I can't find this on the net so I scanned it in....
Roaring back
*By Glenn McFarlane
* Sunday Herald-Sun
* 4 July 2010, Page 55
RICHMOND has seemingly had a patent on rebuilds for more than a generation, but club stalwart Dale Weightman insists the foundations this time around differ markedly from other failed ones.
As the second youngest member of the Tigers' last premiership side in 1980, a veteran of 16 seasons as a player and an employee of the club for the past decade, Weightman has almost seen it all in that time.
Almost, because the only thing missing has been success. The Tigers have played in only three finals series -- 1982, '95 and 2001 -- since their last flag 30 years ago.
Now, as he gazes out across the $20 million redevelopment of Punt Rd, he insists the Damien Hardwick-led rebuild may pay as many dividends the state-of-the-art facilities to be unveiled later in the year.
"You hear all about these five-year plans and, to be honest, I take them with a grain of salt,'' Weightman said.
"There hasn't been too much substance to them. It has been all about hope and hearsay.
"But it's different this time. Damien (Hardwick) has come in with a plan. I've seen it, I've read it and it's got a lot of depth to it. It won't happen overnight, but it will happen.''
That's not the spruiking of an old-style shampoo advertisement, it comes from a man who confesses to being more than a little cynical about the promise of rebuilds.
If Weightman had uttered those words over a month ago, he would be liable to be certified by most observers. At that stage, the Tigers were 0-9 with a percentage of 56.2 and with comparisons to the lowly Fitzroy team of 1996.
Back then, some were calling Richmond "the bye before the bye'' -- meaning a certain win before the bye comes into the competition for one year in 2011.
Fast forward four matches -- three of them gritty wins over Port Adelaide (away), West Coast and the Brisbane Lions (away) -- and the young Tigers have shown significant improvement over the past month.
On almost every statistical level, Richmond has lifted itself from the mire. It has gone from the easiest team to score against once the opposition has gone inside 50 to the hardest in the past month.
In that same time it has averaged more clearances against its opponents and outscored its rivals more than any other team in the AFL.
While it is hardly a renaissance, the youngest team in the competition is on a slow-burn in terms of its development, with plenty of upside to come.
Tiger onballer Daniel Jackson says the "slow-burn'' description is an apt one, thanks mainly to a strict adherence to, and belief in, Hardwick's game plan.
"From the first day Damien walked in,'' Jackson said. "We're going to be a young and inexperienced side. But we have a plan that we know works, and if you believe in it, we will progressively chip away at it.
"Losing nine games was emotionally very tough. But through it all, we knew there were some real positives and that it was going to take time.''
Jackson said the confidence of the young kids -- 23 of the club's 46 players (senior list and rookies) were aged 21 and under heading into this weekend -- was on the rise.
"I think this time last year it was doom and gloom in terms of the games we had won, but it was also that way because there didn't appear to be any light at the end of the tunnel,'' he said.
"We didn't know who was going to be coaching us and there were people wondering if they still had jobs.
"But these young boys are doing a really good job. They set the scene with their energy and enthusiasm. And that is great for some of the older players in the group.''
Jackson said the most recent batch of draftees was the best he had encountered in his time at the club, in terms of their capacity to learn.
"The 13 or 14 guys we picked up are all guys of good character,'' he said. "They ask a lot of questions, they listen and show respect. They have the right mindset.''
While he was loath to individualise, Jackson said midfielder Dustin Martin had an enormous appetite to learn -- just as Jack Riewoldt, a Coleman Medal prospect this season, has shown for a number of years.
Richmond general manager of football Craig Cameron said "the playing group is becoming more comfortable with Damien Hardwick's game plan and team rules, and they are executing this much more efficiently''.
Cameron acknowledges this rebuild is going to have peaks and troughs, but was confident the overall graph would be an elevated one.
"While we have been pleased with the team's progress over the past few weeks, we fully realise that we still have a long way to go,'' he said recently in his mid-year assessment on the club's website.
"With so many young and inexperienced players in the line-up, we have to expect some form fluctuation during the second half of the season.''
Jackson agrees. "We are realistic enough to know that we won't be sitting on top of the ladder at the end of the year, or winning every game from here on,'' he said.
"But we do know that we are going to continue putting these pieces together and for the next 12 months, or 18, or however long it takes, we will become a good side eventually.''
In the interim, Jackson said the club would savour each win, as evidenced by the gusto singing the theme song.
"We haven't sung it enough in my time at the club,'' he said, recalling losing his first seven games as a player in 2004 and having won only 22 of his 78 career games.
"Some of the young guys just have so much energy that they want to sing it every opportunity they get. We will give it our absolute best.''
Given the mood at Punt Rd right now, the same goes for the rebuild.
RETURN OF THE FIGHTING FURY
Richmond's defence was the AFL's worst in the first nine rounds this year. In the past four weeks it has ranked with the best
ROUNDS 1-9 ROUNDS 10-13
Points against 120 (16th) 72.5 (2nd)
Inside 50s conceded 55.2 (15th) 49.8 (10th)
Percentage of opposition goals once inside 31.6% (16th) 20.1% (1st)
Its back six has gone from the easiest to score a goal against once the opposition goes inside 50 to the hardest in the past month
OTHER KEY INDICATORS IN THE PAST MONTH
THE Tigers are averaging 11.8 more clearances than their opponents per game in the past four matches - ranked No.1.
THEY have outscored the opposition by 87 points from clearances since Round 10 - ranked No.1
SHANE Tuck has had 28 clearances in the past four games - ranked No.1.
JACK Riewoldt (right) has kicked 23.10 in the past month - with Barry Hall the next best with 18 goals.
