Tigers face down challengersMichael Gleeson
The Age
20th September 2016Richmond's board is likely to face down the rebel ticket and its "olive branch" offer to abandon a push for a spill of the board if they can just secure a couple of seats instead.
Tigers president Peggy O'Neal and chief executive Brendon Gale finally agreed to meet with members of the Focus on Footy group on Tuesday morning and heard the offer and the group's list of concerns.
The Richmond board met for more than seven hours after the meeting with the rebel ticket but it is understood only a brief time was spent dwelling on the offer and the proposals outlined by the Focus on Footy ticket.
The existing board has the support of the AFL and chief executive Gill McLachlan and while the new ticket has moderated its position to avoid a spill the existing board is highly unlikely to agree to the terms and now appears poised to go to an election, possibly in November.
The Focus on Footy group had launched with an initial plan to replace all but two positions on the Richmond board.
The central plank of their plan for election was that Richmond needed to appoint Neil Balme as football chief executive.
Richmond last week appointed Balme to the position, mentoring football manager Dan Richardson and working within a restructured football department.
That appointment robbed the challengers of a critical point of difference to the existing board other than a restlessness for change and on-field success.
The group had said they were pleased with the club's off-field performance but wanted a change of board because of the lack of on-field success and that board members had been there too long.
After initially calling for a spill of the board and for their leader, Dr Martin Hiscock, to be appointed the new president, the group said it was prepared to modify its offer and retain O'Neal as president along with other board members if they were given several seats on the board.
"At what was a positive meeting, we reiterated our view that it was time for new and re-energised thinking at Richmond," Hiscock said.
"We believe this starts with changing the board - many of the current board members have been there for too long.
"Today we offered an olive branch, not a concession, in the best interests of long-suffering Richmond members and fans. We have to do something."
The rebels said the club had agreed to consider the proposal.
The challenging group had initially said they were happy for contracted coach Damien Hardwick to remain but have since said that if he were to underperform they would find the funds to replace him.
Hardwick is contracted until the end of 2018.
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/afl-focus-on-footy-leader-meets-richmond-tigers-board-members-20160920-grkgx2.html