Opinion: Did the Demons get buyer’s remorse?
Paul Guerra drove into the MCG’s underground car park at 7.30am on Tuesday. Everything about the day was normal – until it wasn’t.
He walked into a regularly scheduled meeting with Melbourne’s president Steven Smith that morning as the club’s CEO, and walked out shortly after as the former CEO.
After seven months he had lost his job, but gained a place as a trivia question: which CEO of an AFL club lasted longest? A) Andrew Thorburn B) Paul McNamee C) Tracey Gaudry or D) Paul Guerra? (It was Guerra.)
Across the railway tracks, Dees coach Steven King held a press conference at 9.15am. The first question was about Kozzy Pickett, as it should have been. There was no hint of how the day was about to suddenly change and that what happens on the field would once more become secondary at Melbourne to what happens off it.
Guerra was appointed a year ago, in April 2025. It did not take long for Melbourne board members to have buyer’s remorse. Though lingering commitments prevented him starting in the job until September last year, the board was already uneasy about Guerra’s enthusiasm for talking about the club in the media before he’d even started in the job.
Footy news you might have missed
From CEO changes to grassroots investigations, there’s been a lot of footy news this week.
Let’s catch you up.
Demons’ Caulfield deadline revealed
The head of the government-appointed trust that manages the site proposed for Melbourne Football Club’s Caulfield Racecourse development has criticised the Demons for wanting to build a “Taj Mahal” home base with a “budget for a granny flat”.
This masthead can reveal the Demons have been given a 60-day deadline to prove they can fund the $100 million training centre or the Caulfield Racecourse Reserve Trust will look for alternative tenants.
See who our experts tipped
Welcome
Evening everyone,
Welcome to our live coverage of Hawthorn v Collingwood at the MCG. I’m Hannah Kennelly and I’ll be helming tonight’s blog.
Tonight’s clash kicks off at 7.30pm so grab your popcorn and let’s get started.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
