The AFL leadership crisis that has punctuated the 2025 season and cast a shadow over September is threatening to come to a head in the hours leading up to the Brownlow Medal count.

That is when the club presidents have pushed to take control over the election of at least one new commissioner, who would ultimately replace the besieged Richard Goyder as the next chairman of the AFL.

Three central figures in the AFL Commission power play: outgoing chair Richard Goyder, and contenders Peter Gordon and Jeff Browne.Credit: Artwork: Jamie Brown

So fearful are the clubs of reprisals from head office, should they go against the wishes of Goyder and his circle of commission supporters, that they have requested a secret ballot that would be held at their meeting with the commission on Monday week.

The move for a secret ballot came on Monday after the presidents met and voiced their disenchantment with the process that would decide Goyder’s replacement. Not only were they upset at having the decision taken out of the hands of the nominations committee, but also at Goyder’s refusal to tell the presidents how many commission positions would be vacant come the annual general meeting next March.

A letter written by Essendon president David Barham on behalf of the majority of the club bosses was emailed to Goyder on Monday night. Only three club presidents – Andrew Bassat (St Kilda), Tim Reed (GWS) and Chris Sutherland (Fremantle) – did not agree to the letter or the proposal. That trio would be unlikely to vote for the clubs’ most favoured candidate Jeff Browne, as would the Brisbane Lions’ Andrew Wellington.

But should the clubs win the right to vote for the next commissioner, the position would almost certainly go to the former Collingwood president, Nine boss and AFL legal counsel Browne, who has the support of at least 12 presidents.

At time of publication, Goyder had not responded to Barham, but the indications were that the outgoing chairman was digging in on nominating his own successor with the weight of numbers, but by no means the majority, of........

© The Sydney Morning Herald