Tigers' Cairns bound: Gale ready for surprisesMurray Wenzel
Saturday, July 7, 2012
The Cairns Post RICHMOND boss Brendon Gale has been in the game long enough to know you can never relax.
There is always something going on at a footy club, and the CEO needs to be on top of all of it.
Like on Tuesday morning, when two of his players missed training because they took sleeping tablets and slept in.
That is a massive no-no at Tigerland and was the final straw for Daniel Connors, who was told he was no longer welcome at the club.
His mate Dustin Martin, dubbed by many as part of the Tigers’ future, got two weeks’ suspension because it was his first slip-up.
It was up to Gale, a veteran of 244 games at Richmond, to get the full story and set the punishment.
One of the biggest controversies to hit the club in years, but Gale was ready for it.
"There’s 100 different things going on at any time at a club," he said.
"You’re never surprised, things change so fast."
"So in this case we didn’t rely on innuendo. We got the facts, formed a view and were transparent."
Times have changed since Gale’s playing days.
"We were just steak and eggs, garden variety footballers. Because of the media consumption now, these guys are entertainers, celebrity-type," he said.
Whether or not that’s fair doesn’t matter to Gale. It’s just a fact.
"Most are exceptional young men but others still struggle from time to time," he summed up.
Protecting the culture of the club, the Richmond brand and the members’ confidence is Gale’s priority.
"We are disappointed and so are the lads. I mean, Daniel Connors lost his job. But in one way it’s a valuable opportunity to reinforce what we stand for," he said.
"If you’re trying to build a high performance culture, you can’t compromise, because culture eats strategy for breakfast."
And it’s a stance that has been applauded by the majority of the AFL-addicted Melbourne media, who have pigeon-holed the Tigers as top eight material.
A win against Melbourne Demons at the MCG tonight and results going their way means the Tigers, who generally field the third-youngest list in the league, could well be back in the top eight after this round. Then it’s on to Cairns, a chance to exorcise some different demons after losing to the Gold Coast Suns on their first visit north last year.
It was not a happy trip for Gale, for a number of reasons.
"I’ve got a few memories that stick out,’’ he said.
"I was confronted by a couple of Richmond fans after the game; they were hostile, demanding answers … it was our home game and fanatical as they are.
"Then I sat next to a journalist on the plane home who was telling me about what he was going to write about us. Then my daughter vomited on me. What a day.
"It was terrible to lose a game we relocated – we received a lot of criticism. But I maintain my position that it was time to build then, not in five years."
Things may not have gone to plan, but Gale still saw the positives.
"The support, the colour, the atmosphere, the media coverage. I went for a jog on game day and was amazed at how the city was supporting it. I was getting stopped everywhere by people with Tigers scarves on. That gets lost in a bigger city like Melbourne."
Gale maintains his distance from the playing group, although he admits he gets caught watching them train from his office window that overlooks the famous Punt Road turf.
"These young men are amazing. You can see the difference in their experience now and I think there is a sense of redemption there, we’d like to even the score (Gold Coast in Cairns)."
They need the win too. Gale has penned some lofty goals that need ticking off. Their ‘‘3-0-75’’ plans involve making three finals series, having no debt and 75,000 members by 2015.
"That means we need to make finals this year."
It is for that reason, and 100 others, that Gale will be full of nerves at Cazalys next Saturday night watching his club compete.
He’s just hoping that this year he won’t have any use for that sick bag.
Richmond play the Gold Coast at Cazalys on July 14. Tickets can be purchased from Cazalys Social Club, online from Ticket Direct
www.ticketdirect.com.au or by phoning 1300 798 550.
http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2012/07/07/227401_local-sport-news.html
