Sunday, May 15, 2011

Geelong

Club presidents are an odd lot. On the whole, becoming a club president is the modern equivalent of donating to the church - all your prior sins are forgiven and you instantly become a "top bloke".

Left investors in your diamond mine with nothing but a huge whole in the ground? For a few grand the Dees will make you the coolest Jew since Dylan.

You're a day-time game show host with less charisma than Ian Turpie in a coma? Worm your way into Australia's largest club and hey presto! They'll not only let you run the network, they'll keep you on the payroll when you balls the job up.

Been involved in Australia's largest ever price fixing prosecution? The Carlton Football Club warmly welcomes you.

But what do we know about Geelong's president of the last 12 years, Frank Costa?  He's got heaps of cash, owns the whole of Geelong and appears to be as nice as Jimmy Bartell. So what's the rub? What is he hiding?  A quick Google search shows he made his money in fruit and veg. Nothing to be ashamed of there, is there?  It's not the sort of business that needs you to buy public opinion (unlike, say, Financial Services in which it really helps that people think you're an honest to goodness top bloke, just like Adelaide's president Rob Chapman, Essendon's pres David Evans and Sydney's Richard Colless).

So it's no wonder that Frank Costa is moving on from the Geelong presidency. Now he can leave the position open for someone who really needs it, like Ricky Nixon, Jodie Rich or Jeremy Rapke.

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