It's all falling apart for the Dees

[Axe Man]

Re: It's all falling apart for the Dees

Mark Robinson: Former Melbourne president Joe Gutnick backs calls for a full-scale review of embattled Demons

With focus on the Dees at an all-time high for the wrong reasons, a former president has backed calls for a full-scale independent review of the club in the wake of the Christian Petracca stand-off.

Former Melbourne president “Diamond” Joe Gutnick has supported calls for a full-scaled review of the embattled football club.

Distressed by the Christian Petracca stand-off, and other recent controversies, Gutnick said he was disillusioned having to watch the club “fall apart and disintegrate” in recent weeks.

Gutnick’s concerns comes as the Herald Sun can reveal Petracca’s partner Isabella Beischer – formerly a lawyer at the Hall & Wilcox legal firm, is now the business manager of Trac 5 Pty Ltd.

She is the key driver of “Brand Petracca”, which reportedly is one of reasons influencing Petracca’s desire to pursue a trade to a big Melbourne club.

She became Petracca’s business manager in April this year, two months prior to Petracca being severely injured in the King’s Birthday clash with Collingwood.

Gutnick said he would be moved to support a potential challenge to the Demons’ board, but would not be part of any ticket.

“I’m not interested in becoming president again – I’m a supporter, a member, and I’m concerned the whole club is falling apart and disintegrating in front of the AFL world,“ he said.

“Something is wrong and it’s incumbent on the board to make an independent review.

“Whether it’s the coach’s fault, whether it’s the board’s fault, or the football department … is there is not enough unity at the club? All these questions are being asked.

“Most importantly, there’s no one in the Melbourne Football Club who doesn’t like Petracca – he’s been a super player and a super representative of the football club, so why is he so adamant about leaving? It’s perplexing. There’s something wrong somewhere and we have to get to the bottom of it.”

Melbourne board challenger Peter Lawrence this week joined former great David Schwarz in calling for a full-scale independent review of the club’s operations.

Demons’ president Kate Roffey on Thursday rejected such a move.

“No, I don’t think so,” Roffey told SEN. “We’re always looking at reviewing, we’ve been constantly working on all sorts of things throughout the year. That’s never a stagnant process.”

Gutnick said: “She is wrong. I think (a review) is needed. Why won’t she have one? People are disillusioned.”

Asked if he had faith in Roffey, Gutnick said: “I can’t really comment, I don’t want to be critical of any individual, the coach or the president. I don’t know what the real issues are, and I don’t think too many do know, and that’s why we need an independent inquiry. We need to get to the bottom of it for the sake of the supporters, the sake of the players, and the sake of the future of the club.

“Maybe that can save the rift with Petracca, that would be the best outcome for everybody.”

Gutnick, who was Demons’ president from 1996-2001, said he had this week written an email to Roffey, chief executive Gary Pert, board members, coach Simon Goodwin and captain Max Gawn expressing concerns – and had not received back a single response.

“Being an ex-president, I thought I would have got something,’’ he said.

Gutnick said he did not have details about former president Glen Bartlett’s legal battle with the club.

“But to dismiss a president in the middle of the year, and he has all these gripes, and they haven’t been able to resolve it, and all these issues with (Joel) Smith and drugs, and this and that … it’s just not right,’’ he said.

“We were in such a good position in 2021 and it’s gone downhill. There’s this disunity, disillusionment with supporters, something is wrong.’’

[Dry Rot]

Re: It's all falling apart for the Dees

I now wonder whether there was more to Jackson leaving for Freo than we thought at the time.

[Sedat]

Re: It's all falling apart for the Dees

We were cooked mate. Had nothing left in the tank.

The last fifteen minutes of the third was an unforgiveable shit show but they'd have gotten us in the last anyway.

They can have it. If we won it's a win for the ages, them winning after their preferable treatment is just an asterisk on the competition's history.

Respectfully disagree Jee. We kicked 8 of the last 9 to go 19 points up, and Melbourne were were completely devoid of answers and didn't look like scoring for the first 20 minutes of the 3rd qtr. All we needed was a bit of composure and time management to slow the game down for a few minutes - Melbourne would have inevitably chased the game and become over-aggressive in their set-up, and we would have broken them with another couple of goals on the counter. Instead we did the opposite, going super aggressive at stoppage and keeping the game going at light speed which totally played into their hands.

[Sedat]

Re: It's all falling apart for the Dees

Michael Warner: Kate Roffey?s trainwreck interview shows fans where Dees? problems truly lie

Amid a backdrop of crisis and backstabbing in April 2021, Kate Roffey took over the Demons. But Thursday?s trainwreck display showed how inept the club?s leadership is, writes Michael Warner.

