Richmond President Peggy O'Neal has launched a strenuous and angry defence of the club's board, warning any spill brought on by a rival group would cause chaos at Punt Road.
"Instability and change equals chaos and I refuse to let that happen to my club," said O'Neal as she condemned the Focus on Football group's misguided board challenge.
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Richmond Football Club board challenged
The current Richmond Football Club board has been challenged by a collection of Tigers supporters calling itself Focus on Football.
"We believe there are more constructive ways of effecting lasting change than those outlined today by those seeking to take over this board."
O'Neal said angry members had the opportunity to stand for election any year if they wanted change but none of the Focus on Football Group had yet sought to stand for the board.
She criticised the discourteous method of challenging the board without first making approaches to talk with her or any of the board members.
Focus on Football group leader Dr Martin Hiscock said he had left a voice message for O'Neal, club chief executive Brendon Gale and AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan on Monday morning but had been unable to speak directly to any of them prior to the announcement.
O'Neal outlined the board's successes off the field with wiping out debt, enjoying a decade of annual profits, removing cricket from Punt Road oval, which had been resurfaced and re-sized, and rebuilding elite facilities at the ground, but said she too was disappointed and demanding answers for the poor on-field result this year.
She said the team had underperformed and the club was determined to make the hard decisions necessary to turn it around.
"Naturally what we all crave is on-field success and from the board down we are bitterly disappointed with what unfolded in 2016. Our performance did not match expectations. Our members and fans are angry with what we delivered on field, they have every right to be and we hear them," she said.
"Changes will be made as a result. This will require some hard decisions and neither myself nor the board nor CEO Brendon Gale will shy away from making those tough calls. Change is required and change will be made."
Gale admitted he had recently been approached about the vacant chief executive's position at the Melbourne Cricket Club but had ruled himself out of the job.
"That is not the job for me. My job is the Richmond football club, this is my passion and I am absolutely hell bent on delivering on our vision of a strong and bold premiership club," he said.
Gale said the club would act on the findings of an Ernst and Young review of the football department and "not rely on gut reaction or instinct".
He said he understood the anger by fans at this year's disappointing performance but felt the rival board ticket had been motivated by emotion.
The Focus on Football ticket has said they wanted Gale to remain as CEO but O'Neal pointed out Gale was also on the board and so with a call to spill the board she assumed that also meant Gale.
Read the full report of the Focus on Football press conference here
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