2016
RICHMOND
B O AR D
E LEC T I O N
Simon Wallace
www.gotiges.com.au
[email protected]
POINTS
THE
DIFFERENCE
SUMMARY
My name is Simon Wallace and I offer myself as a
candidate for election to the board of directors (Board) of
Richmond Football Club Limited (Richmond/the Club).
I have much in common with current
directors, and warmly applaud their
achievements. The Club will be forever in
their debt.
I also offer Richmond members an
opportunity to be represented by someone
with a profile, background and attitude
clearly distinguishable from the current
directors.
Richmond members need to have an
honest conversation with each other and
the Club about where we are, how we
got here, where we’re heading and what
needs to change. That discussion can
and should be conducted in a rational and
calm manner.
That’s a discussion I hope to lead.
I strongly object to anyone demanding the
current Board be revised, under threat of a
destructive coup. If someone wants to be
on our Board, then they should put in the
work – as I have - and share their suggestions. You, the Richmond members will
decide who represents you.
In any event, please vote, whether you
support me or not.
The voice of a Richmond supporter is like
no other. Your vote is your voice.
Let’s hear it.
Photo: Wayne Ludbey/ News Ltd
4 P O I N TS T H E D I FFE R E N C E
There are four main differences between my offering to
Members and the record, priorities and composition of the
Board.
1. Your Voice
2. Back in Black (and Yellow)
3. Commitment to the Richmond Community
4. Accountability
Too many of our directors have been on
the Board for a long time (10+ years), are
at or near the end of their professional
careers and are of an age and at a stage
of life that means they cannot truly relate
to Richmond fans, or football consumers,
under 50.
Our Jumper is who we are.
If I’m elected, I’m all-in on Richmond, my
role, our supporters and our community.
Richmond supporters have thick skin, and
elastic hearts.
Wherever possible, and subject to
marquee timeslots we all wish to retain, I
want Richmond games played at 2.10pm,
on the MCG, on a Saturday. This should be
the default Tiger Time.
However, 2016 was not, as the Club has
repeatedly said, “disappointing”.
I crave success in a way others who can
easily recall seeing 3-5 Richmond flags
cannot.
I’m a father of three young children, I work
daily, I’m proficient with technology, I attend
every game I can (usually 15-20 a year)
and I have adored Richmond since early
childhood.
Unlike most of our Board members, I can’t
recount stories of our glory days, because
I wasn’t there. I’m more like the average
Richmond fan than anyone on our Board.
They’ve seen successes; I haven’t. I want
it more than they do.
The Board should be reflective of its
Membership. It’s not.
Yellow and Black are not just our colours;
they are the best line in the best song of
the best Club playing the best code.
If we don’t regard the colours on Our
Jumper as crucial, then I fear for what other
matters we are willing to overlook.”
It should be Yellow and Black, not the
charcoal and mustard that it now is.
Our Board should not have allowed this to
happen.
I will ensure our colours return to what they
should be.
If our current apparel partner is unable
or unwilling to do this, then we will find
another that can.
I’ll advocate for the introduction of “confree” poker machines at any venue we
operate or control, drastically reducing
our Club’s association with the shameful
effects of pokies losses.
I’ll also never have a sip of alcohol at any
Richmond function, while I’m a director.
Football is our core business, and 2016
wasn’t disappointing; it was totally
unacceptable.
Judging by the Club’s remarks, it was also
totally unexpected, which is a big concern.
Off-field, despite many wonderful
achievements, there are emerging signs of
commercial malaise.
We have come a long, long way since the
darkest of Richmond days, but so have
our Members’ expectations and the Club’s
resources.
Richmond fans expect better. I do. I will.
I also believe that directors should serve
on the Board for a maximum of nine years,
extendable for a further period of three
years only in the event our Club plays in a
Grand Final during a director’s last term.
Always and ever; in sickness and in health:
Go Tiges.
B AC K G R O U N D
K E Y D E TAI LS
One of ten Victorian AFL
teams, Richmond presently
enjoys a solid financial
position and healthy annual
revenues.
Sceptics, however, are critical thinkers.
They look beneath the surface of a claim
or assertion and dig deeper to satisfy
themselves as to what is really going
on. They search for alternatives, they
brainstorm, and only then do they make
informed decisions.
The Club’s robust position has been
achieved due to the coordinated efforts
of the Richmond executive, current
and recent board members, significant
increases in commercial revenue,
broadcast rights dividends and – primarily
– the enormous annual investments made
by Members.
Asking “Why?”, as sceptics do, isn’t a
negative question, but rather a necessary
query, essential if we are to gain clarity and
then achieve better, and ultimately the best,
results.
Having made, but not won, finals in
2013-2015 (for the first time in 40 years,
when Hafey was in charge), the on-field
performance of the Club in 2016 was
lamentable.
Richmond now faces deserved scrutiny of
its strategy, record and outlook.
Philosophy: A Sceptical Optimist
An optimist is not the opposite of a sceptic;
it is the opposite of a cynic.
Cynics are naturally distrusting of others
and have a lack of hope, faith or belief that
things can improve. They are uninterested
in investigating how things can improve,
much less are they aware of the work
required to do so.
I’m not a Richmond cynic. I suppose I can
understand why some of you might be, but
I’m not.
I’m a Richmond sceptic.
Sceptical optimists believe people can
change and that, as a result, things can get
better, without limitation.
I’ve seen it written that blind optimists
rely on good winds to push their sails
(and often find them, by good fortune
or otherwise). Sceptical optimists look
forward to the wind arriving, but also ask,
“Do we need sails?”.
That’s me. Boards must be supportive, but
retain and practise a healthy scepticism.
Beware of cynics. They are destructive
and unhelpful.
As an aside, naming your campaign
“Richmond Rollercoaster: Ride to
Nowhere” seems a flashing warning sign,
to me.
1. Who?
4. Why?
My name is Simon Wallace.
The closest analogy I can come up with
when describing my affection for Richmond
is the feelings I have for my children:
I’ve been a supporter of the Richmond
Football Club for almost 37 years (I’m 42),
my three young children are already devout
fans (and, of course, Members) and even
my wife has converted to the Club with the
best sash.
• I love them without end.
• I’m there for them in good times and
bad, in sickness and in health.
I live in Melbourne, walking distance from
Punt Road, and have had some of my
happiest days at the MCG.
•I’d do anything to support them.
While the passion and emotion of
Richmond fans is limitless, and I’m
regularly amazed and impressed at
the commitment shown by our fans, I
regard myself as amongst the keenest of
supporters.
Affirmations and hopes, though, only go
so far.
And no, I’m not related to Plough…
When my kids’ behaviour, performance or
application isn’t good enough, then after
exhausting all other avenues, I call them to
order.
2. What?
This year, three directors will offer
themselves for re-election by Members.
In the event those directors are
unopposed, they are re-appointed to the
Board for a further three years”
3. When
The election will take place later this year,
most likely in November.
Full details will be issued by the Club in
due course.
•I want them to be the best they can be.
Hope alone, doesn’t work. I’ve tried.
Nor do birthday wishes, I’ve realised.
And, sometimes, there just has to be
consequences.
I would never sit back and watch if my
children needed help, so I’ve decided to
step up.
ABOUT ME
1. Career & Education
I am:
•amongst the keenest of Richmond
supporters, with my year divided into two
parts: football season and waiting for
football season;
•a 42-year-old husband, a father of three
and a Melbourne-native;
•a graduate of the Australian National
University, holding degrees in Commerce
and Law;
•admitted to appear in the Supreme Court
of Victoria, the Federal Court of Australia
and the High Court of Australia;
•a practising corporate lawyer (before
groaning, I address why this isn’t such
a bad thing below). I made Partner in a
national commercial law firm at 29, was
an ASX director at 39 and my specialty
is transactional banking and large-scale
construction finance;
•a director of an innovative ASX-listed
entity, which designs, engineers
and manufactures remote satellite
communication equipment for global
clients and end-users;
•a member of our school’s Educational
Advisory Board;
•routinely trusted by sophisticated clients
to allocate, advise upon and manage
legal and commercial risks;
•an enthusiastic writer, with my weekly
missive on global markets and the
economy enjoying a strong and engaged
readership;
•a big cricket fan, also, and (as a hobby)
I can be heard from time to time calling
and discussing the summer game on
www.whitelinewireless.com; and
•a solid, if not outstanding, exponent of
a drop punt. With a Richmond-adoring
son, I doubt I’ve kicked the footy more
since I was fortunate enough to play in
a couple of flags in a Canberra college
league in the early 90’s.
