Adelaide Chairman Rob Chapman has told Jeff Kennett to ‘butt out’ in response to comments the former Hawthorn President made about the impending return of suspended Crows Chief Executive Steven Trigg.
Chapman suggested the AFL world had become bored with Kennett’s outlandish statements on many and varied issues.
“If you’ve been around long enough, you can expect to get a spray from Jeff. I’ve been listening to him for seven or eight years around the board tables at the AFL and he gives everyone a spray. Maybe, he’s starting to lose a bit of impact with it in Victoria and he’s had to cross the border and come over here,” Chapman said on FIVEaa on Friday.
“I’m used to that. What I don’t get used to – and this has been going on a lot longer than the last nine months – is people on the eastern seaboard, who think they know better. Unsolicited, they fly in and tell us how to run our state, our industries, our football and where to play it. It’s not right. They have no care and no responsibility. They have zero understanding of the issue of the day and make one-size fits all statements.
“They throw accusations around, go back home and leave us to pick up the pieces.”
Trigg will return to work on Monday after serving a six-month AFL ban for his part in the Kurt Tippett contract saga. Chapman said the long-serving CEO would return to a “different club”, with a number of changes having been made as a result of exhaustive reviews into the Club’s operations.
“Off the field, we’ve made a lot of changes as you would expect when you go through an issue like the saga we’ve had for the last nine months. We’ve had a good look at ourselves and brought independents in to look at us,” Chapman said.
“There are some new people there in (Chief Operating Officer) Nigel Smart and (Human Resources General Manager) Kate Berry, who both sit on the Executive. David Noble has been elevated to a General Manager role of List Management. There are also one or two people who aren’t there anymore, but we discussed those before Steven left so he’s across it and accepting of it.
“Hopefully, the structural work has all been done and now we can execute in line with the strategy.”
The structural changes were also made to provide more support to Trigg in his role.
“Before he left, Steven did everything. The board decided, with Steven’s input, that we do need extra resource. We’re going to be working a lot closer with him and we’ve given him that extra resource,” Chapman said.
“We need Steven concentrating on the issues that are extremely important to the Club … including three key agenda items; our independence, a reserves side to play somewhere next year and of course Adelaide Oval.”
Chapman accepted there would be people, including Kennett, who didn’t support Trigg’s return, but said he had “no doubt” the returning CEO was the right person to lead the Club.
“I respect everyone’s opinions. I just know we’re a stronger club having Steven here. On Monday, we’re going to get back a bloke who is rejuvenated, passionate and damn determined to repay the faith we’ve all showed in him. I know he’ll be working his backside off to make sure we get back to where we deserve to be,” he said.
