Richmond's job for Johnston riles junior club
By Caroline Wilson
The Age
March 9, 2006
RICHMOND'S decision to appoint Wayne Johnston as its runner has provoked an angry response from a local junior football club that claims the former Carlton champion failed to honour a one-year deal as a junior development officer.
The South Melbourne Districts Sports Club unsuccessfully sued Johnston last year after he caused a mini financial crisis at the club, which lifted its annual junior subscription by $10 a player to accommodate the high-profile star, who was also working at the Sandringham Dragons.
The club, which fielded 10 junior teams in 2005, employed Johnston in November 2004 in a deal that was to have him attend training over the 2005 season on a semi-regular basis and oversee mentoring sessions with the club's junior coaches.
Johnston agreed to reduce his agreed fee of $6000 to $4500 if he was paid up front. Club president Maureen McGee told The Age that Johnston did not report to the club after March 2005 and attended only six sessions between November and March.
In an angry letter to Richmond chief executive Steve Wright, McGee wrote: "I am writing to express my dismay at the appointment of Wayne Johnston as your runner for this year.
"Mr Johnston was appointed the junior development officer of this club at the beginning of last year. The remuneration agreed on was $6000 but he offered to cut this back to $4500 if he was paid up front. As he was working for the Sandringham Dragons, we foolishly agreed to this - a bad move! He turned up a few times and was never seen again in spite of numerous phone calls by a member of our committee, who in fact was a QC . . .
". . . As I have been a member of the Richmond Football Club for 49 years and my mother and grandfather before me, the final straw was seeing him running for my beloved Tigers."
South Melbourne's claim against Johnston was heard in the Melbourne Magistrate's Court last December in an examination of judgement debtor. The court was told that Johnston was not in a financial position to repay the club.
Johnston did not return calls from The Age yesterday but said through an intermediary that he had had philosophical differences with the South Melbourne committee after the departure of the club president who employed him, Tony Pilimon, for Perth.
Johnston, 48, has reportedly told Pilimon he fell out with board member Chris Maxwell, formerly a Queen's Counsel, now a Supreme Court judge, who repeatedly tried to persuade him to attend coaching sessions and meetings.
The club lifted its annual subscription last year from $110 to $130 - $10 of which was to accommodate Johnston - a fee it has not increased this season, having employed a new lower-profile junior development officer.
The four-time Carlton premiership player, whose sons Tommy (under 18) and Clay (under 16) play for Sandringham, has also left that club, with the Dragons adhering to a policy of not employing coaches whose sons also played there.
Richmond Football Club was not prepared to comment yesterday, although the Tigers are believed to be aware of the dispute and do not see it as a barrier to Johnston being involved with the club this season.
http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2006/03/08/1141701573337.html