2.2 I’m not Veruca Salt
Banging the table, demanding a
premiership without an understanding of
the work required to achieve it, will not work.
Where Members have an opinion, I’m keen
to listen. And provided I’m not breaking
confidences, respond.
2.6 I’m not a Chicken Little
2. What I’m Not
I am also uninterested in engaging in 20/20
Hindsight exercises.
There might be some dark clouds above
Punt Road, but the sky is not falling.
2.1 I’m not a Revolutionary
2.3 I’m not an Alchemist
I seek to improve the Board, not overthrow
it.
Let’s be clear, there are no simple
solutions, but that shouldn’t preclude
some direct questions being asked and a
willingness to be part of the solution.
I’m not afraid to call out failure, but I’m
also not looking to find fault where there is
none, or sack someone on the basis of a
Twitter poll.
If you’re looking for someone trying to
launch a coup, look elsewhere.
Demanding the resignation of people
who have placed the Club in its strongest
ever off-field position is thoughtless and
ridiculous.
Board meetings aren’t a bunch of suits
sitting around talking about where we
should play Vlastuin (OK, I reckon he
should be in the guts), nor is the Board a
place for people to pursue their own egodriven agendas.
It’s a team game, and if we are not all
pulling together, we can’t win.
Being on a board is (or should be) hard
work, requiring complex thought and
considerate discussion. That’s what I do,
and that’s what I’m volunteering to do at
Richmond.
If anyone else wants to put up their hands,
then they better have done at least as
much work on their proposals as I have (ie.
a lot). This is too important for all of us to
elect someone who is promising everything
and offering nothing.
2.4 I’m not Unique
My Richmond friends aren’t pleased with
our recent performance and no doubt you,
and for that matter the current Board, aren’t
either.
I have canvassed a wide range of
Richmond supporters prior to taking
this step.
I’m up for this, but if I’m unsuccessful at
the election, I’ll still be at G, each week
we play there, and there won’t be a louder
voice from the stands than mine.
2.5 I’m Not Shy
I encourage Members to view my
campaign in good faith, undertaken with
the best and most unselfish of intentions.
I’m especially keen to receive considered
feedback, during both this campaign and
my tenure as a Richmond director.
Whether the glass is half-full or half-empty
is not the right focus. The glass can be
refilled, though we cannot do again what
hasn’t worked before.
Build on our strengths, address our
inadequacies and get everyone on the
same page (which seemed not to be the
case, from the stands, in 2016).
When you are wondering what lies ahead
in 2017 and beyond, Think Big.
I do. I will.
Richmond
members
expect
better.
I do.
I will.
SIMILARITIES
C U R R E NT B OAR D & E X E C UT IVE
1. Unity Ticket
1.2 Building never Finishes
1. Board
On many, perhaps most, issues likely to
confront the Board, I am on a unity ticket
with the incumbents, including those
seeking re-election.
I pledge to work constructively and
cooperatively with all Board members, the
executive, stakeholders and fans to build
upon our off-field successes, including but
not limited to:
1.1Current
1.1 First Priority
For those of us with memories dating back
to 1990, we know that the primary objective
of our Board is to ensure the continued
existence and financial stability of our Club.
That is the baseline, and prosperity comes
from there.
In many of our fans’ living memory, our
great Club has come close to extinction.
Alongside thousands of other Richmond
supporters, I pitched in to help Save our
Skin, and I know that it is only through the
efforts of many do we enjoy financial health
and flexibility.
I celebrate, and will never take for granted,
the fact that in a highly competitive
industry, our loyal (if highly tested)
supporter base, our robust balance sheet
and our significant financial capacity is the
envy of most other clubs.
•further, targeted investment in our
football department;
• additional development of T&A facilities
at Punt Road Oval;
•support and growth of our innovative
Aligned Leisure business;
• prudent expense management and
active pursuit of recurring revenues;
•ongoing commitment to our social
agendas and programs; and
• enhancing investment in digital
engagement, member services, gameday facilities and access.
1.3 Thank You
Every single supporter (that’s you),
employee, director, sponsor, volunteer and
partner who has played a part in restoring
Richmond to its current off-field health is to
be congratulated and respected.
On behalf of myself, my family, my friends
and the Club, I thank you.
I believe I can help the Club build on this
off-field success and therefore its ability to
fund further investment in our Club.
We have come a long way, but this cannot
be our ceiling.
Director
Age
Appointment Date
First Appointment
Peggy O’Neal
64
12 November 2005
Filled casual vacancy (replacing Clinton
Casey)
John Matthies*
65
29 January 2004
Elected – Clinton Casey ticket
Rob Dalton
54
9 November 2004
Filled casual vacancy (Clinton Casey
appointment)
Maurice O’Shannassy
58
22 December 2004
Filled casual vacancy (Clinton Casey
appointment)
Tony Free
47
10 June 2008
Filled casual vacancy (replacing Greg Miller,
himself a 2004 Clinton Casey ticket member)
William (Rex) Chadwick
73
16 December 2009
Elected – replacing Clinton Casey appointee
Anthony Mithen
Malcolm Speed
68
28 October 2011
Filled casual vacancy (replacing 2004 Clinton
Casey ticket member, Don Lord)
Kerry Ryan
51
3 October 2013
Filled casual vacancy (replacing Gary March,
himself a 2004 Clinton Casey ticket member)
John O’Rourke
52
23 November 2015
Filled casual vacancy
Brendon Gale
48
9 December 2015
Filled casual vacancy
* John Matthies will retire in September. On 18 August, the Club announced that former Assistant Police Commissioner and 1980 premiership
player Emmett Dunne will replace him, filling a casual vacancy
1.2 Summary
So:
•the average age of our non-executive
directors is just under 60;
•after Emmett Dunne’s appointment, ONE of
our directors was first appointed to the Board
by Members at an election;
•the patience shown by Members cannot be
doubted;
•Richmond has been stable for a long, long
time now; and
•if you work out all the finals won by Richmond
during the tenure of each current Richmond
director, then combine those wins, that
number is zero.
M A N AG E M E N T & N O N-FO OTBALL E X EC UTI V E
1. Stable, Superior Financial Performance
The Club’s off-field stability, financial
discipline and improved on-field
relevance over the last 7 years
contrasts with the Club’s open disunity,
fiscal mismanagement, chronic
underperformance and near extinction
across much of the period 1984-2010.
In 2005, our Club had a negative net asset
position of $704,000.
It now holds net assets of more than
$24,000,000.
Since 2010, the Club has devised,
articulated and sought to execute a
strategy that has bolstered our financial
strength, Membership engagement and
team performance.
The 3-0-75 plan was bold, if widely mocked
when announced in 2010, but growth since
then has been considerable, with the Club
reaching three consecutive finals series for
the first time in 40 years, debt eliminated
and Membership soaring to an industryleading level.
Football department spending was
$8,000,000 higher in 2015 than in 2010.
Yet, on-field, it’s not working.
2. CEO
Richmond CEO Brendon Gale, appointed
in 2009, is well-regarded across the
industry, being one of only three persons
invited to apply for the position of AFL CEO
in 2014.
The Club’s off-field achievements, none of
which would have been possible without
the support of Members and partners,
during his tenure is long, impressive and
includes the following:
3. Senior vs Junior Staff Turnover
•repaid $5m debt and assembled
significant cash reserves;
Junior staff turnover at Richmond has
been excessive, and while the Club rightly
points to its status as a developer of talent,
we have lost some personnel that we
would preferred to have kept, often due to
monetary constraints.
