Stephen Silvagni has left his post as list manager at the Carlton Blues due to a conflict of family interest.
With his contract expiring at the end of the year, the club great departs the Blue Baggers following a five-year tenure.
There was widespread speculation Silvagni would leave the Blues this off-season, but all talk over his contract was delayed until after last week’s draft, the club confirmed.
“The difficult decision to not enter into a new contract with Silvagni ... centred around the increasing complexity of having two sons on the playing list,” the club said in a statement.
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“The situation is not only a conflict for the club’s GM List Management and Strategy, but equally for those who work in and around him in the football department.
“Having the most senior list management staff member unable to participate in an increasing number of discussions and decisions relating to both list management and match committee is a situation that is not in the best interests of Carlton.
“While the decision to not renew his contract was an extremely difficult one to make, ultimately tough decisions need to be made that are in the best interests of the entire football club.”
Blues CEO Cain Liddle praised Silvagni for the way he’d helped transform the club’s roster since taking over as list manager in 2015.
“Stephen has left no stone unturned in striving to help bring this football club back to where we need to be and that is something every Carlton person is grateful for,” Liddle said.
The Silvagni surname holds a unique legacy in Carlton culture. Stephen played in 312 games for the Blues, whilst his father Sergio played 239 games.
Silvagni’s sons Jack and Ben joined the club as father-son picks in 2015 and 2018 respectively, with Jack playing 60 games so far.
The club cited the complexities of having his two sons on the playing lists as a conflict of the club’s list management and strategy.
