President's Report
2009 RFC Annual Report
Dear Richmond Football Club members,
The 2009 season will go down, from an on-field perspective, as one of the most disappointing in the Club's history.
We entered the season on a high, full of optimism after winning eight of our last 11 games in 2008 and seemingly gathering plenty of momentum.
Both internally and externally, we were expected to make the finals for the first time since 2001.
Unfortunately, our hopes and expectations came crashing down in a dismal performance against arch rival Carlton in the season-opener at the MCG.
To start the season in such a manner was simply gut-wrenching for all our supporters and we were never able to turn our on-field fortunes around from that point on.
I believe, by any measure, we were the most disappointing performer of any team in the competition for the season. As a result, many changes have been made at the Club since the end of the '09 season, the most notable of these being the appointment of Damien Hardwick as senior coach.
Damien showed excellent leadership, professionalism and innovation right through his interview presentations with us. Most importantly, from the very first interview he expressed a real passion for coaching the Richmond Football Club. He brings to us great experience with successful clubs and successful cultures. And, he has delivered to us an outstanding blueprint for achieving sustained success.
It's extremely hard to come up with any real on-field positives for the year . . . Brett Deledio, however, should be acknowledged for making it back-to-back Jack Dyer Medal wins. That was a particularly satisfying success for Brett, given he had to fight his way out of a form trough during the first half of the year.
Also, Daniel Jackson showed significant improvement to finish second in the Best and Fairest count. He was given a vital role as a run-with player throughout the season, lining up on the opposition's gun midfielders and he responded superbly to the challenge.
And, Ben Cousins deserves credit for conducting himself in such a professional manner from the moment he stepped foot inside Punt Road in December 2008. Ben showed he is more than capable of still playing very good football, and was an excellent teacher for our young players. Despite missing seven games through injury, he managed to finish a very creditable fifth in the Club's Best and Fairest.
Like all Richmond supporters, I was saddened by the retirement announcement of Matthew Richardson last month. There simply isn't enough space available here for me to pay the sort of tribute that Matthew deserves for what he achieved throughout his career at Tigerland. Suffice to say, 'Richo' will go down in the Club's history as one of our all-time greats and one of the greatest players in the entire history of the AFL/VFL competition, for that matter. For the past 17 seasons, Richo has been the Richmond Football Club. He's been a champion player, but even more than that - a champion bloke. He put his heart and soul into playing for Richmond and he was absolutely idolised by Tiger supporters
everywhere. To say we'll miss him would be a massive understatement. On behalf of the Club, I extend my heartfelt thanks to Richo for his many years of outstanding service.
Joel Bowden was another wonderful servant of the Club, who bowed out of league football in 2009 after a decorated 265-game career, which included two Jack Dyer Medals and dual All-Australian representation. Joel was a thorough professional, who left no stone unturned to get the best out of himself on the football field. He combined this with a real passion for the Yellow and Black, making him the total package as a Richmond footballer. We wish Joel the very best for the future and know that he will be successful in whatever he turns his attention to.
I would also like to acknowledge Kane Johnson, who retired during the '09 season. Kane served the Club so well after joining us from the Adelaide Crows, where he had been a key member of their 1997-98 premiership sides. He won the Jack Dyer Medal in 2006, was Club captain from 2005-08, and provided excellent leadership around the place.
And, it would be remiss of me not to make mention of Mark Coughlan, Kayne Pettifer and Nathan Brown, who departed Punt Road at the end of the season. They all made valuable contributions to the Club as players over several years, and their efforts were greatly appreciated.
To Terry Wallace, Brian Royal, David King, Jade Rawlings and Craig McRae I extend thanks for their hard work and commitment to the Club over the past few years in their coaching roles, and wish them all the best for the future.
Off-field
As detailed in the Treasurer's Report, the Club has continued its recent trend of strong operating performance, returning a record profit of $1,590,755 in 2009, making it five consecutive years of record profits.
A record membership figure (for the fifth year in-a-row) of 36,985 was a significant factor in the 2009 financial result and, for that, the Club's membership department deserves a special mention for all their efforts, along with, of course, all those Tiger supporters who made the
commitment to become members.
I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the outstanding contribution Steven Wright made to the Club in his five years as CEO. Steven stood down from the role back in August due to health reasons. In his time at Tigerland, Steven established an extremely strong platform for the Club off-field and played a pivotal role in the $20 million redevelopment of Punt Road Oval, which recently got underway.
The Club was fortunate to be able to replace Steven as CEO with someone of Brendon Gale's calibre. Brendon is back at Richmond, where he played 244 games from 1990-2001, having spent the past five years as CEO of the AFL Players Association. In that time, he had many significant achievements and earned an impressive reputation for his work as Chief Executive. When Steven resigned, the Board thought
Brendon was the ideal person to take over, due to his wealth of industry experience and his strong Richmond background. We're very confident he can build on the gains made in the role by Steven Wright, and help restore the Club to its rightful position as a powerhouse of the AFL competition.
Appreciation
In closing, I would like to extend sincere thanks to the following organisations and individuals for the wonderful support they provided the Richmond Football Club throughout 2009 . . .
Our co-major partners, Dick Smith Electronics and Luxbet. This was the second year of Dick Smith's involvement with the Club and we greatly appreciated their strong backing. We are delighted that DSE will be lining up for a third year with us in 2010, and look forward to the further strengthening of our relationship. Luxbet made a particularly impressive debut as our comajor partner in 2009 and we're thrilled that they also will be continuing with us next year.
To our other partners in Reebok, Nissan, Lite 'n' Easy, Connex, Auslab, Host Plus, Coca-Cola/Powerade, Tattersalls, JR/Group, Musashi, Club Warehouse, Clean Force and Beiersdorf, thanks for all your support.
To the members of Jack's Club, Legends Club, Richmond Executive, Locker Room, Tiger Lilies, Former Players and Officials Association, Country Supporter Groups and Club 80, we offer our gratitude for your continued valuable involvement at Tigerland.
To the Cheer Squad, the energetic devotion and passion you display for the Tigers is unparalleled and greatly appreciated.
To my fellow board members, and the Club's managers and staff, the hard work, dedication and professionalism you have displayed over the past 12 months has provided the Club with a significant boost.
To the numerous volunteers behind the scenes, who devote so much time and effort to helping the Club throughout the course of the year, we are extremely grateful for your valuable contributions.
Finally, but most importantly, to each Richmond member, thanks for your continued wonderful support of the Tigers. Your devotion and passion for the Club might be unconditional, but it's something that should never be taken for granted. I wish you, and all your families, a very happy festive season, and look forward to seeing - and hearing - you at the Tigers' games in season 2010.
signed...
Gary March
President