•successful completion of our T&A facility
(formerly known as the ME Bank Centre);
•introduction of significant and necessary
IT support for players and staff;
•massive improvement in Membership;
•significant improvement in the number of
premium membership packages sold;
•increase in depth and breadth of
corporate sponsorship;
•diversification of recurring revenue
streams (Aligned Leisure);
•lifted the profile and significance of the
Dreamtime game to one which is the
second most promoted H&A game of the
season, with its place in the fixture now
secured for the next decade;
•retention of the Round 1 game with Carlton,
against a strong push to remove it;
•creation and funding of the Club’s VFL
side;
•successfully acquired two premium
Victorian country recruitment zones
(much to the chagrin of many other AFL
clubs); and
•elevation of the KGI into a significant
program within the Club, delivering
opportunities, confidence and
recognition to disadvantaged youth.
Literally and figuratively, the fingerprints
of Brendon Gale, his predecessor Steven
Wright and successive Boards will be all
over our 11th Premiership Cup
Most Richmond divisional heads have
been in place for at least five, and in some
cases around 10, years.
This is not unusual in a business the size
of Richmond’s, which is currently too small
to attract the best talent, but too big to be
truly nimble in its decision-making.
We make profits because we moderate our
spending.
In short, we need to get bigger.
4. Commercial
Commercial partnerships, led by prominent
and aspirational brands Jeep and Bingle,
have never been more lucrative, nor
more valued, in a highly-competitive
environment.
Jeep’s extension as our major sponsor
beyond 2017 is a key deliverable for the
management team in coming months.
I believe Richmond will continue to be a
compelling partner.
There are, however, emerging signs of
malaise in our commercial performance,
including:
•one Club sponsor sued for non-payment
earlier this year;
•the failure to attract a naming rights
sponsor for our Training & Administration
facility since the arrangement with ME
Bank expired in 2015 (despite being
advised 12 months in advance that ME
would not seek to renew its rights);
•the failure until late in the season to
secure a replacement matchday ball
sponsor(s) for Host Plus (despite the ball
carrying its name for many rounds after
its deal expired); and
•no Roar Vision sponsor secured to
replace Metro Solar until Round 15 of this
year.
Our senior commercial team has remained
stable for some time, but we should
welcome the opportunity to introduce fresh
ideas, talent and aspirations.
Our football revenues are outside the
AFL’s Top 8, at a time when we’ve won a
lot of games, been the biggest drawing
and most-watched Club, with amongst
the highest digital engagement with
supporters.
Why?
We need to get bigger. In this space only,
we need to be like Collingwood.
I have a few ideas, some of which I have
shared with the Club previously and some
of which have occurred to me only recently,
but ultimately this responsibility rests with
senior management.
Recent sponsor difficulties are, I fear, the
canary in the coalmine.
We can and must do better.
I’d be delighted to help.
M A N AG E M E N T & N O N-FO OTBALL E X EC UTI V E
5. Aligned Leisure
The Club has innovatively diversified its
revenue base, with Richmond subsidiary
Aligned Leisure Pty Ltd (ALPL) in March
2016 selected as the new manager of
Cardinia Shire Council’s major recreation
facilities.
Operational control of those facilities was
delivered to ALPL on 25 July this year.
Reflective of Richmond’s significant
management capabilities, and consistent
with our values as a sports and
community-based club, this broadening
of Richmond’s commercial operations
should enable the Club’s current reliance
on gambling revenues to moderate and, in
time, to be replaced in full.
I do not know the financials of ALPL, nor
the Board and management time required
to oversee it, but on principle I congratulate
and praise the Club on creating this new
and evolving revenue source.
That it has, since ALPL’s tender win was
announced, been reported that we are
seeking to expand our gaming operations
is both surprising and disappointing.
6. Membership – An Asset and a Risk
6.1 Member support is industry leading
The Richmond Membership has grown
to levels similar to and in most cases far
greater than those clubs that have enjoyed
continued, recent, success.
From a base of 36,981 in 2009 to over
72,000 in 2016, Members have exhibited
remarkable faith and made emotional (and
financial) commitments to the Club well
in excess of the on-field return on those
investments.
In 2015, Richmond H&A games were
attended and watched more than any
other club and despite our awful 2016, our
average crowd was second in the league
(albeit down 14% on our 2015 figure).
6.2 Membership is a Choice
This level of support, while incredible, is
also an exposure.
Richmond is now heavily leveraged to the
ongoing commitment from its Members,
with net Membership revenues set to
approximate $8,000,000 this year.
For every Member, the decision to continue
support year on year is a choice, not an
obligation. Memberships are still, for
many, discretionary decisions made on an
annual basis, which must be funded and
budgeted for.
At some point, if on-field progress is plainly
and persistently less than Members have
been encouraged to anticipate, there
will be a consequence in terms of our
Membership, our commercial appeal,
our financial flexibility and ultimately the
resourcing of our football department and
facilities.
Yes, the on-field performance of our team
has many emotional consequences, for us
Members, but a failure to progress has and
will have clear commercial implications.
Winning is not just important; it is
commercially imperative.
7. The Dangers of Apathy
7.2 Changing Supporter Landscape
7.1 Emotionally Checked Out?
Richmond continues to be the fourth most
popular team amongst Auskickers. Clearly,
the passions of a parent are – for better or
worse - often bequeathed to a child.
The opposite of love isn’t hate. The
opposite of delight isn’t anger.
It’s indifference.
As a 35+ year attendee at Richmond
games, with a number of close friendships
forged through a mutual affection for
the Club, a concerning number of my
Richmond friends are now expressing
indifference to Richmond’s on-field
fortunes.
They tell me they will likely still sign-up,
but they are too old to be upset that the
prettiest girl in school doesn’t like them.
They are finding other interests, or just not
engaging as they once would.
Some remain attentive, but have
emotionally checked out.
This is a great concern, and in no small
part behind my decision to offer myself for
election.
Time is of the essence.
However, children are increasingly focusing
on individuals within a sport, rather than a
particular Club.
Witness Chris Judd’s son, whose standard
uniform is a NicNat jumper, rather than
that of the only club he has seen his father
represent. Jonathan Brown’s daughter is a
Carlton fan.
Expecting our level of support to continue,
irrespective of the position we occupy on
the ladder, is dangerously naive.
Has our Board become complacent in this
area?
I certainly hope not, but all of our directors
who supported Richmond as a child have
then seen Richmond achieve the ultimate
success in their autonomous lives.
I’m sure they think they are hungry for
success, but how can the current Board
fathom the hole in the heart of any
Richmond fan aged between 5 and 50?
They can’t. I can.
A hole that can only be filled with a large,
silver Cup.
C O M M U N IT Y & S O C I AL
1. Involvement and Direction
We are a community club. Not just in
word, but in deeds.
In the last eight years, Richmond has
prioritised, resourced and advanced a
wide range of social agendas, with the
establishment of the:
•Korin Gamadji Institute;
•Laguntas Indigenous Tigers program;
•Maurice Rioli Reconciliation Action Plan;
(first and only Australian sporting
organisation club to be awarded Elevate
Status)
unprecedented public criticism of Adam
Goodes, was a wonderful example of
superior on-field performance aligning with
the Club’s values as a trusted and leading
member of its community.
While the Club was unsuccessful in its
application for a licence to run a team in
the inaugural AFL women’s competition,
the willingness to get involved is
further proof of our commitment to be
progressive.
We can all be very proud of the positive
social changes being facilitated by and at
Richmond.
I am.
•Gender Equity Project; and
That Richmond continues to operate, and
seek to expand, its poker machine venue in
Wantirna starkly contrasts with its attitude
and responsibilities to its Community.
•Tiger PAW program.
That’s a step that our Club hasn’t taken.
A continuing partnership with The Alannah
and Madeline Foundation and the role the
Club played in the promotion of Maddie
Riewoldt’s Vision help a great many
disadvantaged and underrepresented
Members of our community.
Like many other clubs in the AFL, and
the AFL itself (which appears unwilling to
confront this issue, or aid its clubs to wean
themselves off this revenue addiction), we
need to have that conversation and resolve
to change our pokies operation.
2. A Club not just of our Community, but for our Community
Only then will we be able to claim to be a
club of and for our community.
•Richmond Indigenous School
Richmond Members have almost
universally supported, and assumed
a sense of pride in, the Club’s off-field
evolution and the expression of our social
conscience.
That pride has, been most on display when
we have coupled it with the main currency
for any supporter: Winning.
The team’s victory over Hawthorn
in 2015, in which players wore the
Club’s indigenous jumper following
A Club not
just of our
Community,
but for our
Community.
