Tigers board facing coupCaroline Wilson
The Age
3 August 2016A prominent group of disgruntled Richmond supporters are planning a bloodless coup, targeting at least five long-serving Tiger board members, including president Peggy O'Neal, in their bid to reshape the club's board and future football direction.
The group, which has not ruled out calling for a spill of the entire board, met last Wednesday night at the Malvern Hotel, with a core group meeting again on Monday in a city office with a view to pushing for a meeting with the club.
Members of long-standing Richmond families, including the Mandies, the Silks, the Ralphs and the Clemengers, attended the Malvern Hotel dinner along with former club orthopedic surgeon Hayden Morris, doctor David Marsh, private investor Peter Capp, IT executive Leon Davies, senior legal partner Guy O'Connor and businessman Guy Nelson.
Joe Russo, who unsuccessfully challenged for the Richmond board last year, addressed the dinner, along with his fellow candidate Jason Dowd and senior client adviser Damien Silk who attended the meeting with his brother Luke.
While not all those at the dinner will push forward with the stated attempt to force the removal of more than half the board, Fairfax Media understands they were largely united in their disaffection with the stale nature of the Richmond board, four of whom have been at the helm of the club for more than a decade. A key question mark hung over the due diligence involved in the decision to reappoint coach Damien Hardwick until the end of 2018.
One strong view was that director Malcolm Speed, who had been mooted as a likely successor to Gary March but failed to garnish the numbers, could be an alternative president.
While not all were comfortable with the prospect of ousting the AFL's only female president, they remained determined to target all those appointees who came on board before 2007: vice-president Maurice O'Shannassy (like O'Neal a 2004 appointee), John Matthies (2004) and Rob Dalton (2004). The group is also targeting former Richmond captain and club director Tony Free (2008).
Stephen Mandie, the son of the late Richmond patron and life member David Mandie, urged the group to avoid at all costs calling for an extrordinary general meeting. Mandie, whose sister Evelyn Danos is Richmond's No.1 female ticketholder, has offered to act as a middle man between the group and the board and CEO Brendon Gale.
Mandie was part of the Monday meeting along with Peter Capp and Leon Davies. The group has engaged legal firm Maddocks to investigate details of the Richmond Football Club constitution. While most remain hopeful they can peacefully bring about change they remain confident they have the numbers required to force an EGM.
Davies recently told Fairfax Media he did not want a seat on the board. Stressing the push was not a personal attack on the board, insisting there were "very good people" in power, he expressed concern about a lack of diversity. Davies noted the board included five lawyers and two accountants, while also stressing that four directors had sat for for more than a decade.
Russo, who has not yet indicated whether he will challenge for a board position, is engaging with key Richmond stakeholders and has told the group he has met club legend Kevin Bartlett over the past week.
Key members of the group would not confirm which candidates among them they planned to put forward as alternative board members. Last week's dinner saw at least three former Richmond players mentioned as potential candidates for the role of football director. Orthopedic surgeon Morris, a key potential candidate, has indicated he would only stand for the board if asked and would not challenge.
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/richmond-board-facing-bloodless-coup-by-prominent-tigers-backers-20160802-gqjixd.htmlPretty accurate summation of the meeting...
