Flemington boss quits as Saints hunt for new CEO

Former Fremantle boss Steve Rosich has quit his senior post at the Victoria Racing Club in a move that could open up a return to AFL club land.

Rosich’s announcement on Thursday that he was standing down as VRC CEO comes at a time when St Kilda Football Club are still looking for a replacement for Simon Lethlean.

Steve Rosich announced on Thursday he was quitting his role as Victoria Racing Club CEO.

A senior source at the Saints who did not want to discuss the club’s process to appoint a permanent CEO because it was confidential, indicated that no approach had been made to Rosich.

Rosich, 53, was in charge at the Dockers when they poached Lyon from St Kilda ahead of the 2012 season.

They worked together as CEO and coach for eight years, making the AFL grand final in 2013 – suffering a 15-point loss to Hawthorn.

Both men departed Fremantle during a shock announcement in mid-2019 – Lyon was sacked after failing to make the finals for four consecutive years, while Rosich and the club agreed to part ways.

Rosich landed the VRC role three months later in November 2019.

Ross Lyon, right, during a press conference with former Saints CEO Simon Lethlean.

Until now, Rosich has not been free to explore future employment prospects outside his Flemington role.

While he would not comment about his next step when contacted by this masthead, a source with knowledge of the situation but not permitted to speak publicly said a return to the AFL remained a possibility.

The source said it could not be ruled in nor out whether Rosich would look at a club CEO role.

St Kilda have been operating with an interim CEO, Carl Dilena, since parting ways with Lethlean in January this year.

Dilena, who was St Kilda’s chief operating officer, has remained firm favourite to take the role full-time.

Since Lyon’s arrival ahead of the 2023 season, there have been enormous changes, with St Kilda favourites Lenny Hayes, Brendon Goddard, Robert Harvey – all players from Lyon’s first coaching stint at the club – returning, along with ex-conditioning boss David Misson, who is now football general manager and Lyon’s close friend Stephen Silvagni joining as list manager.

List boss James Gallagher, football analyst (briefly football manager) David Rath, recruiter Chris Toche and ex-Hawk great Jarryd Roughead, have all exited.

St Kilda president Andrew Bassat told this masthead in January that Lyon had not been “bringing his mates in” to St Kilda.

“I see no sign that Ross is bringing his mates,” Bassat said.

“He’s brought in St Kilda people, but they were all, in his words, ‘cultural drivers’ of St Kilda when he was leading them last time.”

Rosich, who started at Flemington in November 2020, said “it feels like the right time” to leave the VRC after overseeing four Melbourne Cup carnivals and working through the COVID-19 pandemic.

A key announcement under Rosich’s watch has been the multimillion-dollar broadcast deal with the Nine Network and Tabcorp to cover the four-day Melbourne Cup carnival until 2029.

It came as the club faced significant debt following the building of a new grandstand and the crowd-crippling effects of the pandemic.

“I commenced as CEO at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and together with the wider team, we navigated the challenges of that period to come out the other side with key success milestones including record membership levels, a new media rights agreement, corporate revenue growth and record economic impact,” Rosich said.

VRC chairman Neil Wilson said Rosich would continue in his role during the board’s recruitment process for a new CEO.

“I would like to thank Steve for his significant contribution to the VRC,” Wilson said