Peter Bell was cut by Freo, won a premiership with North, then returned to Freo, only after North botched the chance to keep him. The FFC isn’t everything to him the way it might be to blokes like McManus who only knew one club, or blokes who started elsewhere, but who thrived at Freo having been given an opportunity by the club. The relationship between Bell and Freo was more transactional, and it’s only natural that he has a more complicated relationship with the club than those blokes - but it can be a little jarring.
I can see some merit in having some ex-players on the board, but how many do we need? It’s not like the board picks the team. What we need is people bringing different strengths and voices to the board to help guide the club. Can anyone tell me what Bell would bring to the board that Ben Allen, Stephen O’Reilly and Peter Mann aren’t already providing? In my opinion, it’s rapidly turning into a gig for the boys, and I don’t think that is a recipe for good stewardship.