Another Seahawk departs

Goldfinch blasts bosses

Former Brisbane Bullet Cameron Goldfinch last week resigned from his position with the Northern Gold Coast Seahawks amid a swarm of recent allegations against the club’s management style.

Goldfinch, a Seahawks junior since 2008, left his role as basketball development manager on Friday and has since spoken out about deep-rooted issues of club management.

He believes the management committee is not up to the required standard.

“There’s obviously been a lot of turnover in the past couple of years and that can be attributed to many things,” Goldfinch said.

“That’s the reality of it.” Goldfinch’s resignation is the latest in a chain of Seahawks’ farewells, including then newly appointed NBL1 head coach Jordan Mullan, who was abruptly let go in December just two months after being hired and four months before the 2024 season began.

Goldfinch was vocal about his support for Mullan, describing his appointment as a turning point for the club.

“There was a process behind him being appointed and there was a panel including multiple committee members as to how he was appointed,” he said.

“That was fine until he was appointed to the job, and then it became a problem.

“And I believe that’s because of personal issues that committee members have had with him in the past. That’s one thing that I would really like for them to answer to.”

Questions were first raised around the time Brady Walmsley and Darren Mackenzie resigned from the club, as general manager and president respectively, because of accusations of unrest and a financial crisis.

“As soon as Brady was gone, they let him (Mullan) go and they didn’t have a coach for some time,” Goldfinch said.

The Seahawks have since filled the head coach position with former Rip City Roar head coach Colby Stefanovic, but Goldfinch believes the appointment will prove fruitful.

“I’m not sure the association is in a position to objectively be more successful … I don’t think that they’re operating in the best interests of success,” he said.

“I don’t think it is indicative of Colby’s coaching ability, but the reality is that team came last two years in a row.”

Goldfinch’s remarks extend to allegations of committee members having ulterior motives – a political power problem among many clubs and associations.

“It’s the same everywhere, but it’s just exacerbated here because of what I think are ulterior motives,” he said.

“There seemed to be no process around anything they did, especially on the management committee.”

New additions have joined the Seahawks since the allegations first swirled, though Goldfinch believes these are the least of the club’s problems.

He instead expects previous committee members will swoop into the nest when given the chance.