Dear members and supporters,

After a loss in Launceston to a very accomplished Hawthorn outfit, we are getting on with the incredibly important process of searching for a new coach. Before outlining how this week will unfold, I would like to commend Garry Hocking and the coaching group for the job they did in preparing the team to compete on Sunday, in very difficult circumstances. They are now preparing for Sunday’s home game against West Coast.

This week ...

Coach Selection Committee

I am aiming to have the senior coach selection committee finalised this week. We are getting assistance from the AFL Coaches’ Association with the selection of the external consultant or consultants we will use to assist the committee. Leigh Matthews , David Parkin and others have been used by other clubs at various times and we think experts with similar experience will add an important external perspective. This will give us a balanced view, with input from those who know the club from the inside combined with the valuable vision of those who have experience at other clubs.

Committee's Role

The role of the committee is to establish the criteria required of our next senior coach, establish a hit list of candidates, interview those candidates and finally make a recommendation to the board of the Port Adelaide Football Club. The length of this process will be dictated by the availability of the potential candidates in the next few weeks, so it's important that we start as soon as possible.

We are approaching the selection of our next coach with an open mind. We have had every external opinion thrust at us, but we will simply choose the best candidate for the role.

Meeting with the AFL

We will meet with the AFL again this week to bring them up to speed with our planning for 2013. They have been very supportive throughout, and this is an important collaboration as we begin to shape our team for next year and beyond.

Cool, calculated decision making

My observation that our club is not in crisis has been challenged in some quarters of the media. Clearly it's not difficult to mount a counter argument from the outside, but let me explain what I meant by the comment. The circumstances of last week - and, to a fair extent, the last couple of years - again highlight the fact that Port Adelaide is not where it wants to be. We accept that. But the process of systematically improving every aspect of our club has been in motion for 12 months. Last weeks’ events were simply another step along the pathway to sustained success.

The decisions taken, as difficult as they were, were calculated and put the club first.

The strengthening of our coaching and medical group at the start of the year, the attraction of new commercial partners supporting the Power to End Hunger campaign and the support of V.I.P. Home Services are all initiatives easily forgotten in the firestorm created by a change of leadership.

The bottom line is that until our performances improve significantly on field, nothing else matters. But when this improvement does come, the good work being done behind the scenes to strengthen Port Adelaide culturally and commercially will become obvious to all and the club will flourish again.

But first things first. We must get our football right, and I promise you every waking hour is being devoted to this cause.

Amid all of the comment that has been made about our club in the past week or so, you might be interested in the views of former AFL chief executive officer Wayne Jackson put forward in an article in The Weekend Australian last Saturday.

Whilst - as I have acknowledged - we still have much work to do, it serves to maintain perspective on how much this club has achieved and the exciting future it has.

You can read the article by clicking here

Thank You

Thanks for your letters and emails of support. The club very much appreciates your loyalty and patience.

We’d love to see you all at AAMI Stadium this Sunday afternoon, to support the team as we take on the West Coast Eagles from 12.40pm.

We’ve got back-to-back home games and your presence and voice at our games gives the boys a big lift and also shows the wider community what Port Adelaide means to you.

I will keep you posted as the week progresses.

Keith Thomas
Chief Executive Officer

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