Board challenge looms for new president as Carlton pursues its next coach

Carlton president Luke Sayers has promised to deliver stability at the Blues but it appears a tall order with rivals circling.

Carlton president Luke Sayers spoke to Ross Lyon, pictured, about the vacant senior coaching role at the Blues on Thursday night.

Carlton president Luke Sayers has vowed the bloodletting at the Blues is over, but the club is now without a senior coach and its revamped board is in peril after a prospective coup was launched on Friday.

Even before Sayers convened a meeting with the besieged Carlton board to frame its search for a new coach, he confirmed he had discussed at length the vacant position with favourite Ross Lyon on Thursday night.

The new Carlton president has stressed he is committed to good governance and ambitious in his aspiration for the Blues to return to the powerful position they once held.

It is why, while still only the presidential nominee, he commissioned a review into the football department in June that ultimately led to the sacking of David Teague on Thursday.

But others are clearly concerned about governance, with a group called Carlton Now triggering an extraordinary general meeting that must be held by October 27.

Sayers described the challenge as against the interests of Carlton prior to the rebels presenting papers to the club at Princes Park on Friday morning that has added further chaos to the current upheaval.

The incumbent president, who has only just been elevated to the role after serving for nine years as a director, has promised an exhaustive search for an experienced candidate to be Carlton’s coach for 2022 and beyond.

But questions have been raised about the initial review, with Sayers acknowledging things could have been done differently, and also about the process to find a new coach.

It was reported on Thursday that Sayers had been in contact with Lyon, the former St Kilda and Fremantle coach, for up to two months before Teague was sacked.

He denied on Friday that Lyon had visited his home during this period. But Sayers was already canvassing other options prior to the conclusion of the review that led to Teague’s ousting.

That includes a 45-minute conversation with Lyon prior to a planned board meeting to finish the week aimed at clarifying the terms of reference for the coaching search.

Clearly Carlton had also sought the interest of Alastair Clarkson given he released a statement on Wednesday ruling himself out of the position.

Good governance would suggest others must have been approached. Or surely will be in the coming days, at the very least, with Sayers confirming either he or newly-inducted board member Greg Williams will pursue this.

But if Sayers rang a prospective candidate before the board has met to decide what they are looking for in a coach, it begs a key question.

Why would a prospective candidate — and there are clearly other ambitious coaches out there — put themselves through the interview process based on that knowledge?

“I am not going into all the conversations I have had with a multitude of different players, different coaches and so on and so forth, over the past four to six to eight weeks,” Sayers told SEN.

“Now we pivot and we are looking for the best coach we can possibly get to get a fantastic group winning games and into the finals next year and away we go.”

It has been reported there was tension between Lyon and Carlton’s football boss Brad Lloyd when they worked together at Fremantle.

The Dockers reached their sole grand final in 2013 under the favourite for the Carlton job, who also led St Kilda to deciders in 2009 and 2010.

If the strength of the relationship came up in Sayers discussion with Lyon on Thursday night, the Carlton president was not willing to elaborate on Friday.

“Do I understand or know or even pretend to know how that relationship is or isn’t? I have no idea,” Sayers said.

“But if Ross did make it through the process and Ross was our preferred option — and this is all a hypothetical — I am sure Brad would tuck in and do what is in the best interests of the Carlton Football Club.”

The former chief executive of PwC, who is determined to hold leaking from the club, believes he is the man to lead Carlton back to glory despite the prospective board challenge.

“More stability and a united Carlton. That is what we need. Respecting and loving the past while also building for the future,” he said.