Leading AFL reporter Caroline Wilson says Gillon McLachlan’s failure to identify a successor is one of his biggest failings as the game’s CEO.
McLachlan flagged back in April that he would step down from the job at the end of 2022. Three weeks out from Christmas he remains in the role, with the identity of his replacement still a mystery.
Speaking on the Don’t Shoot the Messenger podcast, Wilson was asked what, apart from the Adam Goodes saga, was the biggest failing of the McLachlan era.
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“Failing to promote a successor,” she replied.
“What we’re seeing now is there’s a few different people going for the job … Andrew Dillon, Travis Auld, Brendon Gale, Tom Harley may be a bit young, maybe not.
“I think it’s really disappointing. Andrew Demetriou didn’t really have to promote Gillon McLachlan, he was so brilliant as a No.2 that he promoted himself, but I think it is one area where Gillon has really let the side down.
“He hasn’t managed to do that, he had a few ideas along the way and they haven’t really worked out,” Wilson added.
“It’s endemic across the whole industry that there’s so few up and coming CEOs at club level.
“They started this young executive program at the AFL… I don’t know where it went.”
While Wilson highlighted McLachlan’s failure, she was full of praise for North Melbourne’s appointment of Jennifer Watt as the club’s new CEO.
Watt is the second woman to lead an AFL club, after Tracey Gaudry, who had six months as Hawthorn CEO in 2017 before stepping down for personal reasons.
Wilson says Watt will bring a lot to the struggling Kangaroos.
“Full disclosure, she’s a good acquaintance of mine… I always thought she would get the job,” Wilson stated
“She’s a gun and I am so glad North Melbourne – who have a woman president – now have the AFL’s second woman CEO.”
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