This so farMonday July 16, 2012
5:20
Hi guys, and welcome to the chat with CEO Brendon Gale. Sorry for the delay.5:20
Comment From tigertough1980
The fans are shattered by what we saw on the weekend. Where is the club at right now?
5:20
Comment From Loyal Tiger
What is the mood like with the guys round the club after the weekend?
5:21
It was incredibly disappointing to get beaten last week and we totally understand how our supporters feel. However it doesn’t change the confidence we have in the path we are taking.
We are more competitive than we have been in a long time. We have won seven games and lost another seven by less than 21 points. We have beaten Hawthorn and Sydney so we have seen genuine improvement. There is a lot of football left in this season and we look forward to the challenge as I know our players do.5:21
Comment From RT_73
Is the club happy with the decision to play in Cairns and give the advantage to the Suns?
5:25
In 2010 the Club opted to play home one home game in Cairns for the next three seasons.
The decision was taken for a number of reasons, one being our weakened financial position and the critical need for the Club to build its financial resources, and in so doing allow us to invest in our football department.
An improved financial position allows us to provide our players with the coaching and resources they require to build on the clear improvement we have seen in the past two years. It will also assist us to be active during free agency, to build the depth of our playing list, and retain our high-quality players.
It is in the best interests of the Richmond Football Club to build our financial strength now, and the decision was based on our needs.5:26
Comment From Yok
Dissapointing weekend Benny. In all seriousness, how is the debt situation? We far away from a standalone VFL team?
5:28
The Cairns deal, coupled with the Fighting Tiger Fund and our improved operating performance will allow us to make significant inroads into our debt this year, make further critical investments in our football department and bring us closer to our stated aim of a standalone reserves team.
5:28
Comment From Leo Valk
I believe with Dustin Martin in the team, we would have beaten Gold Coast. Instead of suspending/sacking Martin/Connors, a huge fine would have sent them the right message. Do you realize the club punished themselves and the other players, but more importantly, the most loyal supporters of the comp, by suspending Dust and sacking Daniel Connors? Daniel actually gave us the win against GWS! What a way to thank him!
5:31
Another key driver of success is the culture the playing group set and the expectations they have of each other as a result. Dustin Martin did not meet those expectations and as a result has missed the last two games. As with the decision to play games in Cairns, it was a decision that was made with the future in mind and we have no doubt it will benefit Dustin and ultimately this Club.
The expectations of Daniel were made very clear. He has by his own admission had some well-documented issues to deal with off-field and we hope this provides him with the chance to deal with those and get on with his life.5:31
Comment From Wookie
Is there any chance we could scrap the cairns deal for 2013?
5:34
The Club has made a commitment to Cairns for three years and at this stage we expect to play there next year. We have no plans to play home games interstate beyond 2013.
With the continued development of our playing list, we would expect improved performance to drive key business outcomes and moving forward home games will mean home games.5:35
Comment From Dimmy
Hi Brendan, how has the club handled the feral so-called supporters today? I hope the poor girl on reception gets a nice cake for her efforts today.
5:38
The disappointment of our fans is totally understandable. I traveled back with the entire team and coaching staff, and as you would imagine they were a very disappointed group. We all were.
The whole Club is bitterly disappointed with the loss last weekend and we won’t be making any excuses. The team had worked its way into a winning position and, as our coach Damien Hardwick said post-match, the players simply didn’t execute as they should have in the final minutes of the game. 5:38
Comment From Sammy_23
It seemed like we were exposed for depth on the weekend. Has our recruiting let us down in the last few years?
5:40
We have a very young playing list and have turned over more than 30 players in the past three seasons and replaced that with talent secured in compromised drafts. Despite that, we believe we have some very good young talent that we will continue to develop in the coming seasons.
Clearly our depth is being tested at the moment and we need to find opportunities through free agency and the draft to improve our list. Our improved financial position will allow us to be active in free agency and we have also beefed up our recruiting department.5:43
Comment From shane quinert
There is no doubt Damien Hardwick would be furious he had to play in cairns his job is to win games of football and we are told one week at a time so i believe the administration of the richmond football club has let him down by not providing him with the best oppurtunity to win that game of football. We scrapped Darwin lets get out of cairns and get serious.
5:45
The Coach and the Football Department were well and truly involved in this decision understanding the need to invest in their part of the business. There is a very clear correlation between investment in football and the likelihood of success.
These games in addition to other issues gives us the best opportunity to provide them with those resources.5:46
Comment From Tas
The players were those at fault, in my opinion, for being unable to execute the game plan and ice the game as a team aiming for finals should be able to do. What have they done since the game to address this with one another as a playing group?
Good question imo5:50
Any result is a shared responsibility, everyone has to get better across the whole club. For us to be a great club, everyone has to improve. The players are disappointed and not making any excuses.5:50
Comment From CotchinBrownlow
Hi Brendan, what's the plan with freeagency approaching. Have we identified deficiencies and looked at available player
5:53
Over the last couple of years we've invested a lot of time, effort and money in to boosting up this part of the business. The recruitment of Grigg, Maric, Houli and Morris bear testament to this - all smart informed decisions.
We have an acute understanding of the profile of our list, and look forward to bringing more players into the club who can add value to our list.5:57
Comment From Liam
I am fully behind the decision to sell home games as its in our best interest to invest in football and maximise the opportunity for our players to develop at a club where facilities and support are set a standard thats one of the highest in the competion.
5:58
Clearly I agree with your comments Liam. The decision to take up the Cairns opportunity was made in mid-2010 – a season where we were winless until round 10. The latest TV rights deal had not been completed and the development of the Fighting Tiger Fund was just commencing. Given the circumstances, the decision to play in Cairns was the right one. 5:59
Comment From nick
What sort of response do you expect from the team against North Melbourne next Sunday and how large a crowd are you expecting, taking into account the disappoint of Saturday's loss?
6:00
This Sunday is our FTF round where we thank our members and everyone who has contributed to the Fighting Tiger Fund. We would love to get a big crowd there, given our finals chances are still well and truly alive we would love to have a big Tiger contingent in attendance. I look forward to a spirited response from the players.Just on that, I am going as per usual, Im taking my family and I urge everyone to get behind the club. I know that is hard to ask some of you who have given so much already, but we need to stick by them till seasons end. you will see changes I am sure of it EEA
6:03
Comment From Liam.T
Was Ivan Maric really injured or was he just rested?
6:03
Ivan certainly wasn't rested on the weekend. As Damien said after the game, he has had some groin soreness.6:06
Thank you for your questions, hopefully we've been able to answer them appropriately. We hope to see you at the game on Sunday.
And thats a wrap,