F O O T B A L L D E PARTM E NT & PE R FO R MAN C E
(N O N - C O AC H I N G)
1. Where did we come from?
2. Drafting
2.3 Our Record with Draftees
Few Members will need reminding, but
in order to understand where we are, it is
necessary to revisit where we have been.
2.1 Headwinds Applied to All
Looking at the National Drafts since 2006
(excluding 2014 and 2015 as judgments
would mostly be premature), let’s compare
our record to the competition’s average
(not even the best, just the average).
2006 is the year that head of recruitment
Francis Jackson went full-time.
Since 1982 (34 years ago), Richmond has:
•Appeared in five finals series (two in the
period 1983-2012);
•Won two games following the end of the
Home and Away season;
•Had 12 senior coaches; and
•Never had a better resourced football
division than it does right now.
In 2014, 2015 and 2016, Richmond has
begun the season terribly, absent key
personnel due to injuries sustained in
preseason, and slipped to a deeply
negative W-L ratio.
Having made finals, but not won a single
one, in 2013-2015, the Club’s performance
alarmingly deteriorated in 2016.
This has clearly surprised those most
responsible for the performance of our
team.
That includes the Board.
This invites questions as to the level of
misplaced confidence shown by those
driving our Club.
If we’ve gone off course, then the
navigators need to be held accountable.
That includes the Board.
The introduction of the expansion teams,
and the incredibly (I feel, unreasonably)
generous draft concessions that
accompanied them, coincided with
Richmond being at its most recent nadir.
These concessions, compiled by six AFL
club football managers (Richmond’s was
one of them), then endorsed by all clubs
set drastically different parameters to the
Club’s rebuild post-2009 than has been
encountered by any other club before or
since.
At no stage since 2004 has Richmond
sought or received priority draft selections,
despite at times being unfavourably
compared with the worst Fitzroy sides.
Investments have and continue to be made
in early draft choices (Richmond has been
to every draft since 2004 with a first round
selection).
Each but one of the draftees selected by
Richmond with its first selection in the
2006-2013 drafts received a Rising Star
nomination.
Despite media static to the contrary, there
has been no shortage of investment
in players taken with premium draft
selections.
2.2 No 20/20 Hindsight, but Ladders
Don’t Lie
Yes, Rory Sloane at pick 26 in 2008
would’ve been handy, and we can all draft
at 100% via Wikipedia, but I respect every
player fortunate and talented enough ever
to be drafted by Richmond.
Yes, that every draftee should do their best
to be their best is a non-negotiable, but I’m
prepared to dig a little deeper.
Let us compare our:
1.Strike rate on Top 20 picks (a success
being a player that has played in more
games than the National Average that
year).
2.Strike rate on Top 21-50 picks (a success
being a player that has played in more
games than the National Average for
players picked after Pick 20 that year)
3.Strike rate on picks after 50 (a success
being a player that has played in more
games than the National Average for
players picked after Pick 50 that year)
4.Strike rate on Rookie Draft picks (a
success being a player selected in the
rookie draft that has played in more
games than the National Average)
Pick Used
Richmond
Strike rate
National
Average
Top 20
80%
65%
21-50
27%
36%
51+
25%
34%
Rookie
draft
19%
28%
In comparison, in 5 rookie drafts 20092013, the Bulldogs hit 47% of the time (7/
15).
In that time their successes have included
Dahlhaus, Johannisen, Lin Jong, Jack
Redpath and Tom Campbell, who are all
either in or on the perimeter of their best
22.
Of our “successes” (being players who
have played more than the National
Average for that rookie draft), two of them
were in 2013 (Miles and Thomas), one was
in 2012 (Petterd) and one in 2010 (Miller).
Just one of those players remains on our
list (Miles).
These stats also belong in the
Development section, as they reflect both
a below-average record in identifying
and developing young talent that was not
widely expected to go in the Top 20 of a
given national draft.
I’m happy to listen to reasons why that may
be, but the headline and conclusion must
surely be that this record is unacceptable.
3. Free Agency/ Talent Retention
Throughout free agency, the Club has
retained all of its best players, on terms
believed (not known) to be less generous
than those available to them elsewhere.
From the outset, the Club chose to
augment its playing list, and hence
manage the load placed on younger
draftees, with the opportunistic recruitment
of players with prior AFL experience.
At the time, you may recall, it was lauded
by many for doing so.
Despite media suggestions to the contrary,
these acquisitions were invariably effected
at a low opportunity cost and with very
modest salary cap implications.
F O O T B A L L D E PARTM E NT & PE R FO R MAN C E
(N O N - C O AC H I N G)
4. Trading Performance
5. General Manager of Football
Attempts to secure elite, established talent
via trade have, since 2003 (Nathan Brown),
proved unsuccessful.
Appointed in February 2013 as Richmond’s
General Manager of Football, former player
agent Dan Richardson took over this role
from Craig Cameron.
The Club apparently has the funds and
the salary cap space to accommodate our
targeted player(s), but we have continued
to fail to secure our primary targets. I don’t
have knowledge as to exactly why that’s
the case, and I do know that anyone can
win an auction, but we have tried and failed
more than most.
Identified as a player that would fit an area
of particular need, we acquired a player
from Carlton in the 2015 trade period at a
cost of our second round draft selections
in both the 2015 and 2016 drafts.
I look forward to him making a big
difference to our team, and having a long
career in our colours, but he hasn’t played
a game so far and he was traded into
Richmond one year prior to becoming
available as a free agent (when he would
have cost nothing to acquire).
This isn’t about our new #13; This is about
the Club believing his recruitment was an
urgent need, when he was secured, at a
considerable cost.
His recruitment via trade in 2015 is
reflective of the Club’s internal view of
our list and, at that time, our expected
outcomes in 2016.
At the request of the football department,
investment in list management personnel,
development and resources (player
retention, acquisition and drafting) has
been increased incrementally, and
significantly, in the last seven years.
Yet, it’s not working.
Richardson has a strong association with
the Old Xaverians, where he is a six-time
premiership player and life member.
He had not previously been employed in a
similar role by an AFL club when appointed
by Richmond.
Had he been, he may have been less
inclined to endorse the change in
responsibility of 2013 midfield coach
Brendon Lade to the forward line for 2014.
Our midfield was a key strength in 2013,
but thereafter slipped dramatically in
efficiency and output, corresponding with
Lade’s shift.
Richardson is the Board’s primary conduit
with the football department.
Though even President Peggy O’Neal later
said Dan would use different words if he
had his time again, in May 2016 he gave
an interview in which he stated that:
•Richmond making three consecutive
finals series from 2013-15 was a
“fantastic achievement”, and that our
failure to win one of those games was
“somewhat disappointing”;
•when justifying our approach to recruiting
a series of players with prior AFL
experience, “We didn’t think Richmond
fans would accept an eight-year rebuild”;
and
•the team assembled since 2009 was
internally known at the time to be one
which would reach a ceiling well below
premiership level.
That this interview provoked player
confusion, not to mention feedback from
aghast supporters, is unsurprising.
His role in retaining our best 15 players on
below-market, if hardly charitable, terms is to
be recognised and applauded.
Whether every one of those players should
have been retained is another matter, on
which I don’t myself out as an expert.
In short, I am not confident that:
However, to put our prized recruit in for
surgery on the eve of the season, having
struggled with an injury known when he
joined our Club, is dispiriting. To have
our talismanic ruckman struck down by a
recurring injury, is disheartening.
Not to have arguably our most important
player available at the start of 2016, again,
due to an injury commonly associated with
load mismanagement, is unacceptable.
•if and when it does, it is being
appropriately scrutinised or acted upon.
Peter is doubtless instructed to prepare
players so as to best match the coach’s
proposed game plan, whatever that is.
However, if our base expectation is for
Richmond’s physical preparation to be at
least the equal of our peers, I don’t have
confidence that this is the case.
6. High Performance
7. Independent Review
Football is a contact sport.
I look forward to seeing the changes
made post the 2016 season, following the
review presently being conducted with the
assistance of accounting firm Ernst & Young.
