Hudson: "We are not just diversity candidates"

Candidate puts her credentials forward as Hawthorn Board battle gets personal

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Diversity has emerged as a key issue as things heat up in the battle for the Hawthorn Board.

Earlier this week, outgoing Hawthorn President Jeff Kennett said President hopeful Andy Gowers and Board aspirant James Merlino were part of a group that wanted to “turn the clock to HFC being a men's Club only” in their failure to put a woman forward for the Board.

But Gowers has since hit back. In an interview with The Age’s Peter Ryan, he said the Board had “thrown the women to the wolves” in extending Football Director and Board member Richie Vandenberg’s tenure by one year at the expense of Katie Hudson and Anne-Marie Pellizzer, who are now having to re-contest.

Speaking to Hawks Insiders last night, Katie Hudson — a Board member since April 2019 — would not be drawn on whether diversity had been weaponised in a Presidential jostle between two men. However, she maintained the club was facing a “really tricky situation” in which all the external candidates – James Merlino, Ed Sill and Andy Gowers – were all men.