AFL chairman slammed for ‘insulting’ clubs with joke at Gather Round as search for new CEO drags on

The AFL’s search for a new CEO has been labeled ‘shameful’ following an inappropriate joke made by chairman Richard Goyder during Gather Round.

Outgoing CEO Gillon McLachlan announced last year that 2022 would be his last season in the top position, but he will remain in office well into 2023 as the search for his replacement continues.

The Announce sun reported that Western Bulldogs president and senior vice president and managing director at The Walt Disney Company in Australia and New Zealand Kylie Watson-Wheele has emerged as a strong contender.

She competes with Andrew Dillon, the AFL’s general manager for football operations, legal affairs and integrity.

The other three candidates are Richmond CEO Brendon Gale and AFL executives Travis Auld and Kylie Rogers.

The search has been going on for more than six months, leading to great frustration among the club bosses who are eager to fill the position as soon as possible.

McLachlan was the architect of Gather Round (pictured with SA Premier Peter Malinauskas and AFL players Aliir Aliir, Patrick Cripps and Jordan Dawson)

During the recent Gather Round, which brought together the AFL’s top executives and club bosses, tensions reportedly reached boiling point over a dinner party.

The event was designed as an opportunity for stakeholders to discuss the future direction of the competition and provide their input on the search for a CEO.

However, proceedings were marred by an inappropriate joke made by AFL chairman Goyder, who suggested South Australian Prime Minister Peter Malinauskas should be McLachlan’s successor.

Caroline Wilson, a respected journalist and commentator on Australian football, was scathing in her criticism of the AFL’s handling of the search for the CEO.

Veteran AFL analyst Caroline Wilson has criticized the process to replace McLachlan and Goyder’s inappropriate joke during Gather Round

She described the situation as “embarrassing” and accused the league of lacking direction and leadership.

“I have never seen an AFL president receive such a disappointing reception from the rest of the clubs. The clubs are very disappointed with Richard Goyder and not happy with the process,” Wilson continued Footy classified

Speaking on Channel Nine, Wilson also slammed Goyder’s prank at the Gather Round dinner.

“The problem was it wasn’t funny,” she said.

Raving about the South Australian premier, his tall stature, his good looks and his amateur football background, Goyder joked that Peter Malinauskas wasn’t much like Gillon McLachlan and that maybe he should be the next AFL CEO.

Frankly, this was insulting, especially to four of the five candidates who were in the room when he made that joke, who have all spent most of the past year going for the job, and who have all had their marks tarnished by Richard Goyder’s performance,” she said.

Goyder joked that South Australian Prime Minister Peter Malinauska should be the next AFL boss due to his similarities with Gillon McLachlan

Malinauska discusses footy with AFL General Manager Competition Management Laura Kane during Gather Round

She echoed that criticism of Footy Classified, saying, “So many club bosses are so disgusted by that joke. Many club bosses, all those I spoke to, thought it was bad taste.’

Wilson’s comments were echoed by other commentators and sports stakeholders.

“The AFL is just lucky that more people are not speaking out about what a dog’s breakfast it has been and a lack of top-down leadership with no decisions being made on the head of footy [to replace Brad Scott after he left to coach Essendon] and an AFL boss,” said Matthew Lloyd, the great Essendon.

However, Footy Classified co-host and Sports Entertainment Network chief executive Craig Hutchison defended Goyder.

“I thought Richard Goyder’s joke was funny. Someone had to break the ice on the situation… No one took it seriously, maybe except you,” he told Wilson.

“The process has been clumsy and too long. But I guess joking about it wasn’t the end of the world.’