North Melbourne civil war: Prominent coterie member demands president, CEO resign immediately

Another horror North loss was the final straw for one prominent Shinboner Club member, who called for Roo powerbrokers to resign. He spoke to Mark Robinson from Germany.

The terrible loss to Geelong at the weekend was the final straw for lifelong North Melbourne supporter Adrian Kinderis.

The wealthy businessman, who is part of the influential Shinboner Club coterie group, on Monday shared private emails with about 60 members of the group, plus current and former staff, and board members. He also included an email exchange with Kangaroos chief executive Ben Amarfio.

In the emotionally-charged email exchange, Kinderis demanded president Sonja Hood and Ben Amarfio resign immediately, which has started a civil war at the embattled football club.

SCROLL DOWN TO READ THE EMAIL EXCHANGE

Long-time club benefactor Kinderis, on Tuesday, told the Herald Sun from Germany he had received majority support from the group plus a handful of opposing views.

“I thought I was sharing my frustration with a group of like-minded individuals, passionate supporters, and I was frustrated with the approach of Ben in response to my emails,’’ Kinderis said.

Pressure continues to mount on North Melbourne chief executive Ben Amarfio. Picture: Michael Klein

“I saw no change from when I wrote those emails (in May) with the performances on the field.

“The game against the Cats pushed me over the edge and I thought the wider group would like to see how I was approaching how to get action from the club.

“I’m just a passionate Kangaroos supporter. The only difference between me and anyone else is that I happen to have the CEO’s email address

“I’m disappointed someone from the coterie shared the emails with the press, but there’s nothing in the email that I wouldn’t say to the club or to anyone who asked quite frankly.”

Kinderis, who says in the secret emails he has contributed “hundreds and thousands” of dollars to the Kangaroos, stood by his comments that change was needed at the top echelons.

The 1-14 Kangaroos are a critical concern for the AFL, which oversaw the appointment of veteran football boss Geoff Walsh to review the ailing football department — and Noble himself.

Asked what outcome he wanted, Kinderis said: “That there is accountability from the top to tail. Oftentimes, you could argue the fish rots from the head … and we’ll see how that plays out.

David Noble is under serious pressure to keep his job. Picture: Getty Images

“My fear is we always turn the blowtorch to the coach.

“There’s a regime who has installed that coach and I stand by my comments that the regime to be held accountable for the coach’s performance.’’

Former president Ben Buckley oversaw the appointments of Amarfio and Noble, while Hood was a board member.

Amarfio, however, was part of the recruiting team to land Noble, who is under fierce glare as his team performances are likened those of Melbourne under Mark Neeld, and before that to Fitzroy before its demise.

“You just can’t appoint a coach, a first-time coach, and we’ve done this the past three times I think, and unproven necessarily, and then sit back and broomstick him out the door once he’s not performing, and then say ‘ah well, we’ll get someone else’,’’ Kinderis wrote.

“It can’t work like that.

“From the top down, everyone involved in making those decisions should feel some level of accountability. It can’t be just left to the players and coach.’’

Adrian Kinderis is calling for change at North Melbourne.

In the email exchange, revealed on Tuesday morning by the Herald Sun, Kinderis questioned the performance measurements offered by Amarfio and accused the Walsh appointment of being a “Band Aid placed over a gaping wound to placate the supporters and those that care.’’

“I am frustrated and, quite frankly, embarrassed,’’ Kinderis wrote.

“Sorry Ben, you gotta go and take the club president with you – anyone that backed this experiment that was called wrong at the time and has been wrong ever since needs to be held accountable.’’

Amarfio responded to Kinderis’ email and included internal KPI measurements which showed improvement was evident in the football performance.

“In the space of two years, we became the second-youngest team in the AFL. We knew there was going to be some pain along the way and that’s what we’re experiencing right now,’’ Amarfio said.

“We have meticulously studied successful rebuilds of the past and unfortunately there’s no quick fix.

“The entire footy department – staff and players – have specific KPIs that align with the teaching, learning and growing mindset that David Noble has brought to the club. We’re all accountable to those measures.

“The group is united, determined and focused on making supporters proud.”

Adrian Kinderis has called for change at North Melbourne.

In a second email, Kinderis said his financial contributions to the club, totalling several hundreds of thousands of dollars through its debt-reduction plan and through coterie membership was one of the worst investments in his life.

“Call this email “venting” call it an old fashion “piss and moan” but I feel like, as someone who has contributed to this club over a number of years, that we are not heading in the right direction and you’ll hopefully forgive me for my words and tone,’’ Kinderis wrote.

“People often ask me, as an investor and entrepreneur (I HATE that word), “which is my best investment”. I can certainly tell them the one that has paid the least in dividends (satisfaction?) is the hundreds and thousands I have contributed to the club over the more recent years, and that is the North Melbourne Football Club.’’

Shinboner Club coterie member Adam Wilson said in an email to the club yesterday that not everyone was as supportive of Kinderis’ position and stressed Kinderis was not speaking for the coterie group.

“I’m disappointed that I was included on his email to all members and expressed my concern to Adrian about the action that he took, Wilson said.

“Which may have come from a position of concern but ultimately was not best practice.”

Originally published as North Melbourne civil war: Prominent coterie member demands president, CEO resign immediately