Calling for the Resignations of Kate Roffey and Gary Pert from the MFC.
Calling for the Resignations of Kate Roffey and Gary Pert from the MFC.
The issue
I am a lifelong supporter of the Melbourne Football Club and I have never felt as let down by the Club’s hierarchy as I do today.
In 2021, we put an end to 57 years of mediocrity. Since then, we have gone backwards as a Club, both on and off the field. My perspective is that we do not have the right people leading the Club.
The litany of concerning developments that have come to light recently has been widely reported and well documented, none less than the treatment of our best player, Christian Petracca. These matters contradict the assertions that we have heard about how strong the Club’s culture is.
Given the lengths that Petracca has gone to recently before re-committing to the Red and Blue, it does not appear to me that he was satisfied that his concerns were being taken sufficiently seriously or that the Club’s leadership was adequately engaged and alive to the issues or willing to act.
Kate Roffey’s interview on SEN last week has been rightly criticised. It is astonishing that she had not spoken with Petracca about his grievances. I thought her reasons for not doing so, which appeared to include that the Club needed to first complete its exit interview process, were unacceptable. Given Petracca’s situation, his profile, his importance to the Club, and the constant adverse media coverage and speculation about the Club and its culture, I think Roffey should have been proactive and reached out to Petracca to hear what his concerns were first-hand.
When it comes to our on-field performance, we haven’t won a final since 2021, and we aren’t even playing Finals this year. We have not achieved the level of success since 2021 that we were all hoping for and which we had the talent to deliver. We have not yet reached our potential. Our premiership window is now almost closed with Gawn and May in the latter part of their careers.
We do not want another 57 years of mediocrity. We want to win a Premiership at the MCG with Gawn and May in the side. I think we need swift and decisive changes at the top to make our dream a reality.
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The issue
I am a lifelong supporter of the Melbourne Football Club and I have never felt as let down by the Club’s hierarchy as I do today.
In 2021, we put an end to 57 years of mediocrity. Since then, we have gone backwards as a Club, both on and off the field. My perspective is that we do not have the right people leading the Club.
The litany of concerning developments that have come to light recently has been widely reported and well documented, none less than the treatment of our best player, Christian Petracca. These matters contradict the assertions that we have heard about how strong the Club’s culture is.
Given the lengths that Petracca has gone to recently before re-committing to the Red and Blue, it does not appear to me that he was satisfied that his concerns were being taken sufficiently seriously or that the Club’s leadership was adequately engaged and alive to the issues or willing to act.
Kate Roffey’s interview on SEN last week has been rightly criticised. It is astonishing that she had not spoken with Petracca about his grievances. I thought her reasons for not doing so, which appeared to include that the Club needed to first complete its exit interview process, were unacceptable. Given Petracca’s situation, his profile, his importance to the Club, and the constant adverse media coverage and speculation about the Club and its culture, I think Roffey should have been proactive and reached out to Petracca to hear what his concerns were first-hand.
When it comes to our on-field performance, we haven’t won a final since 2021, and we aren’t even playing Finals this year. We have not achieved the level of success since 2021 that we were all hoping for and which we had the talent to deliver. We have not yet reached our potential. Our premiership window is now almost closed with Gawn and May in the latter part of their careers.
We do not want another 57 years of mediocrity. We want to win a Premiership at the MCG with Gawn and May in the side. I think we need swift and decisive changes at the top to make our dream a reality.
14
Petition created on 1 September 2024