“It was a challenging period for Clayton. It was a challenging period at the club but we have had some great conversations off the back of that situation and I can say that he is in a really good spot,” Richardson said.

Both players eventually resolved their issues and will continue in 2025 and senior coach Simon Goodwin said he had been “blown away” by how both players had returned for pre-season. The team was focusing on establishing connections under the guidance of mindset coach Ben Crowe as soon as they returned and went on a camp in Bright.

Smith received 8363 votes in the election, Freeman 6833 votes, Williams 6276 votes, and Barlow 5934. Of those unelected, Peter Lawrence received 2178 votes, Tony Pagone 1953, Ron Gelberg 1181, Jo McCoy 1088 and Patrick Roseman 725 votes.

Freeman told the 200 members attending the AGM at the MCG that legal costs had a huge impact on the club’s financial result and said the board was focused on good governance to ensure such costs were not repeated. In November, the club eventually reached a confidential settlement with former president Glen Bartlett, ending a three-year dispute, and also fought a court battle over governance issues with supporter and board candidate Lawrence.

The club plans to invest $15 million into its Caulfield project and will also launch a fundraising program, which outgoing CEO Gary Pert said was aiming to raise $25 million to complement finance received from other potential funding sources. The club’s future fund will not be touched.

Pert’s decision to step down as CEO came at the same time the club completed a review into the football department and its board.

Richardson said the review identified the need to support the club’s next generation of leaders to produce more consistency on and off the field.

“We want to get back to loving the game and loving our footy club,” Richardson said.

The club has appointed Nathan Jones and Nathan Bassett as assistant coaches, added Max Viney as a combat coach and also appointed Crowe, who worked with tennis star Ash Barty and Richmond, to work with the players on their mindset.

Bombers members back Barham

Meanwhile, Essendon members also backed president David Barham in his bid for a new term, returning him to the board alongside premiership Bomber Dean Solomon, who received the most votes with 7459.

Barham has been on the board since 2015 and faced a challenge from dual premiership player Paul Weston but prevailed with 5560 votes compared to Weston’s 3829.

Melissa Verner Green (3016 votes) lost her position on the board after seven years of service. Luke Maxfield polled 771 votes.

The result was a show of support for Barham’s calls for members to be patient as the Bombers build the foundations for success after a barren period. Their most recent premiership was won in 2000 when Solomon was a player.

“This re-election is a clear sign from our members that they want the club to continue focusing on stability, unity, and alignment, as we strive to deliver on our plan to bring sustained on-field success back to Essendon,” Barham said.

A vote to amend the club’s constitution and include a resolution proposed by the No Pokies at Essendon (NoPE) group was not passed. Only 36.2 per cent of members voted in favour of the proposal. To be passed, a 75 per cent majority was required.

Barham will front the members at their club’s AGM on Wednesday night.

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