American lawyer Peggy O’Neal might lead a team of Tigers, but it’s rare to hear her roar. Although you might have heard an enthusiastic “whoop!” or three when her team won those Australian Football League grand finals!  

That unflappable pragmatism is something the president of Richmond Football Club learned growing up in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia, USA.  

Peggy has seen off leadership coups, helped break a 37-year-premiership drought for her beloved Richmond Tigers, and given her all to help pull her football team back from the brink of financial ruin to a fiscally healthy club. 

All the while, she’s been helping to build a community around her from the ground up.   

Peggy O’Neal is the quieter kind of leader whose process-driven results (ahem, three premiership flags in four years) leave a legacy as strong as those community foundations. 

You could put that down to her upbringing, or you could put it down to Peggy herself – a whip-smart, humble ‘doer’ - the opposite of the outspoken, opinionated football president archetype you usually see dominating the media. 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. It’s the show where leaders are honest about their darkest moments and share tips on how to thrive in challenging times.  

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This was episode was produced by Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

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