“More and more Carlton members are rightly voicing their concerns. I am reminding Carlton members that they have the power to hire and fire the board. I will again stand for the Carlton board in August and I am urging Carlton members to join me in taking back control of our club.″
Barker,meanwhile,an experienced assistant and one-time caretaker coach,is set to leave the club sooner than he anticipated.
Barker,who has been serving as the Blues’ stoppages coach in his 11th season,offered his resignation to football boss Brad Lloyd on Monday,citing personal reasons.
A club source has toldThe Age Barker wanted to remain with the team until the end of the season,but the club’s preference was for him to leave immediately.
Carlton confirmed in a statement that Barker would depart during Carlton’s bye round this weekend and won’t be in the coach’s box for the Blues’ round 14 clash with Greater Western Sydney.
Lloyd acknowledged Barker’s contribution.
“On behalf of the entire club,I’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge John’s efforts over the past 10 years and thank him for his contribution to the club,” he said.
“John is a quality person who was outstanding not only with our playing group but also with the entire wider club,including staff and our corporate network.
“He has been a valued member of our football club and has played an integral role in the development of our playing list.”
Barker said he had “absolutely loved my time in footy” and most of all the relationships he had built.
“However,over the past 12 months I’ve been able to take the time to reflect on what’s most important to me and given the nature of the role and all it commands,I’ve made the decision to explore other avenues outside of football,and most importantly with my family at the forefront.”
Barker’s resignation came on the day the club confirmed a wide-ranging external review into the football department.
The review,which will be led by former PwC boss Sayers,comes amid a string of poor performances under embattled coach David Teague.
Carlton confirmed the review in a statement on Tuesday.
“This process will be conducted by an independent review panel external to the club,reporting to Luke Sayers and the board,” outgoing president Mark LoGiudice said.
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“The club acknowledges that we are not satisfied with where we are at from a performance perspective.
“We feel we owe it to our members and supporters to leave no stone unturned in our attempt to improve our on-field performance.
“Rather than wait until the conclusion of the 2021 season to undertake this review,we feel the opportunity is available to formalise this now.”
Following his playing career,Barker worked under Ross Lyon at St Kilda and Alastair Clarkson at Hawthorn in 2009 and 2010. He was caretaker coach for 14 games in 2015 when the club acrimoniously fell out with Mick Malthouse,missing out on the job to Brendon Bolton.
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