Smorgon steps down from Dogs

LONG-TIME Western Bulldogs president David Smorgon is set to step down
after 17-years at the helm of the AFL club.

Smorgon will officially end his reign in charge at the club’s annual
general meeting on December 20, after agreeing to a succession plan at a
board meeting earlier this week.

The 65-year-old, who had a year to run on his presidency, opted to step
aside, with former president Peter Gordon to take the reins.

The second-longest serving president in the AFL behind the Sydney Swans
boss Richard Colless, Smorgon’s tenure yielded preliminary finals in
1997, 1998, 2008, 2009 and 2010, but no premierships. He consolidated the
Bulldogs’ financial stability and was recognised for his service to the
football world and the wider community in 2000, when he was awarded the
Medal of the Order of Australia.

But Smorgon has had his fair share of heartache in recent years, losing
wife Roslyn to cancer in 2008 and most recently seeing the club drop from
third position on the AFL ladder in 2010 to 15th in 2012.

ASHLEY SHENKER

Photo: Peter Haskin

Sport
AFL

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