Richmond’s premiership-winning team is now eligible to become life members of the club

EVERY premiership-winning Tiger is now eligible to become a life member of the club, with Richmond altering its club constitution to recognise every flag-winning player.

EVERY premiership-winning Tiger is now eligible to become a life member of the club.

Richmond held its annual general meeting on Monday night where it altered its constitution to allow the board — at its discretion — to elect the 22 players who won this year’s flag over Adelaide as life members, along with all previous premiership players.

Before the vote, only multiple VFL/AFL premiership winners or a single VFL/AFL premiership player who had played a minimum of 100 senior games could be considered

Non-playing criteria can also allow election.

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The move could make premiership Tiger Jack Graham the club’s youngest and least experienced life member with the drought-breaking victory coming in just his fifth AFL game.

Football boss Neil Balme spoke on behalf of coach Damien Hardwick, who is overseas.

The message from Hardwick was a simple one.

Jack Riewoldt starred on and off-field on Grand Final day. Picture: Getty Images

“Just tell them ‘we won, and we’ll see you next year’,” Balme said.

Balme did not dwell on the premiership victory other than to describe the year as “wonderful”, and said the true test of the club now lies ahead.

“The relationship between the players and the coaches in particular and how selflessly they worked together to get the outcome was quite amazing,” he said.

“It’s the true reflection of a great club. The reflection of this great club will be how well we do it in 2018. That’s the real test.”

Club president Peggy O’Neal affirmed that view.

“(2017 was) the season we all dreamed of,” she said.

Every flag-winning Tiger is now eligible for life membership. Picture: Getty Images

“The challenge ahead of us is how to achieve a period of sustained success. You can be assured that our hard work will not stop.”

It was a stellar year on and off-field for Richmond, which recorded its seventh-straight record membership and fuelled a $5 million windfall.

A special constitutional resolution was also passed to change what is required to call an extraordinary general meeting.

Until Monday night, the club required the signatures of the lesser of five per cent of voting members or 100 voting members to call an EGM.

The amendment — which brings the club into line with the amended Corporations Act — removed the latter option to “more properly represent a fair cross section of the club’s membership and be indicative of the wish of members to have club funds spent in holding and conducting such a meeting”.