Stevo’s Sting – People taking back power in Richmond

The AFL boss summed it up as well as anyone.

“People have to do what they have to do,” Gil McLachlan mused hours after the challenge to the Richmond board became official.

Simply put, it is “people power.”

Sure, it’s messy, it’s disturbing, and you can already hear the complaints of those who suggest that anxiety is not good for anyone. But in recent years, across the AFL, boards have been hand-picked, challenges ironed out behind the scenes and elections prevented.

It was a time of calm waters, with many executive appointments and strategies approved by the AFL. It could be argued that it was too fixed, too compliant and too homogenized.

Football is a democratic business, and challenges and choices have always been part of that landscape.

It’s refreshing to see people coming back to the surface.

The Richmond board did a solid job. You can’t criticize your efforts off the field, let alone this year on the field. However, you may question the decision to extend Damien Hardwick’s contract for two years.

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Surely one year a la Collingwood would be enough.

Under the rule of old-fashioned people, you have to be responsible for this. What is the point of having members and a constitution if there is no trigger for elections and no mechanism to ensure board integrity?

Richmond’s management looks good on paper, solid credentials and all, but they deserve a 10 after a disastrous 2016 season.

The seven-seat ticket presented this morning does not have the status of a blockbuster on paper. Perhaps a bit disappointing, despite the presence of first-league players Bruce Monteath and Bryan Wood. But the media attack was well organized, PR company and all, and Dr. Martin Hiscock delivered a clear and credible message.

They will be in talks with Neil Balme about a new director-general of football, but will reappoint coach Damien Hardwick. They attacked the previous recruitment, but we will still see a change. This will change regardless of any changes in management.

Will they win? Probably not, especially considering the decision to keep Hardwick won’t go down well with disgruntled members looking for blood.

It’s also hard to argue that management did enough wrong to be fired. So much has been achieved over the last 10 years despite recruitment shortcomings.

There is not enough difference in the Focus on Footy group to risk switching.

The album will definitely survive. But those who are in the boardroom now should not complain about instability. We should applaud the passion and re-emergence of the suffrage era.

This is a game of nations. Democracy is back.