Carlton chief Steven Trigg has revealed the Blues actively investigated eight potential candidates for the new list manager position, but ultimately Carlton Team of the Century fullback Stephen Silvagni was the best man for the job.
Silvagni was announced as Carlton’s new General Manager of List Management and Strategy on Thursday. After retiring from football in 2001, Silvagni has held a variety of positions at five other AFL clubs – most recently as the List Manager at Greater Western Sydney.
Speaking to Croc Media’s Sportsday program, Trigg said Silvagni’s Carlton heritage was an added bonus.
“Carlton supporters should be really clear, we’re rapt to get Stephen back to the Club,” Trigg said.
“But it’s not about getting Stephen back to the Club, it’s about getting the very best possible person we could for one of the most critical roles in the Club.
“This sort of role is a very specialist thing and it’s a very finite market. To be blunt, we knew who was out there and who we wanted to talk to.”
Meanwhile when asked about Carlton’s recent statutory financial loss, Trigg said the Blues will start 2015 with a “relatively clean slate”. But he concedes the Club has a big challenge ahead to build membership and match-day attendances.
“There is an enormous amount of work to do to be able to get back to where Carlton people want us to be – and that’s in a really, really strong financial position,” he said.
