Hardwick throws support behind Peggy O'Neal in passionate speech at B&F (Age)

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Richmond board battle: Damien Hardwick throws support behind Peggy O'Neal

Daniel Cherny
The Age
8 September 2016


Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has thrown his support behind embattled president Peggy O'Neal and chief executive Brendon Gale.

Speaking at Thursday night's Jack Dyer medal count - three days after the launch of the "Focus on Football" ticket which aims to dislodge O'Neal and her board from power - Hardwick launched a passionate defence of his superiors.

"Good clubs don't fracture when things go bad. They hang tough," Hardwick said at Crown Ca-sino.

"We need to trust our leaders in Brendon and Peggy and back them up at every opportunity.

"Peggy and Brendon are two of the best administrators I've seen."

Still, Hardwick made it known the Tigers were frustrated after their dive down the ladder in 2016.

"The entire club it would be fair to say is angry," he said.

"We failed you as a fraternity of fans, and as a family.

"We let you down in 2016."

O'Neal echoed those sentiments, but also called for stability.

"Season 2016 was one of bitter disappointment for all of us," O'Neal said.

"Performances didn't match expectation and efforts.

"So what's the answer? Should we fracture as a club? Should we start making reactionary decisions based purely on emotion? Surely not.

"We surely have matured as a club, and we can't let anger and finger-pointing define our future. We must be in this together. It's the only way.

"The answer isn't to say it's too hard, and not to tear down what we've built so that this club is faced with starting again."

She also said the findings from the club's football department review, being operated by Gale would be out "very shortly."

Only one of the rebels - Philip Allison - was present at the function.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/richmond-board-battle-damien-hardwick-throws-support-behind-peggy-oneal-20160908-grc8w2.html

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Damien Hardwick delivers passionate speech at Richmond best-and-fairest

Lauren Wood
Herald Sun
8 September 2016  9:00pm

UNITY prevailed at Richmond on Thursday night after a week of off-field drama that threatened to destabilise Punt Rd.

A clearly emotional Damien Hardwick backed club president Peggy O’Neal and chief executive Brendon Gale after a rival ticket this week launched its campaign to spill the club’s board.

Hardwick is determined not to let the Tigers “fracture” when under pressure following a tough season.

That doesn’t happen to “good clubs”, he said, and he is hellbent on returning Richmond to being “great”.

“Good clubs don’t fracture when things go bad. They hang tough,” Hardwick said at the Tigers best-and-fairest.

“They identify the change and what needs to be made and they make those changes and they move forward. That’s exactly what we’re doing.

“We won’t be rushed, we won’t be pushed. We’ve done everything in our power at the moment to make sure things are done right. You need to trust our leaders in Brendon and Peggy and make sure we back them up at every opportunity.”
Damien Hardwick spoke with passion at the Richmond best-and-fairest. Pictue: Wayne Ludbey

Hardwick described O’Neal and Gale as “two of the best administrators I’ve seen in my time” and said Richmond is “an outstandingly-run football club”, despite claims by the rival group that the on-field performance is not up to standard.

O’Neal didn’t address the challenge directly, with only one member of the “Focus on Football” ticket believed to be in the room, but delivered another passionate indication that she is not going anywhere.

It still hurts me at this moment. The coaching staff and players take full responsibility.

“Performances didn’t match expectation and that hurts. So what’s the answer? Should we fracture as a club? Should we start making reactionary decisions based purely on emotion? Clearly not,” O’Neal said.

“We surely have matured as a club and we can’t let anger and finger-pointing define our future. We must be in this together — it’s the only way.

“We have been taking sure and steady steps and everyone acknowledges that we have made enormous progress in so many areas.

“But the answer isn’t to say ‘It’s too hard’. The answer is not to forget how far we’ve come and tear down what we’ve built, so that the club is faced with starting again.

“We ask our players to be strong when challenges arise. We ask our fans to do the same and you respond. Your loyalty and passion are second to none.

“Nothing less should be expected from boards and management, and because this is a fiercely competitive market, challenges arise every day and it’s our responsibility to meet them.”

Hardwick was the first to admit that he is still hurting when reflecting on the disappointing season.

“There’s absolutely no hiding from the fact that season 2016 was an incredible disappointment on so many levels,” he said.

“It still hurts me at this moment. The coaching staff and players take full responsibility. We expected much better and we failed you as a fraternity of fans and family.

“We feel that pain every day, and we look forward to having the opportunity to respond. “Unfortunately, that opportunity to respond is some six months away, so that disappointment turns into anger. And that anger has got to turn into something all the more important to go with. Because we are a good football club that needs to become great.”

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/richmond/damien-hardwick-delivers-passionate-speech-at-richmond-bestandfairest/news-story/889e45ef61413099a67faf9979c4e3fd