Battle for power on Collingwood board gets even uglier

The civil war engulfing Collingwood’s board is getting messier by the day.

Earlier this week, former Channel 9 boss Jeff Browne announced his intention to take over as Collingwood president, to which the club’s board, led by current president Mark Korda, issued a defiant joint statement.

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Now Browne has hit back at Collingwood vice-president Jodie Sizer, who accused him of pursuing an agenda of “power and privilege”.

“Jodie Sizer has apparently said that she wouldn’t serve on a board under me and that I came from a background of power and privilege,” he told The Age.

“I grew up in Greensborough. I played my football in the Diamond Valley League. I was zoned to Collingwood and played in the under 19s, before moving on to play for Preston in the VFA. I was a teacher then and I was putting myself through law school working at the Bundoora Hotel to pay my way.

“That’s where I come from. I’ve gone on to have a legal career. I was the AFL’s adviser for over 20 years. I don’t see that as a hindrance – I see that as quite helpful. The salary cap rules that seem to have caused so much problem for Collingwood were significantly written by me.

“The fact that I’ve had a career in business at a high level, and the fact that I’ve had a long association with the AFL, I would have thought they were things that were relevant to the position of president of Collingwood.

“My background is far from a privileged one and, I like a lot of Collingwood supporters, have very humble beginnings.”

Jeff Browne (right) with former Collingwood president Eddie McGuireSource:News Limited

Browne said respected Indigenous leader Sizer, VRC boss Neil Wilson and former Australia Post chief executive Christine Holgate would have been Browne’s preferred options to sit on the board.

But Browne didn’t hold back when assessing the leadership of Korda, who has only been Collingwood president for two months.

“Now they settled on Mark, and here’s my problem with that — Mark was chairman of the club’s finance committee … How could the chairman of the finance committee not know about the implications of the financial situation in relation to the salary cap?” Browne told the publication.

“I don’t think he’s a natural leader, but he carries that very specific baggage (of mismanaging the salary cap) that actually resulted in us showing very good footballers the door.”

He also said the Magpies were suffering from a “leadership vacuum”.

Collingwood president Mark Korda is under pressure from challenger Jeff Browne.Source:Supplied

On Friday, Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley expressed his support for the current board, led by Korda.

“It’s something that happens above my head and obviously it’s topical right here, right now, with the advent of more conversations coming out in the open,” Buckley said.

“But I believe that most of those people have Collingwood’s best interests at heart.”

Buckley added there has been enough change at the Magpies since their turbulent off-season.

“What I would say, and for what it’s worth, I actually believe that there’s been a whole heap of change at this football club over the last three or four years in particular,” he said.

“I think we’re a much better organisation across those years and I believe the people that are on the current board have had no small part in that progress.

“Yes, we’re struggling at the moment on field and our win-loss doesn’t look great, and there have been some challenges in terms of the salary cap and obviously the Do Better report, which was really public.

“But there’s been that much change that has taken place – I believe the people that are on the current board are the right people to take the club forward, and believe in time that will be vindicated.”

Nathan Buckley supports the current board. Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images

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