Kate Roffey?s presidency of Melbourne has always been tainted and now the moment of reckoning has arrived.

Amid a backdrop of crisis and backstabbing in April 2021, it was Roffey who was installed suddenly as Glen Bartlett?s replacement by a group of plotters (inside and outside the club) determined to cover-up fears over a festering off-field culture.

Bartlett and at least one other Melbourne director had sounded the alarm in a secret meeting with AFL chairman Richard Goyder and then league boss Gillon McLachlan just weeks before the Roffey coup was hatched.

It?s ironic that a premiership so desperately sought by the Demons faithful would follow just a few months later, allowing club powerbrokers to portray Bartlett as nothing but a man of sour grapes.

But the truth in football always comes out eventually.

The current crisis enveloping Melbourne goes directly to those responsible for the Bartlett assassination and the failure to address the cultural issues later exposed by former club doctor-turned whistleblower Zeeshan Arain and others in a Sports Integrity Australia investigation.

Roffey?s trainwreck interview on SEN radio on Thursday morning might finally be the moment Melbourne fans wake up to the true cause of the endless headlines and scandals that have plagued the club over the past three years: inept leadership.

Only chief executive Gary Pert?s now infamous SEN interview last October in which he declared the Melbourne culture to be ?the best I?ve seen in 40 years? could top Roffey?s performance of denial, bordering on delusion.

According to the president, calls for an independent review at Melbourne are unfounded.

There?s nothing to see here other than the issues that affect all football clubs, she said.

It?s all media rhetoric. I?m at the club and I talk to the parents of our players and they all love us. (Does that include Joel Smith?s parents or Christian Petracca?s mum and dad?)

?Trac? is a contracted player, she said. I haven?t spoken to him yet but we?re going to get there with a resolution. Kosi?s just homesick ? it?s not a trade thing. (But isn?t Alex Neal-Bullen also homesick and aren?t they going to trade him?)

And regarding the long-running legal dispute with Bartlett ? ?we just have to deal with that? and ?defend ourselves from those accusations?, she said.

But Bartlett has stared them down and refused to go away and the tide has turned in a boardroom war that has cost the Demons far more than just mounting legal costs.

That glorious premiership of 2021 will always be special to Melbourne supporters, but how many more flags could a generational list have bagged if the club had faced up to the cultural issues that have since derailed the careers of Clayton Oliver, Smith and now Petracca?

Club chiefs who remain unconvinced about Petracca?s desire to leave would be wise to start work on a deal with a rival club instead of risking the airing of further dirty laundry at a hearing before the AFL grievance tribunal.

The club?s separate and unnecessary court fight with board challenger Peter Lawrence has also exposed the club?s constant state of denial.

Eleven years ago, the AFL intervened at Melbourne in the wake of the tanking fiasco, cleaning out the board and putting veteran administrator Peter Jackson in as CEO and Bartlett in charge as president.

One wonders how long it will be until Andrew Dillon and the AFL Commission lose patience with the club again.

Michael Warner doesn't miss. When the likes of Robbo and Barratt are clearly being directed to push the Brand Petracca/selfish narrative (they obviously have better sources within Melbourne for future content), it's best to assume the complete opposite is happening.

As this drags on my sympathies are moving far more towards the Petracca camp. I bet he has actually underplayed how bad things have been at that club, rather than exaggerated it. Being left alone and uncontacted for 2 weeks in ICU while nearly dying would give anybody clarity about just how expendable they are. Melbourne treated Petracca very poorly when he was at his most vulnerable and needed the club leaders to have his back. Instead his president hasn't even bothered to contact him or his family since June.

[jazzadogs]

Re: It's all falling apart for the Dees

Gutnick’s concerns comes as the Herald Sun can reveal Petracca’s partner Isabella Beischer – formerly a lawyer at the Hall & Wilcox legal firm, is now the business manager of Trac 5 Pty Ltd.

She is the key driver of “Brand Petracca”, which reportedly is one of reasons influencing Petracca’s desire to pursue a trade to a big Melbourne club.

She became Petracca’s business manager in April this year, two months prior to Petracca being severely injured in the King’s Birthday clash with Collingwood.

Ah, I should have known this whole thing was the girlfriends fault!

[Sedat]

Re: It's all falling apart for the Dees

Ah, I should have known this whole thing was the girlfriends fault!

I'm sure Petracca and his family would be thrilled with club insiders continuing to dig dirt on those closest to him. I fully expect to see him eventually nominate "anybody but Melbourne", or whoever has the best draft capital.

