sporting organisation.”

Sizer’s comments come after the Collingwood board declared war on Browne by outright rejecting his plans for a peaceful takeover of the club, as Korda said he would make a call on coach Nathan Buckley.

Twenty-four hours after Browne unveiled his blueprint to take charge of the Holden Centre in the Herald Sun, the Pies’ seven sitting directors said on Wednesday night they stood united against him.

The seven directors – president Korda, vice-presidents Sizer and Paul Licuria, Neil Wilson, Christine Holgate, Peter Murphy and Bridie O’Donnell – have signed a joint declaration vowing not to be splintered by Browne’s demands to take four of the seven board spots.

“The board of the Collingwood Football Club stands for unity, not division, and will therefore stand against coups driven by personal ambition,” the board said in a statement.

Mark Korda is the current Collingwood president.

“Not one, let alone four, of the current board is prepared to step aside to allow a boardroom coup as proposed by Jeff Browne to proceed.

“A coup is not warranted, it has not been justified and cannot be justified. Nor is it in step with good governance or the will of members to agree to the demands of an individual member wanting only to be president.

“In any case, there is no vision, no ticket, no compelling strategy for you to consider or for us to step aside for. How could any board entertain a request to step aside without first knowing these things?”

The Korda-led board indicated it was still willing to meet with the Browne ticket in the hope of resolving the stand-off and avoiding a “divisive and distracting campaign”.

But an all-out war for control of the club now seems inevitable.

Korda fired another shot in the battle by declaring the Magpies’ board would make the call on the future of senior coach Buckley “whether it is being threatened or not” by a potential takeover bid.

Korda remained steadfast in the club’s message that it would wait until the second half of the season to make a decision on whether Buckley would be appointed for an 11th season at the club and beyond despite the looming boardroom showdown from Browne.

Football boss Graham Wright said the club had been consistent all along that it would consider Buckley’s tenure in the back half of the season.

“We’ve been pretty consistent it will be in the back half of the year and that’s where it stands,” he said.

He said Buckley was free to coach the team as he saw fit, despite his unclear future.

“There’s been no instruction or no conversation around not coaching the way you want to coach, (Buckley) has absolute full say in the way he wants to coach the team,” Wright said.

“He’s looking at the team from the point of view that we’ve had some significant injuries to key players and how are we going to blood new players into the team and he’s been driving that more than anyone ... we’ve had seven debutants this year.

“From that perspective, he’s got the right of way to do exactly as he would like.”

Buckley has previously declared he wants to coach at the Magpies, who sit 16th with a 2-9 record this season, beyond 2021.

Asked how the board could make a decision on the senior coaching positions while it was being challenged, Korda said the board would do what was in the best interests of the club.

“We have a very good board and we are going to govern the Collingwood Football Club with proper governance,” Korda said on 3AW.

“We will make the call on Nathan Buckley whether we are being threatened or not.

“We’ve just got to do whatever is in the best interests of the Collingwood Football Club.

“Of course it’s appropriate (to do that).

“We’ve got to govern this football club in the best interests of the members, not on the potential threat from someone who might want to have a coup.”

A decision on Nathan Buckley’s future is yet to be made. Picture: Michael Klein

In Buckley’s 10th season as senior coach, the Magpies have slumped to their lowest ladder position during his time in charge.

Korda said the club would stick to its timeline for a decision on Buckley’s coaching future.

“We’ve agreed with Nathan and nothing has changed from the start of the year that we would make a decision on this in the second half of the season,” Korda said.

“So (chief executive) Mark Anderson, (football department boss) Graham Wright, (directors) Paul Licuria and Peter Murphy have formed a group that are dealing with that and we’ll make that announcement in the second half of the season.”

Korda said the Magpies’ aim was to be in a position to contend again by 2024.

“Graham is working through that so we have got to get an alignment of coaching, list and strategy and we will make some further announcements on that,” Korda said.

“But we would be disappointed if we weren’t contending ‘24, or ‘25.

Korda said the on-field performance of the AFL team was his and the board’s No. 1 priority.

“Clearly our No. 1 issue is performance on the field and where we are at football,” Korda said.

“Rejuvenating and working on the AFL football team is the No. 1 priority at Collingwood Football Club.”