•bad news is reaching the Board as quickly
as it should; and
Injuries are to be expected and their
management and minimisation is a key area
of any football department. It is a field that
is increasingly specialised and valued, and
even slight competitive advantages can
have a significant impact on a given season.
Having unsuccessfully sought in late 2012
to acquire the services of Darren Burgess,
who elected to join Port Adelaide, Peter
Burge was appointed as the Club’s Physical
Performance Manager, responsible for
all aspects of the playing list’s physical
preparation, treatment and rehabilitation.
Burge, who had spent 2012 with St Kilda,
has for the last four years managed a list
that repeatedly is said to have enjoyed
its best ever preseason, but appears (I’m
delving into the subjective, here, I admit) to
have difficulty in matching the physicality
of our opponents. Speed, and endurance,
remain rare commodities at Richmond.
We have largely avoided serious injuries
to our best players (touch wood) during
Burge’s tenure. This is to Peter’s credit.
I am expecting considerable changes to
our football department to be announced in
coming weeks and months.
Should the investigation, whatever its
limitations, conclude that changes are
required, we should be prepared to make
the decisions necessary to implement them.
Even if it means admitting past errors
If an external review determined that our
operations, personnel, coaching techniques
and training facilities are faultless, and that
the only missing ingredient to achieving
success is patience, then I would be
reassured.
I would also be very surprised.
C O AC H I N G
1. Senior Coach
Appointed Richmond Senior Coach in
August 2009, by an eight-person selection
panel, Damien Hardwick has had seven
seasons piloting the on-field performance
of the Club.
It was announced by the Club, shortly
prior to the commencement of the 2016
season, that Hardwick’s contract had been
extended to the end of 2018.
Hardwick’s football resume, prior to joining
Richmond, is undeniably impressive:
•1994-2001: Essendon player (153
games, 2000 Premiership & AllAustralian, 1998 B&F);
•2002-2004: Port Adelaide player (54
games, 2004 Premiership); and
•2005-2009: Hawthorn assistant coach
(2008 Premiership).
Having taken the Club to three consecutive
finals series from 2013-15, Dimma this year
directed a team prone to incoherent, errorriddled, reactive and at times embarrassing
football.
While our season was alive and finals were
mathematically possible, we put in one
4-quarter performance.
As fun as the Swans win was, we did not in
that time record a single convincing victory.
Not one.
This year, fans became accustomed to
losses being explained as:
•our opponent was, played and is better
than us;
•our players did not carry out instructions;
and/or
•our players repeatedly let themselves
down in their skills, application and
structure.
Messages from key staff and players
have also been mixed, suggesting a lack
of clarity on the Club’s awareness even
of where we are, let alone where we are
heading.
While there can be no doubt that Dimma
(who is apparently is his harshest critic)
owns this team, I am loath to insist that he,
his replacement, or the football department
as a whole, adopt a quick fix to the team’s
ailments.
Indeed, I believe the criticism of our list is
overstated.
Our current list boasts the game’s finest
defender and a two-time Coleman
Medalist. The 2012 Brownlow Medalist (on
the way), and another likely to go Top 3 in
the 2016 count occupy our midfield.
Achievements, however, are measured
in only one currency: finals wins. And
we have none. Indeed, Dimma holds
the record for the most games coached
without one.
That our achievements continue to be nonexistent in this era is entirely unsatisfactory
and no person at our Club holds greater
responsibility for:
•our situation;
•our game plan and its implementation;
and
•where we go to from here,
than our senior coach.
Dimma regularly notes that he and we
operate in a performance-based industry.
He’s right.
I really like Dimma. The players seem to
adore him. He’s an outstanding man.
But ladders don’t lie and quite clearly the
teaching needs to change.
If Dimma is to be our Master Chef, then he
needs to change the ingredients, but also
the recipe.
2. Assistant Coaches
successive Elimination Final in 2015 and
make no changes to its coaches’ box in
that off-season, at all, is - at best - curious.
At worst, negligent.
A number of assistant coaches will depart
the Club this offseason, and while I wish
them well, I will welcome significant
changes in our coaches’ box.
It’s not working, and change is essential.
Hardwick is supported by the entire football
department, but in particular his assistant
coaches (in 2016):
3. Development
•Ross Smith (2016 role: Defensive
Coach): joined September 2011
Port Adelaide premiership coach Mark
“Chocco” Williams joined the Club in
September 2012, and is the head of
Richmond’s development program.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for
the St Kilda head coach position in 2014
and is pleasingly in remission following
a cancer battle in 2015. He is known to
spend considerable time with some of
our players, aiding them through personal
issues or challenges.
•Brendon Lade (Midfield Stoppage):
joined September 2010
•Ben Rutten (Defenders Coach): joined
September 2014; awarded inaugural Phil
Walsh Memorial Scholarship by AFLCA in
March 2015 (48 of 64 possible votes);
•Mark Williams (Offensive Coach): joined
October 2011; and
•Greg Mellor (Forwards Coach): joined
November 2011.
Since Justin Leppitsch, (at the time
of writing) now Brisbane Lions senior
coach, and Wayne Campbell (Assistant/
leadership Coach) left the Club in
September 2013, there appears to have
been no net increase in match-day
coaching roles at Richmond.
The position of Head of Coaching &
Football Performance is held by Tim
Livingstone, who played eight games for
Richmond in 1992-93.
That Richmond could lose its third
3.1 Head of Development
This, however, is not a football
development, but a welfare, role.
Our failure to sufficiently develop junior
talent, which typically arrives at our Club
well-rated, has me unenthusiastic about
Mark continuing in this role.
I am open to being persuaded otherwise,
but we have fallen behind and change is
required.
C O AC H I N G
3.2 Development Team
Mark is assisted by:
•Craig McRae (VFL Coach): joined
October 2015; AFLCA Development
Coach of the Year Award (2014);
•Andrew McQualter: joined October
2013; and
•Ryan Ferguson: joined February
2015 (part-time); appointed full-time
development coach for 2016.
Former Hawthorn ruckman Max Bailey
was brought to the Club as a development
coach in 2013, and was promptly asked to
work with our forwards.
Bailey admitted in a 2014 interview that he
had never done any work with forwards, or
played more than rarely in that role, over
his playing career.
3.3 Development Record
The development of our draftees, as a
collective, since 2010 has been poor.
This is not a personal, subjective judgment,
but one that is objectively clear:
•from 2010-2015, (as at R23, 2016) 47%
of those players drafted by us have
since been delisted. This is the highest
percentage of any club in the AFL;
•from 2010-2015 we ranked last in the
AFL for senior games played by our
draftees. 18th out of 18…;
•in 2013, his first at the Club, one of our
key forwards kicked more goals in the
VFL (in 14 games) than Joe Daniher
and two fewer than Jesse Hogan (who
played 15 games). Until our 2016 finals
aspirations were shot, he had played two
AFL games, both times One and Done;
VFL TE AM
•selected with one of the picks obtained
from Adelaide for Richard Tambling, we
have had a key position player on our
list for five years, who up until our finals
aspirations for 2016 were incinerated had
played two games, both times One and
Done;
•the first ten games of our 2012 first round
draft selection, who was a midfielder for,
and captain of, Vic Country in the Under
18 National Championships, were not
just impressive, but scintillating. He is
now a dour back-pocket. I note his stats
at the same age are similar to Corey
Enright’s, but the value he’s delivering is
less than we need and beneath what we
should expect; and
•in our game against Hawthorn in
Round 7, of the seven players with the
fewest possessions, all of them were
from Richmond and only one of them
had played under 50 games (Jayden
Short). That’s not getting it done of our
development record.
“from 2010-2015, 47% of
those players drafted by us
have since been delisted.
This is the highest percentage of any club in the AFL”
The performance of the Club’s VFL side,
when judged over the 3 years it has
existed, has been – frankly – dreadful, with
the team failing to make VFL finals in any
year since.
Season
Wins
Losses
Ladder
Position
2014
6
11 (1
draw)
12th
2015
5
13
13th
2016
9
9
9th
That this well-resourced team, which plays
home games at the refurbished and totally
resurfaced Punt Road Oval, has performed
so poorly demands the question as to
whether the development of our younger
players is on track.
