Casey caught by Rex Hunt line
19 November 2004
Herald Sun
Damian Barrett
RICHMOND president Clinton Casey vowed last night to "move heaven and earth" to secure Rex Hunt as his deputy, despite the media identity being ineligible to run for the board.
Hunt's failure to officially enrol as a club member disqualifies him under the Tigers' constitution from running on Casey's ticket at next month's election.
But Casey said he would seek ways to ensure Hunt became involved with the club.
"Rex has shown a commitment to Richmond – I want him, I know the Richmond members want him and we will move heaven and earth to get him, whatever it takes," Casey told the Herald Sun.
"I will sit down with my board to sort this out."
Having yesterday claimed he was an "80 per cent starter", Hunt last night told the Herald Sun, "I'm goin' fishin' mate, and that's a shame".
The oversight in Hunt's membership clouds Casey's battle against a Charles Macek-led ticket that will be decided at the December 22 annual general meeting.
The Richmond constitution stipulates prospective directors must have enrolled as members by August 31.
Hunt told the Herald Sun last night he had assumed he was a member of the club because of involvement with several entities related to it.
"I am not taking any responsibility because all I was doing was helping out the Richmond Football Club with my strengths," Hunt said.
"My strengths are my heart on my sleeve and my unquestionable loyalty to Richmond.
"It never even passed my mind I wouldn't be a member because I am a member of the past players' association, I am a member of the Tommy Hafey club, I have given a substantial amount to the Tommy Hafey club over the past six months to make sure junior development comes on.
"I get a weekly e-mail addressed to Rex Hunt that says `Dear member'. I just assumed I was a member."
Hunt recently purchased an auction item at a Hafey club function for more than $8000.
The Macek group claimed Hunt had not been listed as a member since computer records were first kept in 1995.
"If this is what it is all about, and if this grief is going to be directed to me, I'm going fishin', mate, and that is a shame," Hunt said.
"Eddie (McGuire) rang me and Eddie said, `Isn't it a shame that someone with so much energy and enthusiasm and most importantly so much pull within the corporate industry that Richmond so desperately needs has been forced out . . .'.
"I was prepared to endure the pain, I was prepared to be patient, I was prepared to talk to kids and talk to members and talk to prospective sponsors.
"But, just leave me out of this. I want to fight a black and white or a blue and white jumper in a Grand Final.
"I don't want to fight a bloke wearing the same colours as me in the board room."
Macek ticket member Brendan Schwab said the Hunt oversight was damning for Casey. "We feel this highlights the incompetence of Clinton Casey when it comes to corporate governance, financial management and the attention to detail that is required to run a complex business such as an AFL club," Schwab said.
"We are disappointed that Rex Hunt has been compromised by this because we consider him a great Richmond person and we certainly want to work with him if we are elected.
"Clinton has a blase attitude when it comes to corporate governance and, as a result, the club has lost millions of dollars. It highlights how desperate he has become to hold on to power."
Schwab said his group would fight any moves by the Casey ticket to seek legal means to have Hunt installed on its ticket.
Ernst and Young accountant Rob Dalton was appointed yesterday to fill a casual vacancy on the Tigers' board.
The revelations in yesterday's that Hunt had been sought by Casey to join the board had not been put to several directors.
Had Hunt been eligible and accepted the Casey offer, one of the current directors would have had to have been cut, as the club's constitution allows just nine directors to sit at any one time; Hunt would have been the 10th. It is understood Casey would have offloaded Rob Turner or John Matthies.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,11432423%255E19771,00.html
