Latest news with #Sayers
Sydney Morning Herald
7 days ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Too many plodders': Have the Blues already peaked, or can they save their season?
When Michael Voss was appointed coach of Carlton after two middling full seasons under David Teague, then Carlton president Luke Sayers said the three-time Brisbane premiership skipper, also an experienced assistant and senior coach, had the attributes needed to fulfil the untapped potential on the Blues' list. 'We have done that [coaching change] because we believe, right at this period of time, that Michael is the best leader and the best coach to get what we believe is the untapped potential within our playing group,' Sayers, flanked by chief executive Brian Cook and Voss, said. 'Michael is a person of great integrity, of great values. He knows what success and high-performance looks and feels like and, if you strip it back, he is a real people's person with good EQ and very good relational skill sets, and when we look at our list, we think our list is really poised for great things when married up with those attributes and those skill sets which Vossy has in spades.' Sayers made those comments in September 2021. Three-and-a-half seasons later, the potential of the Blues' list remains just that – untapped. Has a spine that features Jacob Weitering, Patrick Cripps and Coleman medallists Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay achieved what they should have? Has the list has already been maxed out, that potential Sayers' spoke about having never been truly realised by fulfilling a premiership dream? Loading As the clock ticked down at Marvel Stadium on Saturday, it dawned on supporters that the Blues were back to where they were at the mid-point of 2023 – fighting for respectability, let alone making the finals. They are 4-7 this year, and 17-18 since they ceded a 30-point lead and lost the 2023 preliminary final to the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba. In hindsight, was that this group's high point? They have won just six of their past 20 games (including an elimination final defeat last year), of which there have been two wins apiece against lowly North Melbourne and West Coast. Geelong and St Kilda have been their only other victories. The problems
The Age
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Age
‘Too many plodders': Have the Blues already peaked, or can they save their season?
When Michael Voss was appointed coach of Carlton after two middling full seasons under David Teague, then Carlton president Luke Sayers said the three-time Brisbane premiership skipper, also an experienced assistant and senior coach, had the attributes needed to fulfil the untapped potential on the Blues' list. 'We have done that [coaching change] because we believe, right at this period of time, that Michael is the best leader and the best coach to get what we believe is the untapped potential within our playing group,' Sayers, flanked by chief executive Brian Cook and Voss, said. 'Michael is a person of great integrity, of great values. He knows what success and high-performance looks and feels like and, if you strip it back, he is a real people's person with good EQ and very good relational skill sets, and when we look at our list, we think our list is really poised for great things when married up with those attributes and those skill sets which Vossy has in spades.' Sayers made those comments in September 2021. Three-and-a-half seasons later, the potential of the Blues' list remains just that – untapped. Has a spine that features Jacob Weitering, Patrick Cripps and Coleman medallists Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay achieved what they should have? Has the list has already been maxed out, that potential Sayers' spoke about having never been truly realised by fulfilling a premiership dream? Loading As the clock ticked down at Marvel Stadium on Saturday, it dawned on supporters that the Blues were back to where they were at the mid-point of 2023 – fighting for respectability, let alone making the finals. They are 4-7 this year, and 17-18 since they ceded a 30-point lead and lost the 2023 preliminary final to the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba. In hindsight, was that this group's high point? They have won just six of their past 20 games (including an elimination final defeat last year), of which there have been two wins apiece against lowly North Melbourne and West Coast. Geelong and St Kilda have been their only other victories. The problems
The Age
09-05-2025
- Business
- The Age
The inside story of Carlton's failed bid for Ross Lyon, and why St Kilda couldn't be happier
Luke Sayers' calculated journey back into public life since the January lewd photograph scandal that ended his Carlton presidency has been hesitant, but he made his biggest statement yet late last month when he threw a private lunch at South Yarra's Parisian bistro France-Soir. Sayers booked out the almost four-decades-old restaurant and hosted friends from politics, business, media and sport. Some who attended framed it as an unofficial acknowledgement of thanks to those who had supported him over his public humiliation. His sporting guests included former AFL boss-turned-Tabcorp chief Gillon McLachlan and the Carlton chief executive he lured to the club in late 2021, Brian Cook. And the St Kilda president, with whom Sayers has been involved in business, Andrew Bassat. The guest list was mostly men although the former ALP media guru-turned corporate advisor Sharon McCrohan attended. Sayers hired McCrohan, who played a pivotal role in former premier Steve Bracks' electoral victories, in 2023 during the PwC tax scandal and she has been his media advisor during these past turbulent months. Bassat and Sayers share strong friendships and business connections with the Fox family but the cross-pollination between St Kilda and Carlton dates back years and involves some of the game's biggest names including Alex Jesaulenko and more recently Stephen Silvagni, who returned to the Saints in 2023 as their list boss after a bitter falling out with the Blues. Aside from Jesaulenko, Carlton premiership players Ken Sheldon and more recently former skipper Brett Ratten have also coached St Kilda. But the connection that Sayers was not prepared to discuss publicly with this masthead ahead of Friday night's clash between the two clubs was Ross Lyon, and the circumstances that led to Lyon returning to the Saints one year after being virtually assured of the Carlton coaching job. Sayers did not return calls from this masthead, and Bassat said he had no deep knowledge of what occurred at Carlton. He added that he is deeply grateful that Lyon ultimately returned to St Kilda.