While I was pleased to see Craig McRae –
whom I’m regularly told is a terrific teacher
and who guided the team to impressive
and very encouraging wins late this year
- appointed as head coach of our VFL
team in 2016, the responsibility for its
performance goes well beyond who directs
our players on game-day.
At the launch of this side at Punt Road in
2014, the point was made that the VFL
team was being established, at significant
cost, not merely to provide a footballing
nursery, but also to familiarise our players
with the habit of winning.
Well, that’s not working.
Since Richmond broke away from cashstrapped Coburg and began fielding our
own team in 2014, our VFL side has - in
a 15 team competition - come 12th, 13th
(behind even Essendon’s VFL side) in
2015, and 9th in 2016.
In 2014, the Bulldogs also launched their
own VFL team, won the premiership in
their first year, then featured in finals the
following season. The startling subsequent
improvement of their AFL team must be
correlated. Amidst a horrendous injury run
in 2016, which has slashed its available
AFL-listed talent, Footscray has again
made finals (finishing the home and away
season 4th).
Richmond supporters should expect better.
I do. I will.
4 P O I N TS T H E D I FFE R E N C E
Point 1 – A Contemporary, Representative
Board
1. Evolution, not Revolution
Alongside other Melbourne based AFL
clubs, the Board has become sheltered
from the people it represents.
The vast majority of Richmond directors
were adults when Richmond last won a
premiership in 1980.
Their experience is foreign, envied and
unknown to those of my vintage (I’m 42),
who have endured the perfect storm of 35
years not only without success, but without
even sustained on-field relevance.
2.Scoreboard
For Richmond fans born around or after the
mid 1970’s, we have as our most treasured
highlights:
•our 1995 Second Semi victory;
•a dour but thoroughly enjoyable final win
against the evil Carlton in 2001
;
•Richo (what a guy);
•the unprecedented, but ultimately
fruitless, run of 9 victories to reach the
2014 finals series; and
•some terrific midseason wins, such as
those as against the Swans, Freo and
Hawthorn in 2015.
Some wonderful zephyrs, to be sure, but
it’s a very modest collection. The smallest
of any in the league, it’s sad to say.
Indeed, Richmond is now, only somewhat
unfairly, known in the industry more for
what it has not done (make finals/ win a
final/ pick the right player at draft time),
rather than for what it has done.
3. It’s not my Age, but my Experience
I am naturally more familiar with the
views, expectations and laments of those
in my demographic, which are largely
unrepresented on the Board.
Our directors are competent, passionate
and we all want the same thing.
However, it is a fact that not a single game
of finals football has been won by our Club
on their watch.
In short, I want it more than they do
Point 2 – Get Back in Black (and Yellow)
This, is not:
It is to the lasting credit of Dimma and
former captain Chris Newman that Our
Jumper has become much more than our
players’ uniform.
It is a symbol of our responsibilities, our
pride and our values.
It is our Standard. Our armour.
Inexplicably, for three seasons, our jumper
has become a jumper not of Yellow and
Black, but of charcoal and mustard.
This is unacceptable, and reflects poorly
on those who have allowed this to occur.
This, is Yellow & Black:
If we have an apparel supplier incapable of
producing a jumper that is genuinely Yellow
and Black, then we should get a new
partner who can.
I will insist upon it.
It is important.
It is who we are.
4 P O I N TS T H E D I FFE R E N C E
Point 3 – Commitment
3. Pokies Revenue a Dangerous Addiction
1. Do it Properly
I object to our Club profiting from the loss of
others, especially losses suffered by those
who can least afford to lose.
While being elected a director of Richmond
would be a great honour, accepting and
performing that role would come at a
significant opportunity cost for me.
I expect and want a position as director of
Richmond to take a considerable amount of
my time. There are things I will be unable to
do as a result.
Accordingly, I am intent on doing it properly.
Whether it be providing insight, guidance
or leadership or merely attending all Board
meetings held, I will commit.
We are all busy people, but attendance
records at Richmond board meetings are
far from perfect, with directors in 2015 failing
to participate in up to 4 of the 11 meetings
held.
This shouldn’t be a pledge I need to make,
but I’m happy to do so: I’ll turn up.
2: No Drinking on Duty
I’ll not ever have a sip of alcohol at a
Richmond function while I’m a director.
I am far from a puritan, but if I am
representing Richmond, while our players
and coaches are expected to focus
myopically on preparation and performance,
I’ll not be drinking shiraz in the stands.
Meaningless? Perhaps, to some.
Reflective of how seriously I will take my
responsibilities? Definitely.
Average player losses at traditional poker
machines can reach $1,200 per hour.
There is also a direct, established causal
link between defeat at the pokies (which is
inevitable) and domestic violence.
I am not a prohibitionist, and recognise
that many people play these machines in a
controlled fashion and merely for distraction.
We need to break the habit and the longer
we take the harder it will be to do so.
That’s what an addiction is.
Check out www.pokiesplayyou.org.au for
some insights.
Carlton can have all the pokies they want.
We are not Carlton (thank Heavens).
Point 4 – Accountability
1. Benchmarks are Minimum Standards, not Ceilings
Peddling addiction, however, is something I
cannot abide.
At Richmond, you don’t have a job; you
have a responsibility.
I will advocate for Richmond to introduce
“con-free” poker machines to any venue we
operate. Altering the loaded software on
each device, so as to limit bets to $1 wagers
per play, is easy.
Professionals are paid to progress, and
where they do not, there should be enquiry,
support, and - ultimately - consequences.
Furthermore, this is not just a social issue
but an economic one.
Litigation will shortly be initiated against the
gaming industry in a test case that claims
many poker machines (including ones that
Richmond operates) are illegal, as they are
misleading and deceptive under consumer
law.
As a lawyer, I can identify the risks.
Problem gamblers account for 40% of pokies
revenues (Source: Productivity Commission
Report, 2010) and mandating “con-free”
machines will influence venue profits. So,
we (and all other AFL clubs reliant on this
egregious revenue source) need to get
in front of the game and move to those
machines ASAP.
I was delighted when I saw we’d moved into
the management of leisure centres, but I was
dismayed when I read the following week
that we are actually looking to expand our
pokies operations.
Our Board, I am reliably informed, was
encouraged by the football department
to expect our team to play finals in 2012,
go Top 4-6 in 2013 and challenge for a
premiership in 2014-2015.
On the back of that, repeated requests
to our Board were made – and almost
wholly satisfied - for significantly increased
funding in our football department, with
annual increases of more than $1,000,000
not uncommon in the Hardwick era.
The size of our football department
spending now attracts an equalisation tax.
2. $$$ Not the Issue
It cannot simply be a money issue, as the
respective performance of the Bulldogs
and Collingwood in 2016 illustrates.
It’s not about how much we shoot, but
where we aim.
It is the responsibility of our Board to
articulate benchmarks against which
performance is measured, and where
performance is sub-standard, act in
response.
That our Board has endorsed and
approved the funding of our football
department, absent significant progress
being delivered, calls into question its
judgment.
3. I seek election, not an appointment
I seek to join the Board through the front
door, not the side entrance.
I accept that I’ll not kick or save a single
goal from the Richmond boardroom, but I’ll
be a big part of choosing and resourcing
the people, who choose the people, who
will.
As in any chain of command leadership
structure, I will accept accountability. If we
do not win at least one flag in my first two
terms, I will not seek a third.
If I haven’t positively impacted our on-field
performance as I intend, even indirectly,
I will step down and let someone else do
their very best.
I would also support constitutional reform
to provide that directors may serve on the
Board for a maximum of nine years (three
terms), extendable for a single further
term only in the event of the Club having
made at least a preliminary final in one of
the two preceding seasons (Years 8-9 of a
director’s tenure).
C AS E S T U DY – R O U N D 3 , 2 0 16
1. The Standard
Depending on the season, Hawthorn,
Sydney and now even the Giants are often
articulated as the benchmark against
which others should be measured and to
which we should aspire.
I won’t go into the reasons behind their
success, for fear of lamenting some of our
prior draft selections, trading decisions and
the lack of father-son fortune (Geelong).
However, we don’t need to look anywhere
near the Hawks and the Swans to see
an example of a team to which, on any
measure, we should be superior and which
has generated performance alarmingly
ahead of ours in recent times.
It took a few hours to do, but I drew
together some data following the Adelaide
loss in Round 3 this year.
