One-Eyed Richmond Forum
Football => Richmond Rant => Topic started by: WilliamPowell on March 13, 2014, 02:19:33 PM
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Richmond's Jake King no guarantee for AFL round one
Date: March 13, 2014 - 2:13PM Read later
Matt Murnane
Sports writer for The Age
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has dodged an opportunity to guarantee Jake King's spot for round one, but has made clear the controversial small forward's value to the side.
Hardwick admitted King had been unable to complete the workload the coaching staff wanted for him ahead of Saturday's season-opener against Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium.
Given round one historically offers the fastest-paced games of the regular season, King is in danger of missing the interstate trip alongside reigning best and fairest winner Daniel Jackson, who has been set for round two in his recovery from a groin injury.
The uncertain build-up to round one follows an eventful pre-season for King where his association with bikie figure Toby Mitchell has created headlines.
"He's probably a bit under-done at this stage, we would have liked him to get a bit more game time under his belt," Hardwick said before training on Thursday.
"He knows how important he is to this side, and I know how important he is to this side also. Look, it will be a tough decision at match commitee this afternoon, we've got good players that are going to miss out."
Hardwick said VFL recruit Sam Lloyd was in the frame to take the small forward position should King be left out, revealing Lloyd had worked hard on his defensive game during the pre-season.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/richmonds-jake-king-no-guarantee-for-afl-round-one-20140313-hvi6a.html#ixzz2voEPTLRr
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Hardwick says Tigers can't focus only on Ablett
Roger Vaughan, AAP
March 13, 2014 2:47 PM
RICHMOND coach Damien Hardwick has warned against being too focused on Gary Ablett in the season opener against Gold Coast.
As expected, Daniel Jackson, the Tigers' best and fairest winner – and the most likely match-up for Ablett - will miss Saturday night's away match because of an interrupted pre-season.
Hardwick hopes Jackson will be ready for the round-two blockbuster against Carlton.
While Richmond have to work out a new plan for the dual Brownlow medallist, Hardwick said the developing Suns had plenty of ways to hurt the Tigers in and around the stoppages.
Hardwick pointed to Michael Rischitelli, NAB AFL Rising Star winner Jaegar O'Meara, Dion Prestia and Harley Bennell as midfielders who warranted respect.
"The danger with looking too much at Gary is you underestimate the other players in their side," he said.
"You can manage to try and put all your eggs in one basket with Gary or actually realise that their midfield overall is a very solid unit that is capable of winning some footy games."
Hardwick added there is no guaranteed way to plan for Ablett.
"We've thought about a lot of options for Gary Ablett," he said.
"He's a fantastic player and the thing you assume with Gary, he's going to get his 25-30 touches anyway.
"It's whether we go ... with a defensive-minded player on him and try and limit him by two or three possessions or we try and attack him the other way."
Hardwick was confident that Jackson would only miss the round-one match.
"He's a little bit off, so he'll get a couple of weeks of training under his belt and then we'll look to bring him back for round two," he said.
While Jackson has struggled to regain fitness, key forward Ty Vickery has starred in the pre-season.
Shaun Hampson's arrival from Carlton not only is crucial backup while Ivan Maric recovers from injury, but also frees Vickery to play permanently in attack.
"We're really pleased with what his output has been," Hardwick said.
"It's probably been a plan of our for a long period of time to just have him a pure key position player.
"We're hoping he can kick a bag of goals this year.
"If we can get an output of 40 goals for the year and he tackles and chases, we're in a good place."
There are big expectations for Richmond and Gold Coast this season, with the Tigers aiming to make consecutive finals series for the first time in 30 years.
The Suns could be top-eight contenders for the first time and will fancy their chances against Richmond.
"They're a side that is definitely on the way up," Hardwick said.
"Every game within the AFL now is a danger game.
"You have to understand from a coaching perspective and inside this facility here, all the points are important."
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-03-13/gazza-who
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VIDEO: http://www.richmondfc.com.au/video/2014-03-13/hardwick-press-conference-13th-march
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Richmond coach Damien Hardwick rules Jake King out of Round 1 clash with Gold Coast
Herald-Sun
March 13, 2014 3:02PM
RICHMOND’S Jake King will miss Saturday night’s season opener against Gold Coast with Tigers coach Damien Hardwick today ruling out the small forward.
The Tigers trained at Punt Road this afternoon and Hardwick conceded that it was going to be a tough job for selectors to pick the side that will travel to the Gold Coast for Saturday night’s game at Metricon Stadium.
Hardwick said King had already been ruled out of the side, his limited preparation as a result of off-season toe and shoulder surgeries leaving him underdone and in need of more game time.
But Hardwick said while the much-loved Tiger would be missed against the Suns, his absence would present an opportunity for another.
“We know how important he is to the side, he knows how important he is to the side also,” Hardwick said.
“So it will be a tough decision this afternoon because we’ve got some good players who are going to miss out.
“It’s a great place for our club to be in. Players who are very capable AFL players are going to fall short.”
Hardwick said there was a chance Orren Stephenson, who was also promoted from the rookie list, could play a support role to former Carlton ruckman Shaun Hampson who has suddenly became the Tigers No. 1 big man following an ankle injury to Ivan Maric which will be sidelined out for the first few rounds.
After twice losing to the Suns in Cairns, the Tigers finally got the points last season.
Hardwick said that despite losing to Melbourne in the first game of the NAB Challenge, the Tiger players had improved.
“I think we have improved as a side, you have only got to look at our pre-season form,” he said.
“Obviously really disappointing with our intensity and work rate with the Round 1 NAB Cup game, but our last two games have been more along the lines of a Richmond we’d expect.
“The improvement has been noted in players, like (Ben) Griffiths has been very good, (David) Astbury has had a great pre-season, young Matthew McDonough is another guy. We just have to weigh up the guys who are actually going to get the job done versus Gold Coast. We have to make sure we’re fit and ready to go and we have to make sure we pick the best team that is capable of getting the points for us.”
Hardwick is considering giving football’s toughest assignment — stopping Gold Coast captain and reigning Brownlow Medallist Gary Ablett — to former Port Adelaide player Matt Thomas, who joined the club as a rookie at the end of last season but was upgraded to the senior list this week.
Hardwick is considering what tactics they will use on Ablett and described Thomas as a tenacious competitor who his teammates love to play alongside.
Dan Jackson, who has been used on Ablett in the past, is still on the sidelines but could be back for the Round 2 clash against Carlton.
“We have thought about a lot of options for Gary Ablett,” Hardwick said.
“He is a fantastic player and the thing you assume about Gary is that is going to probably get his 25 to 30 touches anyway so it’s whether we go in with the mindset of having a defensive minded player on him and try to limit him by two or three possessions or we try to attack him the other way. We will work through that with match committee this afternoon.”
But Hardwick is conscious of concentrating too much on Ablett at the expense of not paying enough attention to his quality teammates..
“The danger at looking too much at Gary is that you underestimate the other players in their side like (Dion) Prestia is an outstanding player and (Jaeger) O’Meara is going to be a star. (Michael) Rischitelli is another quality on-baller, as is (Harley) Bennell. You manage to put all your eggs in one basket with Gary or you can actually realise overall that their midfield is a very solid unit that is capable of winning some footy games.”
http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/richmond-coach-damien-hardwick-rules-jake-king-out-of-round-1-clash-with-gold-coast/story-fndv8t7m-1226853878880
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3 articles from 3 different media outlets re-hashing the same crap - welcome to football media today