RICHMOND challengers Focus on Footy are hopeful they will not need to force an extraordinary general meeting to win seats on the board after holding "productive" talks with the club.
President Peggy O'Neal and CEO Brendon Gale met with representatives of the rebel group, Dr Martin Hiscock and his deputy Mag Kearney for about 40 minutes at a Melbourne law firm on Tuesday morning.
After a long struggle to meet with the Tigers, Focus on Footy had the chance to mount their case for a board handover directly to O'Neal and Gale and were not rebuffed on the spot.
It is understood the rebel group has the numbers now to trigger an EGM if desired, but they have agreed to wait for the Tigers' response to Tuesday's meeting.
They haven't put a deadline on the Tigers to respond.
"At what was a positive meeting, we reiterated our view that it was time for new and re-energised thinking at Richmond," Hiscock said in a statement.
"They are going to think about what we said and see whether there is a way to address our concerns without the need for an EGM."
Focus on Footy launched their campaign on September 5 and have kept the threat of an EGM alive if they are unable to gain seats on the board in an orderly handover.
Under Richmond's constitution they would require just 100 member signatures to trigger an EGM.
Hiscock said Tuesday's meeting was an "olive branch, not a concession" to the club, which needed to change.
"We believe this starts with changing the board. Many of the current board members have been there for too long," he said.
"We have to do something. We don’t want to wake up in 15 years time and say we should have done something before it became half a century since our last premiership."
Earlier on Tuesday, Hiscock reiterated the group's position that coach Damien Hardwick would be coach in 2017 under their regime, but with performance criteria.
"If he doesn't meet those criteria at a certain stage during the year the football department, directors and Neil Balme will make a decision as to whether he goes or not," Hiscock said on SEN.
"We'd like to build that support around him and see how he goes … I've said that from the word go that he'll be there next year."
Kearney told News Corporation that the group would "provide the necessary funding to release [Hardwick] from the club" if new performance measures weren't met in 2017.
Hardwick is contracted until the end of 2018 after signing a two-year extension at the start of this year.
"The club will do the same thing, don't get me wrong. Who wants another two years of what we saw this year? No one wants that," Hiscock said.
"We have to see more spirited performances and we have to see a better game-plan."
Hiscock would not disclose how many seats on the Richmond board Focus on Footy was requesting, but the group would not seek to "depose the president".
He said the group would work around sensitive periods for the club, like the NAB AFL Draft, if it did force an extraordinary general meeting.
After making newly installed football manager Balme a key part of their pitch 15 days ago, Hiscock said the group had "got a wink" from Balme.
"That's why we went ahead with our launch. That's fine that he took the path of least resistance, he's where we want him."
