This week marks four years since Dick Pratt stepped aside from the Carlton presidency for reasons pertaining to health (and the ACCC), and therefore four years since Stephen Kernahan assumed the title of 'interim President'. Although Pratt stepped aside and then tragically lost his battle with cancer, I still think of 'Sticks' as the interim President.
Since 2008, there have been the occasional murmuring that a 'real' President was going to be appointed. Whether that was fact, rumour or innuendo - we all heard the the names of Ahmed Fahour being bandied around when he left the National Australia Bank, Harold Mitchell prior to his involvement with the start-up Melbourne Rebels, Dick Pratt's son Anthony and his son-in-law Ruffy Germinder whom many of us believed to be being groomed for the Presidency after receiving a place at the board table without having to go through a member vote - something becoming synonymous with the Carlton Football Club.
None of this has come to fruition. What we have is a President who has been a board member for four more years than he was a player. A man who is a legend of the club, but a man who is in serious danger of having some of that gloss he earned as a player being eroded by what he has done (or hasn't done) as a President.
You can't question Stephen Kernahan's passion for the Carlton Football Club. But passion can often be a hindrance, particularly when your mates are involved. Being decisive is not something I'd attribute to Stephen Kernahan. His indecisiveness at key stages of our history has altered our path and unfortunately not for the better. The energy within the place might be great but I'd rather be decisive with 85% certainty (which is far more beneficial to growth), than being 100% sure 10 months from now if there is a structured and trained group in place. We saw it during his term as Vice-President. His struggles with the sacking of Wayne Brittain, his reluctance in 2006 to do the same to Denis Pagan, his reluctance to let Scott Camporeale go, his involvement with the Elliott board when the club was brought to its knees, his siding with the sinking Smorgon ship when the board was nothing but a basketcase and his inability to lead when waring internal factions threatened to put the club on the back pages for all the wrong reasons.
Sticks is good at many things. But one of them isn't being Carlton President at this point in time. It's now 2012. The Carlton Football Club I crave is one where the deep credibility of President, CEO, GM, Board and coach encourage supporters to trust them with their hard-earned dollars, one opposition clubs respect and fear and one where the Carlton brand is positioned where it rightfully belongs. None of those are visibly present at the club today.
There's a scene in the movie, 'Days of Thunder' where Robert Duval's character is trying to stress the importance of doing things within the plan and everyone understanding their role within that plan. Duval's character, crew chief for a NASCAR team, is explaining to Tom Cruise, the driver, that driving as fast as he possibly can will not win races. It doesn't seem logical at first, but as Duval explains, racing is more about everything all working together. The team loses if there is a breakdown, if one area is not in sync with the others. Duval explains that if he drove 50 laps Duval's way (slower) and 50 laps Cruise's way (pedal to the metal), Duval's method would win every time. They go through the exercise in the movie and at the end of two sets of 50 laps, Cruise yields a faster time driving more slowly, just as Duval assured him. The reason, Duval explains, is that driving as fast as possible causes the temperature of the tyres to rise, they begin to melt, become slick and spin faster but the car doesn't travel as fast. It's the same in a footy club - on-field and off it. If everyone is off doing their own thing, there's lots of motion, but not much progress. So much of this teams efforts (on-field & off-field) are reactionary. In essence, we're not going backward as a club, but we're not really going forward with conviction either. We're merely spinning tyres.
At the time of the overthrow of Jack Elliott, Sticks chose to stay with the board because he loves his club and wanted to help. The majority of voters elected to keep him on the board. It was very much a case of "you can't treat our favourite son like that". It was as if Kernahan received a Presidential pardon after each failed administration. Later, post-Smorgon..."we need Carlton people" was the reoccurring theme, so again, he stayed.
There's still no getting away from the fact that Sticks is a legend of the Carlton Football Club. But I waited with baited breath for the likes of Dick Pratt to tell him he would be used much more in a marketing/media "face of the club" type role. His worth would be invaluable there. And he could still be a board member, but not President. We often discuss how Eddie McGuire lead Collingwood out of the mire and into the most recognizable sports brand in Australia. Twenty years ago, when Sticks was still plying his trade across the forward line, Eddie was a hard-working Channel 10 sports reporter who was known for being tipped off (by the police) when the police were on their way to the Chevron where he was, in all likelihood, trying to pick-up the left-overs in the early hours of the morning with his good mate Ross Glendenning. So what happened? Eddie was always street smart, and smart enough to surround himself with good people. Kernahan had a leg-up as well. Employed as a stockbroker - he left in the early 90's and was offered a job by Dick Pratt at Visy. A couple of years later he started - again with some 'Carlton assistance' his printing company which became very successful. So he knows business, and he certainly understands the football club, but unlike McGuire he doesn't know how to harness it, grow it and drive it forward. The people around Sticks at Carlton didn't know how either.
Did Pratt? No. By the time Richard Pratt came along as proclaimed savior and 'galvanised' the club with strong words and a little money, he wasn't of sound mind to be President of the Carlton Football Club. As great a man as he was, the accounts of his tenure at the top are downright scary.
"When it came to sourcing new talent, he'd ask 'Who's the best player in the league in the position in question? Then he'd say 'Well let's just buy him' and we'd say 'Dick, you can't just buy players anymore, it doesn't work like that" - Former board member Paul Littman.
Then there's the matter of debt. We've still a large chunk left to clear. Much of it left over from an administration now a decade removed. But much of the debt is being removed by Bruce Mathieson, without whom we'd be in grave danger. The philanthropy still needs to be managed, but it's philanthropic nonetheless. Put together with Visy money, and the club is largely being kept going by Pratt/Mathieson and AFL TV monies. Other clubs would be envious, but we're not other clubs remember? We're Carlton, f**k the rest...I hope for Sticks' sake that's not his Presidential legacy.
Unlike Brett Ratten, Kernahan hasn't left Carlton since arriving in 1986. He has either been player or board member since. Sometimes you see things a little clearer when you step away from them for a while. It's something Sticks probably should have done post-Elliott era when he had no right to be re-elected to the board given what had transpired. Unfortunately, he thinks he owes the club something. I don't think Stephen Kernahan owes the club anything. His efforts won't be forgotten, but we need someone at the top who doesn't just present a 'Blueprint' for future success. We need someone who owns it and instills that ownership and belief within every single person within the organisation that this is the way forward. Someone like Harold Mitchell, although I fear that bridge has already been burned. Sticks should know that 'hanging on until all the good stuff we've done delivers a Premiership' would be selfish. We're barely doing the basics with him in charge, yet internally - the belief is they're on the right track. It is time for change at the top. And as much admiration I have for his love of the club I love, I don't want to see Carlton's longest serving Captain becoming Carlton's longest serving President.
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