Tiger poised to pounce Jon Pierik
The Age
February 28, 2013 BRUCE Monteath, Richmond's last premiership captain, has revealed he will consider a push for a seat on the club board, and possibly the presidency, if the Tigers stumble this season.
President Gary March will step down in October after eight seasons, with vice-president Maurice O'Shannassy, treasurer Rob Dalton and board member Malcolm Speed the leading candidates to succeed him.
It's understood Speed is keen to take the role and has the support of several directors on the nine-member board. ''I would almost guarantee the next president will come from the current board,'' March said on Wednesday.
But Monteath, a property developer and captain of the 1980 premiership side, told Fairfax Media the Tigers' on-field fortunes would dictate his next move. ''We just have to sit back and watch and see how it goes and assess towards the end of the year,'' he said.
''It really depends on how they go. If they go well, I may not need to get involved at all, or maybe am just happy to get involved on the board. If they don't [go well], I think we all need to have a good look. Hopefully, this year is going to be a good one for us.
''I am a supporter of what they are doing. With Gary stepping down, it's probably time for a change … if things don't go the way they planned.''
Richmond finished 12th last season and is under pressure to make the finals this season for what would be only the fourth time since Monteath held the premiership cup aloft.
March said Monteath was welcome to seek election but did not agree with his stance. ''I don't like when people say we will sit back and see how the team goes - that's not why you go on the board. You go on the board to try and help the club be the best it can be in the competition, both financially and from an on-field sense.
''Rain, hail or shine, you have got to take the good times with the bad. Having been through plenty of bad times, it's nice to be coming out the other end of it.''
March, who has held the top role since 2005, said discussion on his replacement would intensify after August.
He inherited a club in financial and on-field trouble and has overseen a major restructure in all areas which has led to record membership, major investment in the football department and what is expected to be the eradication of all debt later this year.
Monteath said he had been approached by a number of people in the past few years about making a tilt at the board and presidency.
''I don't think [the club] need any destabilisation. I think Gary has done a good job to get the debt down and work through pretty tough times. It's really just how it goes this year,'' Monteath said.
Monteath met March and Tigers chief executive Brendon Gale last year to express his interest in joining the board. ''I think it's time we stood up. We have been a sleeping giant for a long time,'' he said.
Asked if there were areas where he felt the Tigers needed to focus, Monteath said: ''I would prefer not to say at this stage. Hopefully, it all goes well and we will review it towards the end of the year.''
Monteath could be backed on a ticket by wealthy IT entrepreneur Phillip Allison, although Allison said he hadn't given any thought to a possible seat on the board, and denied mooted plans to offer $2 million in exchange for club directorships.
Allison has previously sponsored the Tigers, but did not last season and is unsure if he will this year. ''Don't read too much into that, it's a business decision,'' he said.
Speed, the former chief executive of the National Basketball League, Cricket Australia and the International Cricket Council, has an impressive resume, having joined the Tigers board in October 2011.
He is the managing director of the Coalition of Major Professional and Participation Sports, helping the likes of the AFL, Cricket Australia, the NRL and Australian Rugby deal with major issues.
Speed's background in dealing with integrity measures, a growing area facing the AFL, has impressed some Richmond officials.
O'Shannassy, with a business background in finance, including with the worldwide BlackRock Investment Management, and Dalton, a senior audit partner at Ernst & Young, are also impressive candidates.
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http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/tiger-poised-to-pounce-20130227-2f6e1.html#ixzz2M7LlJjAw