Sydney Morning Herald
09-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
The inside story of Carlton's failed bid for Ross Lyon, and why St Kilda couldn't be happier
Luke Sayers' calculated journey back into public life since the January lewd photograph scandal that ended his Carlton presidency has been hesitant, but he made his biggest statement yet late last month when he threw a private lunch at South Yarra's Parisian bistro France-Soir. Sayers booked out the almost four-decades-old restaurant and hosted friends from politics, business, media and sport. Some who attended framed it as an unofficial acknowledgement of thanks to those who had supported him over his public humiliation. His sporting guests included former AFL boss-turned-Tabcorp chief Gillon McLachlan and the Carlton chief executive he lured to the club in late 2021, Brian Cook. And the St Kilda president, with whom Sayers has been involved in business, Andrew Bassat. The guest list was mostly men although the former ALP media guru-turned corporate advisor Sharon McCrohan attended. Sayers hired McCrohan, who played a pivotal role in former premier Steve Bracks' electoral victories, in 2023 during the PwC tax scandal and she has been his media advisor during these past turbulent months. Bassat and Sayers share strong friendships and business connections with the Fox family but the cross-pollination between St Kilda and Carlton dates back years and involves some of the game's biggest names including Alex Jesaulenko and more recently Stephen Silvagni, who returned to the Saints in 2023 as their list boss after a bitter falling out with the Blues. Aside from Jesaulenko, Carlton premiership players Ken Sheldon and more recently former skipper Brett Ratten have also coached St Kilda. But the connection that Sayers was not prepared to discuss publicly with this masthead ahead of Friday night's clash between the two clubs was Ross Lyon, and the circumstances that led to Lyon returning to the Saints one year after being virtually assured of the Carlton coaching job. Sayers did not return calls from this masthead, and Bassat said he had no deep knowledge of what occurred at Carlton. He added that he is deeply grateful that Lyon ultimately returned to St Kilda.
Sydney Morning Herald
08-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
The $13,000 Carlton membership that opens doors to the rich and famous
The club's big business relationships have been crucial for fundraising events, particularly in tough times. Late billionaire Pratt's presidency is legendary, including his star-studded fundraisers at family home Raheen that brought in $1 million of donations to the club. He also famously provided a comfy job at Visy for star Judd, a highly controversial out-of-salary-cap deal the league quickly nixed. Pratt, who was a director from 1985 to 2000 and returned in 2007 as president before resigning to face serious allegations about his business practices and battle ill health, had one main rule for his fellow board directors. 'He was firm on this – no directors were allowed on the board just to get tickets or to get close to players or to lobby coaches. Directors had to help the club in ways that they could,' a source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, says. 'He would have spit chips over the Mathieson and Sayers bingle in the clubrooms,' they add, referencing the loud quarrel between now former director Craig Mathieson and Sayers at the end of the club's bruising 26-point round 11 loss against Sydney in 2023. There's also renewed hope that the Pratts' involvement in the club could soon make a spectacular comeback. In recent months, Dick Pratt's daughter Heloise Pratt, a fundraiser of significant renown and flair, has returned to the Carlton fold after an acrimonious split with her Collingwood-supporting husband, Alex Waislitz. While switching teams in Melbourne is usually a no-go, Pratt's return is being quietly celebrated at the Blues, particularly as it is both Carlton's gain and arch rival Collingwood's loss. Like the Pratts, Carlton's late long-serving president Elliott also used his buccaneering spirit to lift the club's profile and spirit, leading to the Blues' most successful period. Unfortunately for the club, Elliott's taste for hard and fast deals and thin respect for red tape also flowed into Carlton's culture, leaving the club nursing large fines from the 2002 salary cap breach and further tarnishing his reputation. In more recent times, the club has benefited from a steady and impressive income stream delivered by one of its most influential figures, Bruce Mathieson. Mathieson was instrumental in helping the club acquire 290 poker machine licences when the market was deregulated in 2012, and now his business, ALH Group, manages the venues for the club. In the past three years alone, revenue from its hotels and gaming hustles has poured $60 million into the club's coffers, making the club cash-flow positive and further strengthening its balance sheet. (Sayers also wins praise for his work in shaping up the club's finances and helping to set it up for the future.) Carlton's powerbase, however, stretches beyond big business into the uppermost echelons of politics, particularly within the Liberal Party. Australia's longest-serving prime minister Robert Menzies was a No.1 ticket holder and a lifelong 'Bluebagger'. So was Malcolm Fraser, who famously hosted the 1981 and 1982 premiership teams at the Lodge, where the players pilfered silverware as mementos and a WAG known only as 'Fabulous' broke her ankle. Elliott was also the Liberal Party president for several years. More recently, from 2021 to 2023, the club's No.1 ticket was then federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who is still a senior figure in the Liberal Party despite not being in parliament any more. For Frydenberg, his association with the club is familial and enduring. 