Premiership Hawk Andy Gowers has overwhelmed Jeff Kennett’s would-be successor Peter Nankivell to the Hawthorn presidency, marking the beginning of a brand new period on the AFL membership.
The victory of board challenger Gowers through a member vote was confirmed at Tuesday night time’s annual common assembly (AGM) on the Hawthorn Town Hall, concluding a fractious and fiery election marketing campaign.
Former Victorian deputy premier and Labor determine James Merlino has additionally been elected to Hawthorn’s board.
Voting closed final Friday after the poll was open for 3 weeks.
Gowers, who was the Hawks’ soccer director throughout their 2013-15 premiership three-peat, was endorsed by the ‘Hawks for Change’ group and ran on a mandate for change on the AFL membership, specifically ending the Kennett period.
When Kennett introduced he would stand down, Nankivell was named his most well-liked successor.
But any hopes the Kennett camp had of a clean transition was dashed when Gowers selected to face for election.
The election break up the self-termed “family club” into Gowers supporters and Nankivell backers amid an more and more spiteful marketing campaign.
Businessman Ian Dicker and premiership Hawks Peter Schwab, Gary Ayres and Bruce Stevenson have been amongst Gowers’ backers.
Nankivell counted a number of membership greats, together with former captain Don Scott, Peter Hudson, Peter Knights, Jarryd Roughead and Jordan Lewis, amongst his supporters.
Former Liberal premier Kennett served two phrases as Hawks president, from 2006-2011 and once more since 2018.
During his tenure, Kennett has been a continuing critic of the AFL and has additionally constantly disparaged the Labor state authorities.
His assaults on the Daniel Andrews authorities have been slammed by Gowers as “late night tweets” that value Hawthorn financially as they purpose to construct a brand new $100 million headquarters at suburban Dingley.
Kennett later conceded his public criticism of Victoria’s state authorities had value the AFL membership $15 million in funding for its new headquarters.
Both sides scuffled over the choice to make incumbents Katie Hudson and Anne-Marie Pellizzer, the one ladies on the board, stand for re-election.
Both have been re-elected.
The election got here at a fraught time for the Hawks, with an ongoing impartial investigation into bombshell claims of racism on the membership from 2008-16.