Yes, it’s sample size of one, but the results
were as striking to me as they should be
concerning to Club directors, staff and
supporters.
2. Adelaide’s Headwinds Akin to a Hurricane
Since 2011, the Crows have:
•lost Jack Gunston (who had just been
awarded the Mark Bickley award as the
Club’s best young player (award then
withdrawn)), receiving pick 24 as primary
compensation (2011). Gunston now has
three flags;
•been fined ($300k) for tampering and
also lost/ surrendered their R1 and R2
picks from the 2012 & 2013 draft (so, a
bigger draft penalty than that imposed
on Essendon in 2013);
•lost their marquee forward Kurt Tippett
for nothing (2012);
•traded out prior B&F winner Bernie Vince
(2013), selecting Matt Crouch with the
pick transferred. Vince won Melbourne’s
B&F in 2015;
•tragically, in 2015, lost their then senior
coach and former Richmond player
Phillip Walsh, understandably didn’t play
that week, forwent the opportunity to
secure 4 points, still made the 8, then
won a gripping final (away), which in
case you’ve forgotten is something we
haven’t done since the first year of this
century; and
•lost their best player in Dangerfield
(2015), for a modest return.
The Crows have not a single player on their
list taken in the Top 10 of any National Draft
(we have seven).
3. Round 3, 2016
No reason at all.
On the day we played them, in Melbourne
(at Etihad, which is another gripe), this is
how the two sides matched-up:
Now, we can look at this as a disgraceful
blight on our evolution as a side and/or an
opportunity for advancement.
Richmond
Adelaide
Average
Games Played
82.3
84.2
Average Age
24
24.3
< 20 game
players
6
5
> 100 game
players
8
8
100-151 game
players
5
5
First taken pick 12
1-20 in a ND
5
First taken >
2
pick 40 in a ND
12
Games as
senior coach
138
3
Score
92
128
As you may recall, the Crows absolutely
handled us, in excruciating, humiliating
fashion. D50 handovers and turnovers
were difficult to watch. It hurt to see it.
For me, it was a much more disheartening
performance than the last minute loss
against Collingwood a week earlier (and
don’t we all know, that was tough). As I
walked away from Etihad after Round 3,
I had to accept that we really were a long
way off the pace.
As Dimma noted in his post-match,
Adelaide’s a good team.
I heartily agree, but on the above figures
alone, there is simply no reason why
should not be the better outfit.
Maybe it’s both, but for us not to be at
least as good as Adelaide is entirely
unacceptable.
Again, I am not seeking to isolate one
discrete area of our footy department
as being at fault. I don’t have the inside
knowledge or data to support such a claim.
When you look at these numbers, our
output just doesn’t match the inputs.
That must be a combination of the
ingredients, and the recipe.
Q & A
1. We are a Stable Club, Why Have an Election?
This will be only the second Board election
in the last seven years, but I suspect we
are slaves to our now distant past.
members to appreciate and contribute to
discussions on at times dense legal and
financial matters, requiring the utmost
confidentiality to be observed.
That’s basically what I do.
Stability is admirable, but it must
not become inertia, nor can stability
be favoured and targeted above all
else, especially when sub-standard
performances warrant change, or at least
challenge.
It’s not hours of watching videos and
debating where to play Jack (OK, deep
forward).
Leaders should not fear being challenged;
they should embrace it.
Yes, a number of legally-trained
professionals are already on the Board, but
as they retire, or are encouraged to do so,
they may be replaced by others with skillsets more complimentary to our needs.
Richmond operates in a highly competitive
industry.
Our players compete for spots, for
possessions, for success. A contest of
ideas should not be feared, but welcomed.
Our existing and potential corporate
partners would expect it.
I don’t need to have played 300 games
to present and question the status and
outlook for our Club, or the strategy and its
execution that have led us here.
I am volunteering to be part of the effort to
take us to where we all wish to go.
It’s challenging, complex work. That’s my
stock in trade.
This has already commenced, with the
retirement of one lawyer in September this
year (John Matthies) and the appointment
of Emmett Dunne in his place.
3. What would Change?
I’m just one voice, but these are the things
I’d expect to change if I was elected:
3.1 Our Board
More representative and contemporary.
Membership comes at a cost that must be
justified and deliver genuine value.
I wish to be Peggy’s lieutenant, not her
General.
3.5 Members’ Forum
The advances we have made under
Peggy’s stewardship have the Club in its
strongest ever off-field position. That I can
point her out to my daughters as the leader
of our Club fills me with pride, and them
with admiration.
I’d support a biennial Members’ forum,
where senior management and football
staff can be questioned as to the progress
and priorities of our Club and team.
3.6 Game day: Innovation must Continue
Purchasing concessions (food & drink),
merchandise and experiences right from
your seat is not just an idea, it is a reality
(as yet just overseas). Fans (and stadia)
will pay for the privilege and the upside in
offering it as a service.
Look at www.tapin2.co for further details
on what’s being done overseas (no, I don’t
have any financial interest in this group).
Developing in joint venture with TapIn2,
or someone like them, our own venue
product procurement platform would be
an investment not only in our Members,
but also in an accretive, saleable asset,
capable of license to other venues and
clubs.
We must be first, we must offer more than
others, and here’s an example of how we
can.
2. Another bloody lawyer?
3.2 Our Jumper
Yes, I know all the jokes.
Get it back to Yellow & Black.
Consider, though, whether a board
charged with setting, assessing and
where necessary revising a football club’s
strategy for on and off-field success can
have too many capable, trusted and
professional active listeners.
3.3 Our Benchmarks
Share our 2020 Vision.
Altering the loaded software on each
device, so as to limit bets to $1 wagers per
play, is easy. If we are truly a community
Club, then we should lead the way.
That I have extensive experience in the
fields of professional, sophisticated
investments, construction, risk analysis and
banking cannot hurt.
3.4 Cost of Memberships
4. But I like Peggy!
I will fight to ensure that Richmond
memberships stay affordable for families,
recognising that financial support of our
Club is a choice, not an obligation.
So do I.
Ours is a diverse business, requiring Board
Set them with staff, partners and Members.
Then regard them as KPIs, not ceilings.
3.7Pokies
I will advocate for Richmond to introduce
and prefer “con-free” poker machines.
I have no desire to divide patriots, and if
Peggy wishes to continue in her role as
President after this election, I will gladly
pledge and (more importantly) practise
fealty to her.
Any other directors of Richmond who
cannot do the same, or who covet the
Presidency ahead of her, should resign immediately.
There are three positions to be filled at this
election. I only seek one of them.
5. Changing directors won’t change a thing on-field
The list of directors – many of them highly
successful away from football - who
mistakenly thought that they could sit
around and occasionally bang a board
table and suddenly have their team kicking
25 goals a week is long and distinguished.
Changing directors will not have
an immediate hard link to on-field
performance.
It may be subtle, even if my views are
not, but over the medium-long term a
successful director can influence results
through the environment they have helped
change or create.
Q & A
6. Are you Aligned with anyone Else?
•in Round 21 we led the Blues by five
goals, then were run over;
As in, not in any way, shape or form.
servants wanted a move, I’d not stand
in their way, but augmenting your team
doesn’t mean conducting a fire-sale of the
best parts of it, for a crack at a bunch of
uncertain draftees.
I seek only one seat at the table.
I also don’t support lowering benchmarks.
This Board has achieved too much for all
directors to be turfed, just because we had
a lousy year on the field. That year cannot
be overlooked, or accepted, but excising
most of those who have given us the
freedom to plot our course with confidence
are valuable, and not easily replaced.
Every moment, every contest, every
quarter, every game:
After each of these (and many other)
games, one would expect the same
mistakes not to be made again. I’m not
seeing that evolution.
No.
I pledge to work constructively, supportively
and proactively with my colleagues
(whether from the incumbent Board, a rival
ticket or a combination of the two) and all
supporters, partners and employees of the
Richmond, from top to bottom.
We should be in it to win it.
8. Where do you stand on Dimma?
8.1 Out in the Open
I like Dimma. We all like Dimma. He’s an
outstanding man.
I’m not seeking to toss the Board.
