AFL Grand Final: Peggy O’Neal’s bursting with Tigers prideThe Australian
25 September 2017For a brief moment on Saturday night, Peggy O’Neal contemplated a thought that will undoubtedly cross the mind of many Tigers fans should they claim their first premiership since 1980 next weekend.
Facing a frantic week, the Richmond president joked after the Tigers’ stunning preliminary final win that she “might be calling in sick” to her regular job this week.
But O’Neal, a consultant to Lander & Rogers which has specialised in superannuation and financial services law for more than two decades, realised almost instantaneously a flaw in the plan.
The ruse might not pass muster at the firm, for almost everything the AFL’s first female club president does this week will be related to the game she fell in love with when moving to Australia 28 years ago and dutifully documented, particularly in Melbourne. The obligations are many and began with the Tigers’ VFL grand final against Port Melbourne at Etihad Stadium yesterday.
The University of Virginia law graduate will attend the Carbine Club’s annual grand final lunch tomorrow.
On Thursday, the former partner at Herbert Smith Freehills has also accepted an invitation to Carlton’s Business Lunch. Most importantly, of course, is Richmond’s biggest date in football in 35 years, the grand final against Adelaide at the MCG on Saturday.
And those were the obligations booked before the Tigers’ progression courtesy of a 36-point win over Greater Western Sydney on Saturday. Tonight O’Neal will be at the Brownlow Medal, where star Tiger Dustin Martin is a dominant favourite.
As the rooms cleared at about 9pm on Saturday night, O’Neal cut short an interview to embrace the dynamic midfielder as he was leaving. The pair, united for a cause celebrated by 75,000 members and many more fans, cut quite the picture. O’Neal, who is 65, sported a hand-knitted Richmond scarf resplendent with an intricately detailed Tiger that was given to her by Tigers supporters after she spoke at a women’s refuge fundraiser in Bendigo two years ago.
Martin, the bullish son of a bikie, has become a cult hero at Punt Rd and stands ready for a career highlight tonight.
In the aftermath of the preliminary final success, O’Neal’s “heart was bursting with pride and joy” for Richmond’s footballers and fans.
And emotions were running high in the Richmond rooms on Saturday night.
Players shed triumphant tears, shocked at their achievement. Their parents and family members hugged love ones and fellow fans and even the odd journalist.
O’Neal heaped praise on those parties and all who had stuck with Richmond through years of despair, where jokes were made about their propensity for finishing ninth, or for devouring their own when it came to sacking coaches.
She is thrilled for “the people who have stood by us for so long”.
“The club exists because the supporters are there and without them, there would be no reason to play football,” she said.
“It just shows when people talk about those fickle Richmond supporters, I respond ‘Well, I don’t know any of them. They keep signing up. They keep paying their money. They keep showing up at games’.
“We were No 1 in home and away attendances again. We were No 1 in home games. We only had one away game at the MCG and we still led home-and-away attendances.
“It just shows that they love their club and felt that this team promised a lot and we are seeing that they are slowly, slowly delivering on it. I think they would be very proud.”
Had O’Neal been told before Richmond’s season-opening match against Carlton in March the Tigers would be playing for their 11th premiership on the last day in September, her response would have been a succinct: “You are dreaming”.
As the Western Bulldogs began a fairytale September last year, a group of Richmond dissidents called “Focus on Football” were calling for an overhaul at Punt Rd.
Among their grievances was the game plan of coach Damien Hardwick after the Tigers won just eight games and slumped to 13th.
Former premiership player and protagonist Bruce Monteath lamented the Tigers were “35 years into a five-year plan”.
At the time, O’Neal dismissed the challenge, declaring “instability and change equals chaos and I refuse to let that happen to my club”.
Richmond were in the midst of a detailed review at the time and while the dissidents claimed partial vindication when the club recruited Neil Balme to run their football department, the challenge withered before the Bulldogs broke their drought.
The Richmond president was dismissive when asked if the challenge had any impact on where the Tigers are now.
Tigers chief executive Brendon Gale said the club treated it as “white noise” at the time and O’Neal said “I don’t reflect on that at all”.
“That was bigger to the outside than it was for us. That wasn’t a defining moment for us in anyway. We had put in a lot of work before that and we don’t talk about it really,” she said. “We were busy doing things, completing our analysis, trying to figure out what to change, and that was happening many, many months before (that challenge). We review all the time so that, if anything, took a bit of energy away from getting things done that we wanted to.”
The review did have an impact though, from a coaching perspective.
Hardwick was encouraged to simplify his message and enjoyed a decent family holiday before returning to Punt Rd.
The highly regarded Blake Caracella, former Brisbane coach Justin Leppitsch and former Saint Xavier Clarke were added or rejoined the coaching staff.
O’Neal was effusive when describing Hardwick and his relationship with Richmond’s players. “I think his idea of coaching — the players have always adored him — all the top players that you see all want to play for him,” she said.
“But I think he has understood about the change of game plan, brought in some new assistants, some new ideas because he has been here for seven years now.
“He is a man of great character and great values and someone who puts the club above personal ambition and I guess that is one of the things where you look, and all the players and people who work at the club, really have no personal agenda for this.
“They really want to see the club succeed and that is what happens with good people and at good clubs.”
O’Neal was keen to point out the Tigers “are not there yet, but we are a lot further along the track then we have been in a long time.
“We thought we would play finals but you never know how far you are going to go.”
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/afl/afl-grand-final-peggy-oneals-bursting-with-tigers-pride/news-story/5ce25833148bb2ee5ae1db5d64fbca3d
