The man who led the AFL to many championship victories has departed the building.
Collingwood football manager Graham Wright has resigned from the AFL club, the club said on Monday. Mitch Cleary of 7NEWS Melbourne made the revelation.
Since he declared in December of last year that he will take a leave of absence lasting nearly the whole 2024 season, Wright’s future has been in doubt.
After his European vacation, the 56-year-old’s impending return to the Magpies seems improbable in recent weeks.
The news of his leaving was made public the morning after the defending premiers were all but eliminated from the playoff race.
Wright, a major contributor to Hawthorn’s hat-trick in 2013–15 and a hero of Collingwood’s 1990 premiership, has been strongly linked to an AFL position.
Late last year, he had tried to quit from the Magpies, but was told to enjoy his vacation and make plans to come back.
“I express my gratitude to the players, staff, and supporters for contributing to an enjoyable period of my career during my time at Collingwood,” Wright said in a Monday club statement announcing his resignation.
“I am appreciative of the opportunity to assist the Collingwood Football Club.”
Before she moved to Melbourne early in the year, Clare Pettyfor was also in charge of the Pies’ AFL and AFLW teams. Craig Kelly, the CEO of Collingwood, assisted in filling the hole.
Even though a permanent replacement is named in the next few weeks, the Magpies will now go into the 2019 AFL trade season in a transitional state.
“I express my gratitude to Graham Wright on behalf of the Collingwood Football Club for his exceptional service and valuable contribution to our team,” said club president Jeff Browne.
“Graham has been a part of the elite AFL system for more than thirty years. He started out as a Collingwood premiership player and later became a well-liked and accomplished administrator.”
Throughout his sabbatical, we have had frequent conversations with Graham, and we have both decided that he should be allowed to explore new chances to advance his already illustrious career.
“We at Collingwood extend our warmest wishes and prosperity for the upcoming chapter to Graham, his wife Tracey, and their children James and Ethan.”
Wright, who spent 20 years in football department and list management roles, temporarily held the position of acting CEO at Collingwood in late 2022. After that, he had his sights set on a promotion.
January 2021, a few months after the infamous “fire sale” trading season, he signed with the Pies.
“I’ve been planning to take an extended leave of absence and vacation abroad for a while during our winter.
We decided that throughout my leave, I would continue to be involved with the club in a consulting capacity, offering guidance to the CEO and the club as a whole, with the intention of going back to work full-time in September.
After losing their opening three games of the season, the Magpies’ premiership defense got off to a rocky start.
The campaign unraveled during the winter, but two months of victory made up for a draw with Essendon on Anzac Day.
After blowing a 25-point lead to tie with Fremantle in May, Collingwood went on to lose four straight games in June and July, ending the Pies’ season in one of the closest in recent memory.
