RICHMOND agitator Joe Russo has pulled out of any board challenge as a group of prominent supporters continue to rally separately for change.
Russo, who unsuccessfully challenged for a seat on the Tigers' board last year, confirmed through a spokesperson on Thursday that he would not be part of a fresh challenge.
At the same time a website he was believed to have financed was shut down after a campaign calling for supporters to generate "much needed" change at the club's highest level.
The 'Richmond Rollercoaster' website closed on Thursday with a statement left saying it had achieved what it wanted and it was now appropriate to close.
"The idea of the Richmond Rollercoaster was to build support to call for much needed changes to the board of the Richmond Football Club," the statement read.
"This week a number of prominent Richmond supporters have met and are discussing how to make these changes with the best people involved.
"It is appropriate for this site to close and the focus shift to the group that is serious about challenging for positions on the board."
Russo had met with a group of supporters who are rallying for change at board level, but the property developer will not form part of any ticket.
The influential group, which reportedly met again on Wednesday evening, is now focusing on identifying the right people to stand for election.
It is understood a key issue for the group is fixed terms for board members, which president Peggy O'Neal and all long-term directors still sitting have previously opposed.
O'Neal, who joined the board in November 2005 and was elected president in 2013, has reportedly indicated she would now be open to introducing fixed terms.
Board members Maurice O’Shannassy (elected December 2004), John Matthies (January 2004), and Robert Dalton (November 2004) have all served for extended periods.
Mathies and lawyer Kerry Ryan, who joined the board in October 2013, are up for re-election at the end of the season along with O'Neal.
There has also been speculation that Mathies and Rex Chadwick, who joined the board in December 2009, would consider stepping down.
The Tigers’ decision to engage consultancy firm Ernst & Young to conduct a review of the football department also prompted the group to rally.
Questions are being asked about the firm's suitability to contribute to a football department review when the club's 2016 finances and off-field position are in good order.
The club has reportedly terminated Russo's sponsorship of the Richmond VFL team, effective at the end of this season.
Property developer Joe Russo pulls out of Richmond board challenge
Joe Russo confirms he will not be making a tilt for a position on Richmond's board