Long-time St Kilda supporter Dr Larry Benge is disappointed after the club turned down his bid to join the board.
Despite a ringing endorsement from former Saints coach Grant Thomas, Dr Benge’s call for a re-evaluation of club procedures was rejected as they nominated former Saints defender Jason Blake to fill the vacancy.
Speaking with Garry Lyon and Tim Watson on SEN Breakfast, Benge expressed his concern with the existing divide inside the Moorabbin walls.
“There’s been a real gap between the football department and the board,” he said.
“I’ve had many past player and officials send me hundreds of emails saying finally they (St Kilda) need someone with a bit of common sense to create that link and gel the club.”
While Benge is impressed with the modernisation of club facilities, he knows that the success of a football department is measured in premierships - something he believes is further away than the current board realises.
The premiership-winning success Melbourne had with the few and subtle changes they implemented this past off-season was particularly inspiring to Benge, and he implored the Saints to follow a similar model.
“Rather than coming in and putting a bomb through the place… it was just trying to create an environment where you get everybody on board,” he said.
From Benge’s perspective, the hiring of Mark Williams and Alan Richardson – two former senior coaches – was instrumental in uniting the Demons and subsequently breaking the 57-year premiership drought.
“It took a team that had a lot of talent in it, but it actually gave that x-factor and gelled everything together,” he added.
“When you bring on young players, you’ve got to have figures in the club that have experience and create that culture.”
Listen to the full chat with Benge below: