Post-Season Address from the Club President

Written by Bob Shields

Perth Football President Bob Shields said "Season 2020 started five minutes after our bitter loss to Peel last Saturday.”

“It is important to acknowledge some 200 supporters who created a honour guard to clap off our beaten players at that match. It was hard to do - but that’s what Perth People do, they step up when they are needed.”

Since the weekend, other Perth People have stepped up:

-Club Legend and long-term AFL coach Rob Wiley has offered to Chair the Recruiting Drive. Former Club President Damian Matthews who has chaired Recruiting is fully supportive of this initiative, and has gracefully stepped aside-with our thanks.

-Former top players Brian Cook and Shane Cable, who have now both had top-level business experience have also stepped in to offer their services to grow the Club.

“It’s no secret the Board has been working for some time to re-structure the PFC Business model - to extract modern business performances from our terrific staff.

“Our newest Director GREG BRUCE has been invaluable in using his HR skills to assess the best-fit for the staff talents - and we are close to resetting the Club operations” the President said.

“As well, Football Director TROY COOK and Senior Vice-President WAYNE SMITH will work with Coach EARL SPALDING to run an internal audit of what happened this season - and what we need to do to lift PFC to become a serious Grand Final contender.”

“Troy asked me for my views first-so I listed these thoughts.

No-one has more respect than me for what this team of young men achieved this season, I’m proud of them, but two games should be looked at:

-the first East Fremantle game after the bye, when an over-confident Perth team took too lightly a young East Fremantle team-who ambushed them.

-the first quarter of last Saturdays loss to Peel; a review of the vision shows Perth Players probably over-trying too much [certainly due to the expectations we all placed on them] and rushing their game; all they had to do was settle and trust each other to do their job; its a bitter pill, but it will burn all Summer long and make our players come back much harder men next season.”

A win in either game would have seen us playing West Coast on Sunday next!

The President urged Members to join him and the Directors at the final MEMBERS FORUM at the Club on October 7th or the Butcher Medal-also at the Club on October 5th.