Port clarifies position on board battle
Port Adelaide will not stop any players or staff from endorsing club greats Bruce Abernethy and Warren Tredrea in the Power’s high-profile board battle.
While it is highly unusual for active players to weigh into board elections, Power defender Ryan Burton has publicly supported Abernethy, sharing a post from the seventime Port Adelaide SANFL premiership winner on his Instagram earlier this week.
In a separate Instagram story on Wednesday, Burton clarified that it was a personal view, as the partner of Abernethy’s
daughter, Brie, and not an endorsement from the club’s board or management.
The Power said it does not have a hard and fast policy precluding players or staff from publicly supporting candidates.
Nor had players and staff been told to stay out of the election, according to the club.
Abernethy and Tredrea are going head-to-head for a members-elected board seat.
Tredrea’s criticism of coach Ken Hinkley has prompted a common outside view that the club does not want its all-time AFL leading goalkicker on the board.
Abernethy vehemently deAlong nies the suggestion he is running again – after being on the Power board from 2005-12 – as part of a club ploy to stop Tredrea from winning.
The post Burton originally shared was from Abernethy’s Facebook and included why he was running.
with Burton, former Power president Brett Duncanson and family of ex-Port Adelaide chairman, the late Bruce Weber, are in Abernethy’s corner.
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said on Wednesday he would probably vote for Abernethy.
Premiership captain Tredrea has support from inaugural Port Adelaide AFL president Greg Boulton and ex-Power chief executive John James.
Voting opened on January 25 and was set to end next Wednesday.
The winner will be revealed on February 9.