Richmond president John O’Rourke is confident he’ll have Brendon Gale remaining at Richmond for the short term at least.
With Hardwick walking out on the club on Tuesday morning, plenty of eyeballs turn to Gale in pondering what the Tigers CEO will do.
Gale started his time as the boss at Punt Road at a siilar timing to Hardwick’s appointment at Tigerland and the two are credited with rebuilding the Richmond Football Club on and off the field.
Despite speculation, O’Rourke is confident he’s got Gale’s full commitment for the time being.
“He was there a few days after Damien joined and the two of them are the architects of restoring Richmond as a powerhouse club both on and off the field,” O’Rouke – who officially replaced Peggy O’Neal in December last year – told SEN’s The Run Home.
“They just worked incredibly well together. Brendon, I think he is fully committed to Richmond, he knows that.
“Again, nothing is forever, but for the time being we’re delighted he’s doubling down with Richmond.
“He’s not got this challenge to work with the coaching team and work with the board on a new appointment.
“We’ve got a big redevelopment project Brendon is passionate about, I think he’s very committed to that for the near term at least.”
O’Rourke’s comments come despite Gale recently admitting to taking part in the AFL’s process to be the next league CEO.
While the extremely well-credentialed CEO ultimately missed out on the job to Andrew Dillon, the AFL is reported to be courting Gale to be its new football boss.