Murky story emerges after key woman's Pies exit

Leading AFL journalist Caroline Wilson believes there is more to the story after Collingwood lost a female employee from a senior position at the club.

It was revealed on Monday Clare Pettyfor will leave her role as general manager of football operations at the Magpies this month.

Pettyfor will return to the Demons where she previously worked as general manager of media and communications.

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Pettyfor was hired by the Magpies at the end of 2022 to join football manager Graham Wright's team.

After winning last year's AFL premiership, Wright announced he would take extended leave from March to September this year.

"Collingwood are framing this as Clare has been poached by Melbourne, to go back in a senior media relations role, a senior executive role. I'm not sure that that is exactly what's happened here," Wilson said on Nine's Footy Classified.

"Clare Pettyfor went to work with Graham Wright, they proudly announced her joining the club. Less than 18 months later Clare's ambition to work in a footy department has ended.

"I don't think it has ended as well as it could have, and in fact I don't think Clare's relationship with everyone in the footy department was as good and productive as it could have been.

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"And I think there is a level of disappointment in the way that, maybe, Clare was not encouraged as well as she could have been."

With Wright taking extended leave, Collingwood announced in December it would need to decide on who would fill his duties for six months.

While Pettyfor was high up in his team already, Wilson says the Magpies opted for Brendon Bolton and Justin Leppitsch to share Wright's role.https://twitter.com/CollingwoodFC/status/1585453280246702080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

She believes that decision may have flared tensions within the club.

"I don't know if everything is united as it could be within the football department," Wilson said.

"Certainly the departure of Clare has seen a level of disappointment in some women staff at the club.

"I'm not going to say there's a woman problem at Collingwood, I can't say that by any means.

"But last year (club CEO) Craig Kelly we know had trouble with his AFLW players, and there was a bit of a tense moment where he had a crack at them.

"I don't think everything has been hunky dory."

Collingwood was contacted by Wide World of Sports for comment but had not responded by time of publishing.