'It's a great club with a proud history, obviously it's been quite a while since we won a premiership with expectations always high. There's flags and then there's everything else – it's a pretty binary outcome for many supporters,' Frydenberg, now the head of Goldman Sachs in Australia, says over the phone in the midst of the hectic 2025 election campaign. 'There's been a bit of turmoil at the club over the years but at the same time the Blues have given so much joy to so many, including my family. My kids are passionate supporters like their dad and their grandad. It was a real privilege to be the No.1 ticket holder and I still stay in touch with people at the club.' On the other side of the aisle, now retired Andrews government attorney general and former sports minister Martin Pakula is also a leading political figure associated with the Blues. 'I have been to many president lunches, committee lunches ... I've been to Carlton in Business events, and it's really good to be able to engage with business but they probably don't resonate as much as sitting in the outer with your family and friends, complaining together,' says Pakula, who is now boss of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation. 'That said, I can't do that as much as I like because I am often at those lunches.' But Pakula admits he gains a certain type of (limited) influence by attending these lunches. 'I may have on occasions shared my opinion about the club's coaching decisions,' Pakula says. 'I may have also, occasionally, abused SMS messaging services during games. I have tried to behave, though it's not like they make it easy sometimes.' Both Pakula and Frydenberg hark from migrant families, many of which came to Melbourne's inner northern suburbs, particularly Carlton, in the 1930s through to the post-war era. These new Australian families backed the club and the sport to forge strong bonds within their neighbourhoods. It's a history that resonates for retired Federal Court judge Ray Finkelstein KC, who is sometimes seen at president's functions when, he says, he can be bothered suiting up and is confident he won't tear his hair out at the on-field performance. 'The Fink', as he is widely known, was born in Germany to Polish parents, and after arriving in Thornbury as a young child, grew up as a Carlton supporter on the encouragement of a childhood friend. Before becoming one of the country's most revered judges, Finkelstein was a leading commercial barrister who worked on numerous AFL matters both for the league and various clubs. He has also provided quiet advice to the club on a range of matters. But it hasn't all been for good. In 1997, when Carlton great and now board member Greg Williams was facing a career-ending nine-match ban for shoving an umpire, it was to the Fink that the AFL turned for help. 'That was the worst thing I did. I remember I told my children, who were still living at home at the time, and they were furious, seriously furious, that I was acting against Williams. They even asked me if I could throw the case,' says Finkelstein with a laugh. Finkelstein, of course, won the matter for the AFL. All appears to be forgiven – the Fink received a letter wishing him the best on his retirement from the bench in 2011 from none other than Judd. Finkelstein got a better shout out in 2023, when current captain Patrick Cripps delivered a video message lauding Finkelstein at the launch of the Finkelstein scholarship for humanitarian and Indigenous students to study law. While Finkelstein is a bit cynical about how much Judd and Cripps had to do with writing their missives (given the obvious involvement of his friend, Pratt lawyer and Carlton fanatic Leon Zwier), he agrees that most Carlton fans don't receive plaudits from the club's captains, and it is a perk. The key question is: can Carlton maintain these links with the younger generations of these well-connected families, and do the kids even care? The answer might be yes. Loading Year 10 student Nadav Leibler is a mad keen Carlton supporter. He is the son of leading corporate lawyer Jeremy Leibler, and the grandson of one of Australia's best tax lawyers Mark Leibler – co-founder of law firm Arnold Bloch Leibler. The young Leibler appears to be passionate about both the club's off-field and on-field performance, seeing the two as intrinsically linked. 'When the president stepped down at the end of last year due to personal reasons, I was very concerned,' he says. 'And then at the start of the season a great Carlton player, Elijah Hollands, wasn't playing for personal issues and again I was really concerned. Then there are other players having problems. 'It makes me wonder if there's some sort of culture issue going on at the club, or something is happening behind closed doors.' Leibler is too young to say whether he'll follow in his father or grandfather's professional footsteps, but his love of the club and his keen interest in the Blues' culture as well as his family's connections, bode well for Carlton's future.
