Brendon Gale is expecting the rest of the competition to come at Richmond next season.
The Tigers remarkably pulled off a third premiership in four years by claiming the 2020 flag against all odds after spending over 100 days in a hub on the Gold Coast.
While they were not the only club to be in such a situation, they were indeed the only club left standing after beating Geelong in the first night Grand Final at the Gabba in late October.
With that 13th trophy now safely locked away at Punt Road, the Tigers look ahead to 2021 where a third straight premiership beckons, but not without the desire to keep improving and to continue breeding a winning culture.
Asked on SEN’s Bob and Andy if there is a lack of a challenge for Richmond heading into a new year, club CEO Gale said: “No, not at all.”
“It’s been a long time between drinks for the Tigers. We’ve climbed the top of the mountain, but we’re enjoying the view.
“But also, the system, or the AFL community, almost breeds this inherent sense of insecurity. They’re just always coming at you from everywhere.
“You’ve got to be at the top of your game, you’ve got to be sharpening the saw, you’ve got to be finding ways to improve and compete in what is a continuous, infinite game.
“We’ll be as focused, determined and as hungry as ever, because if not, they’re coming for us.”
One way of improving is by selecting quality youngsters in the National Draft, which takes place this Wednesday night.
Gale says as the club’s CEO, he is not privy to too many discussions on draft plans, leaving that side of things to the recruiting department.
“There’s people much more intelligent than me in those matters,” he added.
“Blair Hartley and his team, Francis Jackson a few years ago. It just highlights the importance of those roles.
“They’ve got their fingerprints all over the last three premierships. They’ll put in the time and effort and the preparation, they’ll make some good decisions.
“We’ve got young Maurice Rioli Junior, who has nominated as a father-son selection, so that will be interesting to see how that falls.”
The Tigers hold picks 17, 36, 61, 79, 96, 108 in the 2020 National Draft.
Tune in at 6:30pm AEDT on Wednesday, December 9 for the AFL Draft on SEN, powered by Tyrepower.