I can’t stress enough that this election,
and my candidacy, is not discretely about
Hardwick, our game plan, our recruitment
or our past. It’s about our future.
I am simply volunteering to be your voice,
as one of its members.
8.2 If we are not Learning, then the Teaching must Change
7. How good/ bad are we?
In Dimma’s time at the Club, we have
never been better than 3-3 after the first six
rounds. And even then, we have only once
been square at that stage of the season.
I’d be disappointed if fans weren’t
disappointed.
Clearly, things must change in coaching,
the list, strategy, execution, development,
high performance and talent identification.
While my mind is open, and independent
views should be encouraged, I don’t
accept that we are in need of a full rebuild,
and we have some of the best players in
the competition, who are in or entering their
prime.
In 2014, should the Bulldogs have flicked
Boyd (2015 AA squad), Murphy (2015 AA),
Picken (who’s had the best two years of his
career since) and Morris (who will likely be
AA this year)?
Griffen wanted out, and if any of our loyal
Each year, we resolve to do better next
time. Each year we don’t. How can that
happen, and how can we be confident
things will change, when they clearly
haven’t?
Yes, we won 15, 12 and 15 games in 201315, but those awful starts cost us a Top 4
spot, and hence a realistic shot at the big
dance.
The frequency with which our team fades,
once in front, is very concerning.
For example, in 2013:
•in Round 1 we led Carlton by 36 at 3QT,
then fell in by under a goal;
•in the EF (urghh), we headed them by
33, then were excruciatingly beaten.
Our 2012-13 game style was fluid,
confident and effective.
I wasn’t part of that decision, I wasn’t privy
to the information presented to the Board
and I’m not aware of the options that were
canvassed.
It should be noted that this thorough
preview preceded this season, which was
deplorable. Did that review predict that?
If not, it’s difficult to regard that process as
faultless, or its outcome unquestionable.
In the EF we were beaten by 40 incredible
minutes from the bloke in No.5 at Carlton.
Spooked, we changed our game plan in
2014 and started 3-10.
If Dimma had his contract extended
because the Board believed it was a
necessary, urgent and prudent decision,
then I support it for doing so, at that time.
I can’t accept that an extra two years was
essential, but it is what it is.
This year has been characterised by
stagnant, incoherent and risk-averse
football, and we have been beaten by large
margins, regularly.
However, if a big part of that decision, and
its timing, was to lessen the probability
of unpleasant media scrutiny, should our
performance falter, then I’d be perplexed.
The teaching must change.
To have done so would be the act of a
timid, immature Club.
Dimma has shown himself capable of
altering the team’s game style before.
Unfortunately, he has usually changed it
either unsuccessfully, or has resorted to
one that has been shown not to stand up
when it matters before.
This year, he tried to go back to our 2015
style, and even then that didn’t work.
8.3 2016 Preseason Extension
When the Board extended Dimma’s
contract for two years, I was surprised.
Instinctively, I thought the show of faith was
excessive, unnecessary and premature.
I don’t doubt (as the Club has said
repeatedly) that there was a process
behind that decision, and that all who
made it thought it was the right thing to do.
Was it?
Clarkson went into 2012 uncontracted at
Hawthorn beyond that year, despite his
team having just lost a prelim in 2011.
Thompson began 2007 at Geelong with
a contract that was due to expire in six
months.
In future, I would find it difficult to support
the extension of the contract of any
divisional head more than 6 months before
his or her contract is due to expire.
Q & A
8.4Retain?
Collingwood’s President noted earlier this
year that he “wouldn’t hesitate” to sack his
coach, if he alone thought it was the right
thing to do.
I’ve also heard Dimma say that we have
been in this position before.
He’s right. So we have.
And here we are, again.
Well, I would.
Best we not come back again, yes?
Especially when a coach is under contract,
a man of such impeccable character, a
man with an exceptional CV, a man who
I am told is his harshest critic and who
evidently has the admiration of his playing
group and peers.
None of this should be controversial.
Damn right I’d hesitate. Not indefinitely,
but this is not a decision to rush.
I didn’t step up my financial contribution
to the Club in 2011 because I wanted the
Club to be in a position to sack coaches,
as other clubs have so scandalously done,
burning Members’ money in the process.
8.5 Coaching Team, not just a Coach
I want Dimma holding up that Cup, I hear
the words of those close to him who
believe he can do so and as a director
I will do whatever I can to aid him, his
colleagues and his players, but he must –
like all of us – learn from his mistakes and
evolve.
The Club has let Dimma down by not
ensuring he has fresh voices in his ear,
different people challenging him and new
ideas flowing.
The media has focused on Treloar but I,
and probably many of you, was just as
concerned about our core coaching staff
staying the same after another EF loss.
Dimma himself has said that the day the
players stop improving is the day he stops
being their coach. I trust him on that.
He needs to be honest with himself, just as
we need to be candid with him.
9. Thoughts on Player Entitlements?
We are one club in a competition of 18,
and the looming player rights discussions
will affect all of us.
I am open to players being afforded a
certain percentage of the game’s revenues
paid to the AFL, as well as being granted
two byes during the year (at least one
to be a vacated round altogether, rather
than the 3 split rounds), but there must be
consideration coming back the other way:
•club to have the right to trade players, in
good faith, in their first 4 years without
player consent (higher of 10% of a
player’s base or $20,000 to be payable
to the player in relocation costs, should
he be traded interstate);
•standard player contract for terms less
than 4 years to include an option held
by the Club, enabling the contract to be
extended by a further period of one year,
on the same (averaged) terms as were
met over the initial term;
10. Board composition
12. What Will Our Story Be?
Not for a moment do or would I suggest
that putting me on the Board will make it
perfect.
I’ve been to many Richmond functions over
the years.
With the appointment of Emmett Dunne,
we now have over 500 games of senior
VFL/ AFL playing experience on our
Board. That’s the highest of any club in the
league and with 3 directors having senior
football exposure, that’s more than Sydney,
Hawthorn and pretty much anyone else.
I’m a member of the THC, and I loved
listening to the stories of our glory days.
But I could only imagine how that must
have been. I wasn’t there.
Critical thinkers, who are active
professionals, team players and who do
not covert the Presidency for themselves
should be welcomed to our Board.
That’s me.
What will we gather to celebrate in 20, 30
and 40 years from now?
11. Tiger Time
•Sammy Lloyd’s goal kicked in a season
we finished 13th?
In Round 15, we played a game with a red
ball for the first time for 2016.
Perhaps this season will limit our Friday
night opportunities in 2017 in any event,
but wherever possible, I want us to play:
•at the MCG;
•on Saturday afternoons;
•with a 2.10pm start.
Novel idea, I know. Saturday afternoons at
the G should be Tiger Time.
•minimum salary cap to be lowered to
92.5%, with deficits capable of being
banked so that 102.5% of a cap can be
used for up to three consecutive years;
If Etihad needs a few extra games, tell
them to host one of their tenant clubs, who
in Rounds 15 and 16 this year played an
interstate team, on our deck – the MCG –
in front of parents and friends.
•mid-season draft, with lists finalised on
31 May annually.
Get the Hell off our lawn, Carlton. As an
aside, I really hate Carlton.
In addition, at a Club level, all players at
Richmond should be available for media
interviews at least once a month.
In June I went to a terrific Tommy Hafey
Club event, held in the Maurice Rioli Room
at Punt Road.
•The 9 in a row that preceded the belting
in Adelaide?
•Dusty, Dusty, Dusty?
Good moments, but not good enough, and
not enough of them.
Can the current Board, as it is currently
constituted, truly understand what the
absence of success means to those of
us who only know Richmond has been
great before by watching grainy video and
reading archived news reports?
It cannot.
As a father, this year’s disappointment has
taken on a new dimension, as I see my
children upset at our Club’s performance.
Richmond Members have a right to expect
more. I do. I will.
T H A N KS
I really appreciate you coming this far.
I hope you’ll go a step further and support
me at the 2016 Richmond Board election.
Even if you don’t, please do vote.
It’s really important, as Richmond is a huge
part of all our lives (well, mine anyway) and
voting is your voice.
Any queries, suggestions or even sledges?
Let me know.
In sickness and in health, Go Tiges.
Simon Wallace
E: [email protected]
W: www.gotiges.com.au