Ex-Collingwood lawyer Francis Galbally says the Pies must unveil an Eddie McGuire succession plan by Round 1 next year

Collingwood’s former lawyer Francis Galbally has called on under fire president Eddie McGuire to begin succession planning.

Eddie McGuire is resisting calls to step down as Collingwood president. Picture: Mark Stewart

Eddie McGuire needs to put a succession plan in place by Round 1 next year and publicly declare his intention to vacate the Collingwood presidency, long-time club lawyer Francis Galbally says.

Joining his brother David in speaking out about the Magpies’ recent “failure of leadership”, Galbally said the “overwhelming view” of the Collingwood community was that McGuire had stayed in the top job for too long.

“Eddie needs a succession plan in place and he needs to state publicly that he is going to go of his own making,” Galbally said.

“There needs to be change – a total refreshing at the top of the club – and it certainly needs to be in place by the time we get to March.”

Kayo is your ticket to the best sport streaming Live & On-Demand. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

Eddie McGuire has been president at Collingwood for 22 years – and there are growing calls for him to step aside. Picture: Mark Stewart

Galbally, who was the Magpies’ honorary solicitor from 1976-94 and is a prominent Melbourne businessman and company director, identified Paul Tuddenham, Craig Kelly and Sally Capp as future Collingwood presidents.

“Eddie has been fabulous for the club, there is no doubt about it,” Galbally said.

“He has been the best president the club has ever had. It needed him at the time.

“He took the club from the 19th century to the 21st century in two years, forget the 20th – but you can’t be a one-man band, and that is what has happened here.

“Now, what company ever goes forward without having a proper succession plan? Nobody.

“But Eddie won’t go and when you have a failure of leadership, you then have a failure at all levels in the organisation, and that is what you’ve got now.

“The emperor has no clothes, I mean that is really where it is at the moment.

“And in history, people hang on for too long. John Howard did – perhaps the best prime minister the country ever had, yet he hung on for too long.

“They don’t see that they have to go, that’s the problem.”

Of the more than 8000 readers who responded to a Herald Sun poll on Friday asking if it was time McGuire stepped down, 81 per cent said yes.

Galbally said it was a dereliction of duties that after 22 years at the helm the club had not identified a successor to McGuire.

But he believed many were too “scared” to speak out for fear of having “our heads cut off”.

“Everybody is petrified to put their hand up,” he said.

“People are coy to say things because they are scared of being either talked down, like Tony Shaw was, or they have kids that are coming through into the club.”

McGuire labelled Shaw a “dial-a-quote” two years ago after the premiership legend questioned the disciplinary standards at the club.

Galbally said McGuire’s fellow board members had also failed the club in recent years.

“What disappoints me is that the Alex Waislitz and Mark Korda’s of this world, who are absolutely outstanding people and business people, don’t seem, when it comes to Collingwood, to have brought any of those qualities to the board table,” he said.

His brother, David Galbally, AM QC – a former Magpies director – last week called for McGuire to walk as part of a major “clean out” of the club.

McGuire and Tony Shaw at the Collingwood Copeland Trophy night in 2009.

MORE AFL NEWS:

EDDIE MCGUIRE RESPONDS TO CALL FOR HIM TO END REIGN

NETBALLER SLAMS COLLINGWOOD FOR POOR TREATMENT OF TRELOAR

WILL PIES FIND SOMEONE TO BLAME FOR TRADE PERIOD DISASTER?

Their father, the legendary lawyer Frank Galbally CBE, played six games for Collingwood and served on the club committee, while uncles Jack and Bob also pulled on the famous black and white strip.

Jack was vice president between 1951-62.

McGuire, elected president in October 1998, says members will have their chance to ask questions about the club’s direction at a fan forum to be held after the national draft in mid-December.