Richmond president Peggy O’Neal praises resilient Tigers in flag push

The Tigers have overcome some significant challenges on a personal and team front in 2020 to reach the grand final against Geelong at The Gabba on Saturday night

Richmond president Peggy O’Neal is proud of the fight shown by the Tigers to reach the 2020 grand final against Geelong. Picture: Aaron Francis

Richmond president Peggy O’Neal has praised the physical and mental resilience shown by the Tigers as they attempt to win a third premiership in four seasons at the Gabba on Saturday night.

Richmond and its rival, Geelong, have now spent more than 100 days on the road to reach what will be a historic grand final given the location and timeslot.

O’Neal said dual-premiership coach Damien Hardwick had again demonstrated a remarkable ability to keep his players focused despite the difficulties 2020 has presented.

“You really can’t underestimate the amount of personal discipline and effort and commitment required to pursue this,” she said.

“You have to keep moving ahead, to keep going and going, to find new ways to get the message across to your players.”

The Tigers have overcome huge challenges to reach another grand final following their premierships in 2017 and 2019.

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Stars including Dion Prestia, reigning best-and-fairest Bachar Houli and Shane Edwards initially remained in Melbourne when their teammates left in early July for various reasons.

Both Houli and Marlion Pickett told The Weekend Australian this week there were times when they considered leaving the hub.

An uncle of Pickett’s died on the eve of the finals, while his father Thomas is sick. Houli’s mother Yamama went into intensive care in July while ill with COVID-19.

While overcoming the challenges has helped an already tight-knit group become closer, O’Neal said it could not have been easy for players to live away from their extended families for so long.

“It has been a different sort of resilience,” she said.

“Normally you are surrounded by your family and your friends when you are away. (Some must have thought) ‘What am I doing with my work colleagues for four months?’

“I think it is a real tribute to their character and to their resilience.”

It is not only the players who have been tested in a season AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan described as the most challenging the competition has faced.

Richmond chief executive Brendon Gale travelled with the Tigers when they first left Victoria, but had to return home in early August for the most difficult of tasks.

Gale was tasked with telling several loyal employees that they would need to be let go due to the financial constraints COVID-19 had placed on clubs.

Similar situations unfolded at every club in the competition, as well as at AFL headquarters.

Gale arrived back in Queensland at the start of September.

He was forced to deal with a significant breach of the AFL’s coronavirus protocols, which led to Sydney Stack and Callum Coleman-Jones’s eviction from Queensland.

“Once the action is over after this weekend … there will be a lot of reflection about the year,” O’Neal said.

The Tigers president will be watching the grand final from her Richmond home, having decided against travelling to Queensland due to work commitments.

She says it is remarkable the AFL has managed to be able to hold its grand final within a month of the original date, given the complexity of the year.

“I think when we shut down in March, people were wondering whether we would ever get the season going and how long that would take,” she said.

The Richmond president said Victorians, in particular, had missed attending matches this year. But she said being able to complete the season had allowed the connection fans have with the game and each other to continue, which had been vital.