Dunstall named Renegades chairman

The off-season changes keep coming for the Melbourne Renegades, with Australian Football Rules legend Jason Dunstall appointed the new club Chairman today.

Dunstall replaces former South Australian cricketer and television pundit James Brayshaw, who will focus his efforts on his swelling media commitments with Channel Nine’s Wide World of Sports.

The Hawthorn great joins head coach David Saker and former Melbourne Stars captain Cameron White as newcomers to the club that has failed to reach the semi-finals in three of the first four seasons of the KFC T20 Big Bash League. 

Watch: James Pattinson makes rapid return for Renegades

Dunstall isn’t green when it comes to sports business. The 50-year-old served as interim chief executive of Hawthorn in 2004, and was a director on Hawthorn’s board up until 2013.

“I’ve been involved in sport all my life and I feel extremely privileged to be given this opportunity to be involved in elite sport again with the Melbourne Renegades,” Dunstall said.

“There were lots of reasons which made this role appealing. I love my sport – especially cricket over the summer - and the Big Bash League is just a sensational product. This club and competition has gone from strength to strength in recent years. It’s fast, exciting family entertainment over the summer holidays and as the numbers show, the members and fans agree.”

Renegades CEO Stuart Coventry said the new Chairman brings experience and a winning culture to the club.

“Jason’s an established personality in the sporting and media landscape in Melbourne which is obviously beneficial but he also brings fantastic experience from time as both a player and administrator. He knows what it takes for a team to succeed on the field but also what it takes behind the scenes,” Coventry said.