From parody tweeter to Richmond board aspirant. That's the story of lawyer Simon Wallace, a long-time Tigers fan who says he will this week front a nominations committee in a bid to become a Richmond director at an election later this year.
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Wallace, 42, this week released an extensive 21-page prospectus of his views about the Tigers' on-and-off-field situation, setting out the reasons why he should be considered for the board. Describing himself as a "sceptical optimist," he has deliberately avoided attacking individual members of the board, and largely eschewed hyperbole despite the Tigers' disappointing season under Damien Hardwick.
Wallace is however critical of the lack of elected members on the board. With John Matthies set to stand down and be replaced by 1980 premiership player Emmett Dunne, there will soon be just one board member - Rex Chadwick - whose initial appointment to the board came via an election.
"This will be only the second board election in the last seven years, but I suspect we are slaves to our now distant past," Wallace says in his prospectus.
"Stability is admirable, but it must not become inertia, nor can stability be favoured and targeted above all else, especially when sub-standard performances warrant change, or at least challenge. Leaders should not fear being challenged; they should embrace it. Richmond operates in a highly competitive industry."
Bizarrely, Wallace had until recently been operating a parody Twitter account under the guise of veteran football journalist and now-Richmond staff member Tony Greenberg.
Wallace's bid for election is built on a platform of four key pillars. Firstly, Wallace is pushing for a more youthful presence on the Tigers' board, whose youngest member is 47-year-old former Tigers captain Tony Free, and of whom eight out of 10 are in their 50s, 60s or 70s.
"Alongside other Melbourne-based AFL clubs, the board has become sheltered from the people it represents. The vast majority of Richmond directors were adults when Richmond last won a premiership in 1980. Their experience is foreign, envied and unknown to those of my vintage (I'm 42), who have endured the perfect storm of 35 years not only without success, but without even sustained on-field relevance," he said.
He is also pushing for the club to revert from its current "mustard and charcoal" jumper to their famed yellow and black outfit, calling for the end of a deal with apparel manufacturer BLK if they are unable to produce a jumper in the club's traditional colours.
Wallace is also calling for an end to the Tigers' reliance on poker machine revenue that is not "con-free", as well as greater accountability at the club.
"We depend on addiction as a business model. And if people are comfortable with that, then on the same basis we might as well start selling Winfield Blue from the Tigerland Superstore," Wallace told Fairfax Media on Tuesday.
Wallace's challenge is unrelated to those of either Leon Davies or Joe Russo. Davies earlier this year began an online campaign to try and trigger change on the Tigers board. He held a private meeting with prominent Richmond families at a Malvern hotel last month. Property developer Russo failed in a bid to join the board last year and has close links to John Khoury, the business partner of key underworld figure Mick Gatto.
