Radio Brisvaani
There is a situation unfolding at Carlton that looks bound to end in tears although just who will be crying remains unclear.
In a week in which Hawthorn have sacked their chief executive after just five unhappy months, Steven Trigg’s position at Ikon Park looks to be seriously under threat.
Except that no one seems to have told Trigg. This is despite the fact that Carlton’s interest in former AFL football boss Simon Lethlean and Lethlean’s interest in Carlton has become an open secret among senior staff at head office and a widening circle of club chief executives.
Blues chairman Mark LoGiudice has not responded to questions from Fairfax Media about Trigg’s future for a fortnight despite repeated requests. This after LoGiudice flatly denied that Trigg was leaving when first contacted at the start of last month.
Trigg, who took over from Greg Swann more than three years ago but has retained his Adelaide base and commutes between the two cities, has also denied suggestions he is returning to his home town, where his family remains.
LoGiudice’s first big play as president-elect in 2014 was to direct a godfather offer at Hawthorn’s contracted list manager Graham Wright – an offer made without the full knowledge of the board and which was ultimately rejected. But not before senior Blues recruiting staff found out and were livid.
The situation this time around suggests that Carlton’s board, divided for so many years in the past, is divided once again because no one has a straight answer regarding the Lethlean offer or whether it has been put to all the club directors. The rebuilding senior Blues, with their women’s team and stated determination to change their culture, have reportedly become frustrated at their struggle to make strong profits and grow the club, along with recent sponsorship issues.
Lethlean’s wider circle, including former senior AFL colleagues, are insisting the Carlton job is his if he wants it. Collingwood are aware of this and even though president Eddie McGuire has shown a keenness to install him in Gary Pert’s former role, the Magpies’ hierarchy, led by interim CEO Peter Murphy and a newly empowered board of directors, are insisting he run a proper executive process for a change.
So although Lethlean would love the Collingwood job, Carlton are seemingly the birds in the hand. The Collingwood executive search has not even begun. Lethlean has also been sounded out for – and reportedly rejected – the Western Bulldogs job. He has also seemed unwilling to entertain a number of senior football operational roles.
AFL chief Gillon McLachlan, a close friend, is strongly recommending him for a senior club role.
And Hawthorn, the club he traditionally supports, has rejected him with newly installed president Jeff Kennett removing any speculation immediately by pointedly questioning Lethlean’s suitability for the job. Lethlean was removed from his influential role at the AFL after it was revealed he had an affair with a junior staffer.
Which leaves the Blues, unless Lethlean decides to throw his hat into the Collingwood ring and go through the process. Or change his mind about the Bulldogs if Peter Gordon is still prepared to consider him.
The longer this stalemate lasts, the worse it is for Carlton and those off-field power brokers who have run this murky back-room play with a complete lack of transparency. The situation does not reflect well upon how the club treats its people.
That negativity could start to rub off on Lethlean unless he makes a call soon.
