No crisis talks at TigerlandHerald-Sun
May 6, 2016RICHMOND president Peggy O’Neal has flatly denied that the Tigers are undertaking a comprehensive review of their football department.
An unflustered O’Neal, who has remained quiet throughout the team’s struggles, spoke with media ahead of today’s AFL Women’s Industry lunch in Docklands.
She said improvement is the only focus at the club — starting against Hawthorn at the MCG tonight — and that no such review is being undertaken.
“No, there is no review in the sense of like the time Geelong announced they were reviewing everything a few years ago,” O’Neal said.
“The coach, the head of football and Brendon (Gale, club chief executive) have all made clear that the way football is these days, you review everything every week. And so that is continuing in the normal course.
“We need to show improvement. There are a number of things that factor into whether you show improvement, one of those is injuries, another is the draw. We’re just looking forward to a good next three-quarters of the year.”
Richmond president Peggy O’Neal (right) with senior staffer Amanda Green. Picture: Ellen Smith
O’Neal conceded the team “is playing pretty poorly” having recorded a 1-5 start to the season, but is committed to turning things around.
She also said the club remains firmly committed to coach Damien Hardwick.
“Absolutely — nothing’s changed there,” O’Neal said.
“This is the time of year that we all need to stay together. There’s one reason you win, there’s one reason you lose, but we’re all in it together and that’s exactly the way we feel.
“You’ve heard the coach and you’ve heard the CEO this week — we’re playing pretty poorly, but we’re committed to turning that around. We’re looking forward to a good game tonight.”
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/richmond/richmond-president-peggy-oneal-says-tigers-are-all-in-it-together/news-story/e42cca6e5d10d5e2bfd869546ffe4592
