Jeff Browne is leaving Collingwood as president almost immediately. Graham Wright will start work as Carlton CEO-in-waiting next week. These two news items confirmed on Wednesday cannot be disentangled.
Browne, who took over at Collingwood promising leadership, formally announced he would leave the club at a time that it remains without a permanent head of football – a position that has been vacant for almost 12 months.
Carlton CEO Brian Cook, president Luke Sayers, and deputy CEO Graham Wright spoke to the media on Wednesday.Credit: AAP
Wright, who had been the Pies’ football chief and for whom they went to lengths to try to accommodate a sabbatical and return to the club, will now become the next chief executive of Carlton after serving a nine-to-12-month period as understudy to Brian Cook.
This masthead recently reported not only that Browne was poised to leave the club, but that Wright was looming as the new Carlton CEO.
Wright would have returned to Collingwood to the head of football position that he held for four years up to and including last year’s premiership, but for the fact that his working relationship with his old teammate and Collingwood CEO Craig Kelly had become untenable.
Former Collingwood football boss Graham Wright has joined Carlton.Credit: Penny Stephens
Carlton’s gain – “We have appointed the best football person in the country to lead our football club,” president Luke Sayers said – was not only Collingwood’s loss, but the AFL’s.
Wright had been in long discussions with league chief executive Andrew Dillon and football boss Laura Kane about a role as executive head of performance, operating under Kane.
The lure of running a club prevailed for Wright, who had previously been acting chief executive of Collingwood, over the temptation of a role at league headquarters. An AFL role would have included, among other duties, helping oversee the rules for constructing the new Tasmanian team.
Wright was highly sought after once it became clear he was unlikely to return to Collingwood.
Sayers learnt of the possible availability of Wright almost two months ago and called him when Wright was in the south of France with his wife.
He said the club had been looking at candidates for 12 months, and considering what the Blues needed to go from “being a good club today moving towards a great club”. Wright fitted that skill set, he said, and it was ideal to have him come in and be mentored by Cook for up to 12 months.
Collingwood president Jeff Browne will not seek re-election.Credit: Getty Images
“We are always wanting to win premierships, I am not going to shy away from that. We start out each year wanting to win games of footy, get into the finals, ideally get into the top four then win premierships. We are very focused on trying to achieve that next year but also sustainably setting us up so it is not just a boom-bust like oftentimes football clubs are,” Sayers said.
Wright said he was attracted to the role of CEO and described himself as a values-driven leader.
“I felt I had more to give than just football. But I know how big football is, and it is such an important part of any football club, so when that opportunity was there and particularly to work with Brian [Cook], I was really excited by that,” Wright said.
“I actually resigned from Collingwood [last year]. They wouldn’t accept my resignation – but there was always a chance I would do something else or look to do something else and that became clearer for me towards the back end of July.
“I wish everyone at Collingwood well, except when they play Carlton.”
Collingwood have not only failed to entice Wright back to his old job, they are unable, as yet, to find a suitable replacement for him.
Wright was previously not only the head of football but combined the role as list manager, so the club is currently going through this trade period with a new list manager in Justin Leppitsch, who has never done the job before, without a head of football to assist him.
Collingwood confirmed on Tuesday that not only was Browne, who is in remission from last year’s cancer diagnosis after extensive treatment, not going to seek re-election for another three-year term, but that long-term board member and former Australia Post CEO, Christine Holgate, would not seek re-election either.
Current board member Barry Carp is seeking re-election and will almost certainly be chosen to replace Browne as president. The club has nominated Gaye Morris and Dan Rosen to fill the Browne and Holgate vacancies on the board.
Rosen is the president of Warner Music Australasia, while Morris is a human resources professional, currently the strategic client partner at Mercer.
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