Why Katie Brennan’s move to Richmond wasn’t about cash

Richmond captain Katie Brennan agreed to sign with the Tigers without any idea of how much she would be paid.

Richmond captain Katie Brennan at Punt Road Oval. Picture: Aaron Francis

Richmond captain Katie Brennan agreed to sign with the Tigers without any idea of how much she would be paid.

Ten months ago, the 27-year-old AFLW star made the decision to join the team on the feel of the club alone.

Last autumn Richmond made an exceptional presentation to Brennan, which showcased their culture and commitment to players and the women’s team, and from there they had her signature.

“It was never about the cash for me,” Brennan said, on the eve of Friday night’s season opener against Carlton at Ikon Park.

“I never asked my manager Alex Saundry during the whole contract negotiation about money. On the day, I was signing the contract with Richmond, she mentioned the financial figure and I was like, ‘amazing’.”

“In the lead-up to this, I had had a pretty tough couple of years personally at the Bulldogs with injury. I fell out of love with the game a little. In those circumstances, sometimes you need a change.”

Katie Brennan says she fell out of love with the game. Picture: Jay Town

It wasn’t an easy decision to leave the Western Bulldogs, a club she had captained and been part of for seven years, three of those in the AFLW. Brennan said while the game could give you some incredible highs, when injury hit, the “biggest lows” could smash you down.

“It was such a mental battle, I really couldn’t get my ankle right for a really long time,” Brennan said. “It was affecting me as not only an athlete, but really as a person as well. It was extremely frustrating.”

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While Brennan left the Footscray-based club on good terms and is grateful for everything the Dogs gave her, it was clear she needed a fresh start after losing her hunger for the game.

“Everyone knows that internal feeling that you get when you have a pull towards something and I think it is important to listen to your gut at times,” Brennan said. “It was a really big decision, but it is one that has really excited me about building something special at the Tigers.

“I left the Bulldogs, knowing I put my heart and soul into the club, I couldn’t have done any more for that club. I felt I had to move through to the next chapter and the next phase.”

This pre-season she has dropped kilograms and is looking forward to an on-the-ball role, rather than on the forward line. She is also thriving in her new club environment.

Ellie Blackburn, left, and Katie Brennan, who missed the match through suspension, after winning the 2018 AFLW grand final with the Western Bulldogs

On one of her first mornings at the Tigers, she was training in the gym one early morning when the assistant coach of the men’s team, Justin Leppitsch took her aside.

Brennan, a one-time Lions supporter, was buoyed by the fact one of her childhood heroes had time for her.

“He said, ‘I have half an hour, what do you want to work on?’” Brennan said.

“I found that really powerful. A lot of the girls want to learn and just soak up the information. It was just an amazing moment. They collaborate well as a club. We share resources. That is driven by general manager Neil Balme. He is an amazing figure in leadership in the club. He wants the best for the girls.”

One of Richmond’s strengths is that the women’s team feels it is “part of the fabric” of the footy club, said Brennan. There’s equal access for everyone from the conditioning staff to mindfulness and peak performance mind coach Emma Murray.

She said Richmond football operations manager Kate Sheahan, a former player, had also been crucial to ensuring that the “investment” in the women’s team had been optimal.

“I feel the Tigers have done it really well from the start, they’ve learnt from the foundation teams,” she said.

“With the VFL men’s and women’s clubs, and men’s and women’s AFL teams, there’s four clubs running around, needing time and investment and energy.

“To a degree what the boys get the girls get as well … the girls have to work around what hours we are there at the club, so we are there at 3pm and out at 10pm, but in saying that, there is great access to facilities, resources and people.”

Katie Brennan with some young Richmond fans. Picture: Nicole Cleary

Brennan said they fed off the men’s team and their “values”. The club, she says, has a big focus on “connection”.

“It’s a club that embraces the whole person and not just the athlete, it makes you feel really valued,” she said.