Football expertise on Blues board queried as they assess review

Incoming president Luke Sayers and the Carlton board will assess the independent review of the football department without a football director in place to assist them in their decision-making process.

Carlton great Chris Judd is set to officially step down from the board at the end of the season along with outgoing president Mark LoGiudice after making his intention to depart the club clear in May, a month before the independent review was called.

Carlton president Mark LoGiudice.Credit:AAP

Judd did not attend Thursday night’s board meeting where the review was presented and has not been involved since the club commissioned respected football judges Geoff Walsh, Matthew Pavlich and Graham Lowe to conduct the review.

Despite welcoming the review, club sources and former club staffers have expressed concern at the lack of football expertise on the board when key decisions are being made about the football program, with a call on the coach not expected until at least after the weekend.

While not every club has a football director, Carlton sources say the club has not had enough people on the board possessing both a sound enough knowledge of the game and the personality to drive discussions on critical football matters when crucial decisions are being made.

Sayers has taken it upon himself to fix football having been on the board with current director Craig Mathieson since October 2012, while LoGiudice joined the board in 2014 and Jeanne Pratt did so in 2011. The Blues have struggled for on-field success in that period.

Patty Kinnersly, who joined the board in 2018, played football in the VFLW for 14 years while David Campbell was involved in Brendon Bolton’s appointment as coach and lawyer Craig Townshend only joined the board in 2019. There have been calls for an extraordinary general meeting from supporters.

Carlton coach David Teague is under pressure to hold his job.Credit:Getty Images

Carlton coach David Teague, who is under pressure to keep his job, challenged the board to stay the course as they consider whether to make a change with Alastair Clarkson not coaching Hawthorn in 2022 and Ross Lyon and Brad Scott potentially available next year.

Clarkson indicated on Friday he was uncertain what his immediate future held.

“I’ve said all along that it’s looking very likely that I’m going to take a breath and explore what the second half of my life looks like,” Clarkson said.

“But that’s going to take some time I think and the best thing I can do is step away from the game for a period of time to do that.”

Growing doubts about Teague’s game plan and style have arisen throughout the season, with the coach saying it has been a challenge creating a psychologically safe environment for high-performance amid ongoing speculation.

The Blues will enter Saturday’s match against Port Adelaide without Jack Martin, who withdrew from the team on Friday after injuring his hamstring. Zac Williams, who was already on the sidelines, reinjured his hamstring at training on Thursday. The season is also over for Harry McKay (shoulder), Liam Jones (knee) and Jack Silvagni (hip), who played in last week’s loss to Gold Coast.

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