More Pies strife as director quits

BRIDIE O’Donnell has quit as a Collingwood director, throwing the board into further turmoil.

O’Donnell, a former professional cyclist, had joined the board only four months ago, despite queries over her eligibility to vote.

Wednesday night’s Footy Classified aired O’Donnell’s social media post from the weekend in support of the Western Bulldogs in their preliminary final clash against Port Adelaide.

Previous posts have showed O’Donnell supporting the Bulldogs’ AFLW team.

Former Pies president

Eddie McGuire told Channel 9 the posts were “ill-advised”.

Collingwood on Thursday confirmed it had been exploring a plan for a third option for the presidency outside of incumbent Mark Korda and challenger Jeff Browne.

However, board member Peter Murphy insists that third party will not be him.

Just hours after the Herald Sun revealed a plan to install Murphy over Korda was discussed at a board meeting on Tuesday night, Murphy declared he would not run.

The move for a third candidate was aimed at thwarting Browne’s push to become president and install new directors on the board.

The Browne camp has been negotiating to bring the former Channel 9 boss on to the board as early as next month, but all hopes of a breakthrough peace deal now appear doomed.

Murphy told Nine newspapers a Herald Sun report that he was in talks with Korda about replacing him as president was “just not correct”.

“I am not a candidate for the presidency. I will not be a candidate for the presidency. It is factually incorrect to say otherwise,” Murphy said.

He did not dispute the board discussed the option of the presidency being passed from Korda to Murphy, which had some support from directors.

“Mark, to his credit, has been very open and honest that he is a transition president,” Murphy said.

“Jeff (Browne) is an option (to be president next year) but maybe a third option is that in the interests of the Collingwood Football Club, Mark and Jeff could say let’s unite behind this other person instead. But I am not going to be that third option. It will not be me.”

Agitator and former club solicitor Francis Galbally will almost certainly lodge papers next week for a spill of all seven board positions .

Galbally said: “This board continually demonstrates an inability to listen to the members and to have appropriate corporate governance.”