Mark Korda said mooted Collingwood coup risks tearing Magpies apart

The tensions surrounding Collingwood have prompted Magpies president Mark Korda to mount an impassioned defence of the performance of the board.

Collingwood president Mark Korda has issued a spirited defence of the Magpies board amid the prospect of an extraordinary general meeting

Besieged Collingwood president Mark Korda has issued a spirited defence of the Magpies board and claimed the very ethos of the club could be damaged by a challenge he branded an attempted coup.

In a letter to club members, the recently appointed successor to Eddie McGuire claimed damaging infighting “will threaten the essence of the Collingwood culture – side-by-side”.

“When that withers, the club withers too. Or, as John Howard warned many times, disunity is death,” he wrote.

“Coups are not good for football clubs. Ask Eddie. We have already seen signs of Canberra-style undermining campaigns around Collingwood.

“There are other ways for members to vent their frustrations about the on-field and off-field performance of the club.”

Korda alluded to a campaign that has gained momentum over the past month to elevate former Channel Nine boss Jeff Browne, who has recently returned to Victoria from Perth, to lead the Magpies.

Browne is yet to publicly announce his intentions but former Collingwood players including prominent player agent Craig Kelly and Peter Moore, the father of current star Darcy Moore, believe he is the man for the job.

Long-serving Collingwood member David Hately said he has gathered the necessary signatures required of 650 members to force the club to hold an extraordinary general meeting.

This would force a spill of the board. But Korda cited Collingwood’s financial strength and the skills of the current board when stating the move could come at a significant cost.

“I admire the white-hot passion among Magpie fans,” he wrote.

“I embrace their right to forcefully debate team selection, coaching performances, recruiting decisions and, yes, Board matters. But members should be wary of the politics associated with attempted coups.”

The Magpies have won only two of their opening 10 games to sit 16th on the ladder, with coach Nathan Buckley out-of-contract and under pressure.

While the AFL as a whole as hit hard by Covid-19, Korda said Collingwood’s financial pressure had never been better.

He stated the Magpies had nearly $18 million in a Future Fund along with an additional $10m in cash.

He said the Magpies also had an additional $15m in funding directed towards redeveloping their current home at Olympic Park.

He also noted the Magpies have stable relationships with club sponsors.

Greg O’Neill, the chief executive of major Magpies sponsor La Trobe Financial, has stressed he does not believe an EGM is the solution to the current agitation for a board overhaul at Collingwood.

McGuire, who ended his tenure amid controversy following the release of the Do Better report which found evidence of systemic racism at Collingwood, has also said an EGM should be avoided.

But Korda, who has been a member of the Collingwood board for 14 years, acknowledged mistakes had been made by the McGuire-led board of which he was a director.

He also described the criticism surrounding the elevation of Bridie O’Donnell to the board last week, a decision which inflamed the passions of some Magpies fans, as “a storm in a teacup”.

O’Donnell has not been a Collingwood member long enough to be able to vote on board matters but Korda said there had never been a discussion during his time with the Magpies that required a resolution.

“All the Board can offer is the utmost support and resources required to get back on top. Collingwood has been down before but it has always risen after not too long,” he said.

“I call on all Collingwood members and supporters to be part of the solution, have a little patience and resist the temptation to support change for change’s sake.

“Check the credentials of your Board members and ask yourself whether you really want to send their skills into exile.”