Culture shift

[Damien]

Was gunna post this under the Darcy Moore topic but then (having a few reds watching Fox Footy) it morphed into something a bit broader; that Darcy is a major driver of; our new culture:

Great interviews with our Skipper, both in The Age on Saturday and on Fox Footy tonight. As a bloke in my 50’s and an old school footy fan, I am immensely proud to see how the culture of our club has changed so much for the better, thanks to our Captain and our Coach, rather than from our President and CEO.

I was/am an unabashed fan of Eddie and Bucks, but the changing of the guard has been an unmitigated success.

Darcy Moore is the perfect person to Captain our Club and Craig McRae was an inspired choice by the former board and CEO.

What could have been a bloody coup from Jeff Browne has been almost a seamless transition. So ‘un-Collingwood-like’ in many ways but the way we have come out of such major change is remarkable. New Prez, New CEO, New Football Manager, New Coach, New Captain, without any major pain. We could have understandably gone backwards for a few years, but what it tells me is that we have such high calibre individuals in all these positions that sustained success is there for us now.

Browne, Kelly, Wright, McRae, Moore represent a spine that should endure for a fair while; and I reckon it’s being driven and will be driven from the bottom up; and when I say the bottom, I mean the Coach, Captain and players.

[Quincy]

Too right Damien but I think we now just have to tweak our list to provide some more talent and class to add to our improved culture.,

[Jezza]

Great post.

I think it's undeniable now that McGuire and Buckley's departures were necessary for the club to refresh and move forward. They will always have our gratitude and appreciation for everything they did to better the club, but it's an important lesson that no one should outstay their welcome for too long.

The first step to rebuilding ourselves was the appointment of Graham Wright in January 2021 to oversee the football department and clean up the salary cap mess that had inflicted us hard a few months earlier. It was one of the last decisions made by Eddie and the board before he resigned a few weeks later.

Wright's contribution to the club can't be understated. He's overseen list management, had heavy involvement in transitioning out Buckley and appointing McRae and his assistants and ensuring the football department has been functioning smoothly.

The board drama throughout 2021 caused us headaches, so I wouldn't say it was entirely smooth sailing but at least it was resolved peacefully and members were finally given a chance to participate in the electoral process after many years of not voting.

The appointment of McRae was a masterstroke. What pleased me most is we finally undertook a proper search process, set up a panel to interview candidates and do our utmost due diligence in finding the next senior coach rather than falling back on a captain's pick by the President or targeting a favourite son. It was a real sign of the club finally maturing and realising it had to change its ways to keep up with the top performing clubs.

In the end, it came down to McRae and Adam Kingsley with us opting for McRae. I was a big advocate for Kingsley and still adamant he'll be a great coach, but McRae has been excellent for us in driving the cultural shift that you've alluded to and implementing an exciting and effective game style (in collaboration with high quality assistant coaches).

I don't know how 2023 ends, but I'm very upbeat about the future with the strong foundations we have starting from the top and flowing through to the football department, coaches and the players.

[melliot]

Winning hides all faults or concerns.

If we're losing or mediocre, perspectives would be very different, despite the same people in the same position.

The end, justify the means.

But.. watching the Moore interview, it hard not to be impressed. Seems very switched on.

[piffdog]

Less hubris, more humility. Forever grateful for the Mcguire/Malthouse/Buckley years (although only the one flag) but the time had come to move forward.

Winning is surely an overlay to opinions (mindful we haven’t won a flag under this set up yet..) but feels like we have leap frogged other clubs from being one of the last run under a 1980’s oldschool ego-driven, cult of personality style to now being hopefully a model that other clubs will want to emulate because it better represents a modern sporting organisation.

[think better]

All great observations Damien and others. Feel like the culture that's right for the times. Much less like "The Club" and more like a modern movement (from someone who is getting way past what is modern!).

I reckon the other aspect that deserves recognition is the Do Better report. I know Eddie mucked up the unexpected release of this but I think it has a lot to do with setting a new tone. I think Jodie Sizer deserves great recognition for leading this at the Board level. It is the sole reason that Leon Davis and Andrew Krakouer are involved with the club again.

The fundamental of this and the broader culture seems to be based on having respect for, and trust in, each other.

[RudeBoy]

It's a bit of a chicken or egg conundrum.....which comes first, the winning or the culture?

All we can say is that currently we are riding a wave of success, both on and off the field. Now, let's go all the way and bring home another flag.

[Ronnie McKeowns boots]

[jonmac1954]

Respect and affirmation, positive reinforcement and recognition.

The foundations of any organization deserving of respect.

[masoncox]

This flag began when finally the club realised that the Buckley game plan and the Eddie president needed to change direction
Many here thought differently.
But we would not be sitting here with a 16 th flag without this change.
There was no outstanding team this year.
like a Richmond or Hawthorn side last decade.
The club that got the most out of its player could win
And we did it!!!
Congrats to the club and the supporters who recognised that a change was necessary.
A note for the Bendigo boys!!!!!

[eddiesmith]

At the end of the day, you need to bring in coaches and players who know how to win.

Getting an incredible coaching group together from successful clubs as players and coaches is a huge difference.

It's a little unlucky for Bucks, but success never followed him and not knowing how to win on that last Saturday in September makes it hard to teach others.

[piffdog]

I think it’s bigger than that. I think the broader change of board and executive and the resulting reduction in hubris/ego have gone a long way to creating an environment where everyone can be their best. Grateful for what those who came before have done for the club, but the way we have gone a lot the last couple years is a step forward. This isn’t just Bucks - in fact he probably tried to walk back some of the other rubbish that would come out of the club - but is much broader.

[jonmac1954]

Bux gave the club everything he had and came up just short due to a very questionable umpiring decision.

Eddie pulled the club out of the gutter and lifted us to glory but stayed too long at the helm.

NOT the sort of thread that fits on this day.

Let it go.

[piedys]

[LaurieHolden]

I think that's why this one is so special.
We were all left feeling gutted after losing the 2018 GF, then into the turmoil surrounding McGuire standing down in February 2021 due to ongoing pressure after the release of the Do Better report, culminating with Buckleys departure in June the same year and a complete Board / Management overhaul.
The Press continued to pile on during this period, then our on-field performance went with it seeing us miss the finals and finishing 17th, our lowest finish since the expanded 18 team competition, we hit rock bottom.

Since that period, the Club has swept through the greatest changes in the Club's modern-day history, having changed President, CEO, Board, Coach and Captain.
It's been some ride.