Richmond CEO Brendon Gale is confident the Club can bounce back briskly from this season’s on-field woes.
The Tigers have had a horror injury run in 2024 and are in 17th place on the AFL ladder after 11 home-and-away rounds with only one win.
Gale, however, is buoyant about Richmond’s prospects for next year and beyond.
“The Club’s in a very strong position off the field in terms of its people and their capability, the balance sheet, the culture and those sorts of things, but there is a sense of renewal going on with our (playing) list,” he said on SEN.
“We feel that with the profile of our list, the capability of our list, we can compete. In fact, we had a reasonable side against Sydney (Round 4) and they’re top of the ladder and we beat them.
“You’re trying to regenerate on the run, and I guess we’ve taken that to extremes this year. Our hand is forced.
“I think if we get a decent run with injury and we develop a few players and a few pop, things can turn around pretty quickly.”
Gale doesn’t subscribe to the view that a club has to completely bottom out in order to be a serious contender again in a few years’ time.
“You always want to stay competitive, and in the hunt,” he said.
“Importantly, thanks to the work of Blair Hartley (General Manager of football talent), we go into this year’s draft with a really, really strong hand . . .
“We haven’t had as much access to the top end (of the draft) for the last decade as some clubs, but it’s our turn.”
Gale believes there is a silver lining to the Tigers’ injury plague this season.
“That’s given us a chance to blood youth, get games into the kids. Good will come from this,” he said.
He likewise feels Adem Yze will benefit significantly from the trials and tribulations he’s experiencing in his first season as Richmond’s coach.
“Adem’s a very experienced football person, he’s been around some successful programs. But there’s nothing like being in the chair,” Gale said.
“There’s an opportunity here for Adem to get his lessons early. It’s a good chance for him to really to grow and learn more about himself and the program and the people around him.
“He’ll be a better coach, more rounded through all the rigours, the pressure.”
Gale urged Richmond’s members and fans to stick with the Cub through this tough time.
“We’ve had a couple of awful losses, and we can’t accept those, and we won’t,” he said.
“It’s not an excuse (the injury crisis), it’s a fact.
“When we’re healthy and we’re fit and we present a reasonable side, we’re more than competitive.
“We’re a competitive football team and I think we will be for years to come.
“But we need to replenish and renew.
“It all depends on the draft and the opportunities that become available.”
