FORMER Hawthorn captain Richie Vandenberg has resigned from the club's board as the fallout continues from the Hawks' AGM on Tuesday night.
The victory of board challenger Andy Gowers via a member vote on Tuesday concluded a fractious and fiery election campaign, with Gowers taking over as president from Jeff Kennett.
On Wednesday, the club announced that Vandenberg, the club's former director of football, had stepped down from the board having served since 2016.
Kennett, meanwhile, has not gone quietly, telling Gowers to "put up or shut up" in regard to the club securing extra government funding for its new Dingley facility.
Gowers was endorsed by the 'Hawks for Change' group and ran on a mandate for change, namely ending the Kennett era. Kennett had backed Peter Nankivell to take the role.
Former Victoria deputy premier and Labor figure James Merlino, who is aligned with Gowers, has also been elected to Hawthorn's board.
Kennett refused to release the polling numbers, but Gowers favoured doing so as part of a push for greater transparency at the Hawks.
Former Liberal premier Kennett accepted the result but wouldn't go quietly, noting Gowers would address the Hawthorn faithful to allow them to "put a face to the name".
He also took a pointed jibe at Gowers' reference to Kennett leaving a $25 million funding black hole for the clubs' $100 million headquarters at Dingley, via his "late night tweets" criticising the Victorian government.
INS AND OUTS Every club's full list changes ahead of 2023
"With James coming on board the $15 million that the government's been holding back from us, I expect to be delivered tomorrow, James," Kennett said.
"And Andy said when fighting for the election that he knew (of) another $10 million.
"So Andy, put up or shut up - we want that other $10 million quickly."
Kennett had previously conceded his public criticism of Victoria's state government had cost Hawthorn $15 million in funding but Gowers had believed it also deterred wealthy benefactors from contributing a further $10 million.
The new president was unfazed when asked whether he expected Kennett to keep taking pot shots from the sidelines.
The 53-year-old Gowers was part of Hawthorn's 1991 premiership and played 89 games for the Hawks, and was later the football director during their 2013-15 premiership three-peat.
"With the election behind us it is time to unite and focus firmly on our future," Gowers said in his appointment speech.
"I want to get the club back in one piece, the family club, united and moving ahead with a common purpose," he later added to reporters.
"And we all want it to be back where we want it to be and we do that by being united."
Incumbents Katie Hudson and Anne-Marie Pellizzer, the only women on the board, were both re-elected.
FIXTURE ANALYSED Which club has the hardest draw in 2023?
The election came at a fraught time for the Hawks, with an ongoing independent investigation into bombshell allegations of racism at the club from 2008-16.
Gowers was unwilling to comment on the club's previous external review or the issue until the independent investigation delivered its findings.
"I'm not going to say or do anything that's going to jeopardise the process that's underway now by the AFL independent panel," he said.
"It's just not appropriate."