I have no intel whatsoever but it would not surprise in the slightest to see him at Punt Rd next season. They will have ample draft capital to burn and could also offer Lynch as a virtual freebie to Melbourne. Not a bad Dusty replacement. It's getting to the stage now where Petracca likely wants nothing to do with Melbourne and would happily live with 2-3 years of rebuilding just to get out of the joint - he will also have greater off-field commercial opportunities at Richmond and get to stay in Melbourne.

[Grantysghost]

Re: It's all falling apart for the Dees

I'm sure Petracca and his family would be thrilled with club insiders continuing to dig dirt on those closest to him. I fully expect to see him eventually nominate "anybody but Melbourne", or whoever has the best draft capital.

I have no intel whatsoever but it would not surprise in the slightest to see him at Punt Rd next season. They will have ample draft capital to burn and could also offer Lynch as a virtual freebie to Melbourne. Not a bad Dusty replacement. It's getting to the stage now where Petracca likely wants nothing to do with Melbourne and would happily live with 2-3 years of rebuilding just to get out of the joint - he will also have greater off-field commercial opportunities at Richmond and get to stay in Melbourne.

Hmm Tigers, god he'd have to be pretty desperate!!

Bombers might be an option? They must have cash.

[comrade]

Re: It's all falling apart for the Dees

Melbourne going down the Yoko Ono route isn?t going to end well for them.

[Sedat]

Re: It's all falling apart for the Dees

Bombers might be an option? They must have cash.

Those sprung floors at The Hangar are also a key selling point. Has he spoken to Coons?

[ledge]

Re: It's all falling apart for the Dees

I think the media made up the Petracca “brand “ thing. Who the hell names themselves as a brand ?
I see it as issues all round at the club and Petracca treatment has bought it to the surface.
Somehow the media is turning it into a Petracca issue and making it about him.
I do believe Petracca is a loyal and good person but when your treated like shit you come to a stage you realise the club is toxic and you have to get out.
This bloke has had a serious injury and some parts of the media are going at him, then the same media go on about mental health of players, not sure if I would want to play footy again after that scare.
Some of the Media and Melbourne should be wrapping their arms around this bloke not have a go at him.

[Happy Days]

Re: It's all falling apart for the Dees

Barrett absolutely embarrassing himself in his sliding doors “column” today about Petracca.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

Re: It's all falling apart for the Dees

I think the media made up the Petracca “brand “ thing. Who the hell names themselves as a brand ?
I see it as issues all round at the club and Petracca treatment has bought it to the surface.
Somehow the media is turning it into a Petracca issue and making it about him.
I do believe Petracca is a loyal and good person but when your treated like shit you come to a stage you realise the club is toxic and you have to get out.
This bloke has had a serious injury and some parts of the media are going at him, then the same media go on about mental health of players, not sure if I would want to play footy again after that scare.
Some of the Media and Melbourne should be wrapping their arms around this bloke not have a go at him.

We're seeing it with Bailey Smith ourselves! Dunkley tries but all he could ever sell is vanilla ice cream.

Personal branding is a thing and will only get bigger and worse for us fans. This is what social media has done to the world.

Thank f**k we have Bont.

[Grantysghost]

Re: It's all falling apart for the Dees

I think the media made up the Petracca “brand “ thing. Who the hell names themselves as a brand ?
I see it as issues all round at the club and Petracca treatment has bought it to the surface.
Somehow the media is turning it into a Petracca issue and making it about him.
I do believe Petracca is a loyal and good person but when your treated like shit you come to a stage you realise the club is toxic and you have to get out.
This bloke has had a serious injury and some parts of the media are going at him, then the same media go on about mental health of players, not sure if I would want to play footy again after that scare.
Some of the Media and Melbourne should be wrapping their arms around this bloke not have a go at him.

It's that Australian cultural thing of bringing down anyone who's not humble.
Petracca seems like a reasonable guy trying to maximise his earning in the short window he has left as a player.

The president not speaking to him after a life threatening injury is unforgivable.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

Re: It's all falling apart for the Dees

Barrett absolutely embarrassing himself with in his sliding doors “column” today about Petracca.

What did Petracca do to him? Have lunch with Bevo?

On the flip side, Barrett is in love with Bont.

[Axe Man]

Re: It's all falling apart for the Dees

We're seeing it with Bailey Smith ourselves! Dunkley tries but all he could ever sell is vanilla ice cream.

Personal branding is a thing and will only get bigger and worse for us fans. This is what social media has done to the world.

Thank f**k we have Bont.

Miriam Margolyes on her series Impossibly Australian is hilarious when she meets an "Influencer" from Byron Bay. She just can't possibly comprehend what it is he does.