RETURNING Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett has drawn the battle lines with the AFL, declaring his club could not be pushed out of Tasmania in what he described as "almost anti-social" and a "welfare" issue.
Kennett was approached by Hawthorn then-president Richard Garvey and vice-president Linda Kristjanson late on Tuesday to take over Garvey's role.
The appointment was ratified in a board meeting early on Wednesday.
Garvey stood down from the presidency after the shock sacking of former CEO Tracey Gaudry, who was in the role for just five months.
Hawks CEO out after just five months
Kennett was emphatic when speaking to reporters in Cremorne on Wednesday.
"We've got over 9,000 members in Tassie. We're there to stay," Kennett said.
He pointed to the "disastrous social effect" Tasmania would feel if Hawthorn left, with its deal to play four games and a pre-season match lasting until the end of 2021.
"Our commitment to Tasmania is more than just playing football. It's whole of heart and I hope that the AFL will realise that this continuing drive to drive us out of Tasmania is not only against the wishes of Hawthorn, but it is almost anti-social," Kennett said.
"It is against the welfare of those Tasmanians, because we now take in about $50 million a year in revenue through our supporters that go down there and sponsors, who don't just go down there for a match. They go down for two or three days, or a week of travelling around the island, and that's proven by Tasmania's own evaluation.
"If you take Hawthorn out of Tasmania, particularly northern Tasmania, you will not be able to replace the income that we take into it, and that is going to have a disastrous social effect on that community."
Kennett said he felt an obligation to Garvey, having seen him join the board.
"I was approached by the president and the deputy president yesterday, asking me whether I would consider it. I appointed Richard Garvey to the board in 2010, so I've always highly respected his professional skills and values," Kennett said.
Kennett won't attend Saturday night's Peter Crimmins Medal, having already been booked in for a function with his wife Felicity.
He officially takes over the reins on Monday, and will be briefed by his executives the following day.
Garvey will remain on the board because of his heavy involvement with the Dingley project, where Hawthorn's new training base will be situated.
The process to find Gaudry's replacement will be a relatively "direct process". Kennett revealed he had some names in mind but wouldn't say who, although he pointed to his record of targeting those who were second-in-command.
He ruled out making a play for an existing club CEO.
Jeff Kennett timeline
2005: Jeff Kennett, a longtime Hawthorn supporter and former Victorian premier takes over as president. He replaces Ian Dicker, who helped save the club from a proposed merger with Melbourne in 1996. Kennett pledges to be low-profile and to let the administration and players do the talking. He is not true to his words.
2006: St Kilda finishes its arrangement for two home games a year at York Park in Launceston and the Hawks pounce, signing a new agreement to play four games a year there (having played two games a year there themselves since 2002) as part of a lucrative sponsorship deal with the Tasmanian Government. The new deal would underpin Hawthorn’s financial strength and provide the team with a pronounced home ground advantage.
2007: The Hawks return to the finals for the first time in six years as he unveils a garish, reversible brown and gold blazer to be worn only after wins.
2008: Hawthorn wins its 10th premiership, upsetting Geelong by 26 points in the Grand Final.
2009: On the eve of the season opener, Kennett says of Geelong on ABC TV, "What they don't have, I think, is the quality of some of our players; they don't have the psychological drive we have. We've beaten Geelong when it matters." The Cats would beat the Hawks in round one and on the next 10 occasions after that. His words would become known as 'Kennett’s Curse' and it was real.
Kennett casually suggests to Essendon it should chat to Hawthorn chief executive Ian Robson about its vacant CEO position. Sure enough, he takes the job.
2010: The Hawks start the season disastrously and drop to 1-6. In his weekly email to members, he writes, "Reputation and goodwill have been totally used up. Everyone is on notice. No excuses accepted. The coach has put the players on notice; I have done the same with the coaches, and I expect you, the members, to do the same with me." It later emerges that he suggested that Clarkson drop himself to the VFL for a week. If not for a lunging Sam Mitchell tackle on Shane Tuck in round eight that preserved a narrow win over Richmond, he would likely have sacked Clarkson.
Later that year, he calls League chief executive Andrew Demetriou a "benevolent dictator".
2011: Steps down as president at the end of the season, having served out his mandated six-year term. Andrew Newbold takes over.
2013: After yet another loss to Geelong, this time in the opening round, Kennett calls into 3AW post-match and suggests Clarkson should step down as coach.
During the season, as the depth of the Essendon drugs scandal becomes clearer, he calls for Demetriou to resign and says that Gillon McLachlan is not suited to be his replacement.
Caps off a big year by declaring Melbourne a rabble and offering to become president. "It doesn’t matter what club you support, Melbourne is the name given to our capital city. We’re all proud of our state, we’re proud of our city, we want our brand Melbourne to do well wherever it is utilised."
2017: As the Hawks crash to a 0-4 start, he again raises the prospect of Clarkson moving on. "Clarko has been there a long time, Eddie McGuire has been (Collingwood president) longer than the Ark – is this all good for those organisations?"
Returns as president in October, following the resignation of Richard Garvey. Pledges immediate support for the coach and expresses the wish to find a young and ambitious new chief executive.
