Source : the age
Former Collingwood president Jeff Browne has not ruled himself out of the running to be the next chairman of the AFL Commission as frustration grows at club level with a perceived lack of leadership at league headquarters.
Browne is one of a handful of people being talked about as a potential successor to commission chairman Richard Goyder, who is seeking a three-year extension as the AFL comes under pressure for its handling of a series of high-profile issues.
Former Collingwood president Jeff Browne.Credit: Getty Images
“I love footy, I’m interested in footy but I’m having a year off,” Browne told this masthead when asked if he was interested in leading the AFL Commission.
This week football executive Laura Kane was forced to walk back an earlier statement that umpires had provided her department with the wrong information, resulting in a mishandling of the concussion suffered by Collingwood player Lachie Schultz in Perth.
The saga engulfed the game less than a week after Port Adelaide’s Willie Rioli was suspended for one match following revelations he allegedly used threatening language towards three players at three clubs over the past 12 months. The suspension was only delivered after Rioli had stood himself down.
Club bosses contacted by this masthead on Thursday were not prepared to comment publicly on their level of confidence in the AFL, but privately many have pointed to a lack of experience and say tension between clubs and the league has been building since the end of last season.
Chief executive Andrew Dillon is in his second season as boss after taking over from Gillon McLachlan, who departed the executive alongside commercial boss Kylie Rogers and fellow executive Travis Auld.
Two industry sources, who would not speak publicly because negotiations are confidential, told this masthead Fremantle chief Simon Garlick is considering an approach from the AFL to be Dillon’s second-in-command in the newly formed position of chief operating officer.
Two club bosses, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, told this masthead the AFL should be treated like a rebuilding club because of the departure of senior executives, while some club presidents and chief executives believe change is needed at the top.
Goyder is in his ninth year at the helm and 14th as a commissioner. Four club bosses, who asked to remain anonymous to speak freely, believe Goyder should hand over to a new chair, and that change is required above Dillon to guide the league through a period when he is lacking adequate support from his management team.
Goyder was contacted for comment.
Sydney chairman Andrew Pridham, Port Adelaide president David Koch and Browne continue to be mentioned as potential successors to Goyder.
Before returning to Collingwood to help lead the club to its 16th premiership, Browne worked as the AFL’s lawyer for 22 years, writing many of the laws the game is governed by.
He stepped down as Collingwood president in 2024 after being diagnosed with blood cancer, but is in remission and continues to run MA Financial, where he is chairman and Pridham is vice-chairman.
On Wednesday night, Brownlow medallist and veteran broadcaster Gerard Healy delivered a passionate radio editorial, in which he claimed the game was getting worse “by the hour”.
Speaking on SEN, Healy made his stance on Goyder clear.
“After serving the game admirably as a commissioner since 2011 and chairman since 2017, it’s simply time for Richard Goyder to pull up stumps, this year,” Healy said.
“Clearly, changes need to be made at AFL House, but the greatest leadership challenge for those at the top is to know when your time is up. And for Richard Goyder and a number of others who have overstayed their time, that’s now. It should be announced this week in Darwin that the search for the next chairman will get under way.
“Jeff Browne, former Collingwood chairman, is a standout, as is Andrew Pridham, chairman of the Swans, who helped save the game through COVID. They would be at the top of the tree,” Healy added.
“David Koch has his supporters, and one from left field, John Wylie, former chairman of the sports commission. Both are also seen as potential chairmen currently being talked about openly at clubland.”
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