As bad as it gets for Richmond but fans should ease off Hardwick: Robbo (H-Sun)

[one-eyed]

The Tackle: Mark Robinson’s likes and dislikes from Round 19

MARK ROBINSON
Herald Sun
August 1, 2016

THIS is as bad as it gets for Richmond but Tiger fans should ease off coach Damien Hardwick.

Thanks heavens the Tigers have Alex Rance, who saved them from an even more humiliating defeat.

DISLIKES

1. Calls for Hardwick’s head

Was at a funeral on Friday and death was in the air and the son of the deceased — my aunty June — was distressed. Still, amid his pain — and he is a Tigers fan — he found time to declare it was time for Richmond to sack Damien Hardwick. Then came Saturday’s misery.

The Richmond electorate is restless. Many want change. Saturday’s performance delivered all those things you don’t want to see: insipid, uninspired and their worst score in 50 years. But what was the expectation? The team contained Nathan Drummond (three games), Oleg Markov (four), Daniel Rioli (14), Adam Marcon (one), Jayden Short (12) and Kane Lambert (26) and they played GWS at Canberra.

One team had a contingent of inexperience, the other is aiming to win the premiership. It’s an odd environment, football. Everyone demanded Richmond plays the kids, and when they do and they get beaten, everyone says the coach should be sacked. Kids and losses go hand in hand. Remember, this mob beat Hawthorn by 75 points.

2. Complete rebuild?

That’s already started and that’s why we have seen the aforementioned youngsters plus Liam McBean, Connor Menadue, Corey Ellis and Jason Castagna this year. The problem is the mid-tier group has hit the wall and recent recruits haven’t worked. Look at Collingwood. They bring in Levi Greenwood, Jack Crisp, Adam Treloar, Travis Varcoe and Jeremy Howe. The Tigers have purchased Jacob Townsend, Andrew Moore and Taylor Hunt.

Who’s rubber stamping these deals to get so-called hard heads into the group? Hardwick has to take responsibility, as does his list management group. The future plans are obvious: Keep draft picks, trade out to get more draft picks under pick 20 but, first of all, decide if Hardwick will get a second chance at a rebuild. CEO Brendon Gale said yesterday Hardwick will coach in 2017, so clearly it’s trade and draft time.

3. What doesn’t help? Plenty ...

When Trent Cotchin doesn’t lay a tackle. When Shaun Grigg and Anthony Miles disappoint. When the team is soft and undisciplined. When the list is overrated. When they recruit Chris Yarran and he doesn’t play a game. When Brendon Bolton delivers a game-plan at Carlton in one season and they push Sydney and Hawthorn in the past two weeks and the Richmond game plan is licorice all-sorts and they lose their past two games by 70 and 88 points. Let’s be honest, there are spotfires everywhere.

4. So what happens now?

Gale declared Hardwick would coach in 2017, but didn’t guarantee him. They play Collingwood, Geelong, St Kilda and Hawthorn in the next four weeks and if there are terrible blow outs in all four, if the team is as embarrassing as it was on Saturday, then the board will have to decide if Hardwick is the person to go forward with. That’s their role. So, the next four weeks are crucial.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/expert-opinion/mark-robinson/the-tackle-mark-robinsons-likes-and-dislikes-from-round-19/news-story/9d1717b582a9424c77bbb8c669ae5b0a

[sugark]

It's all Hardwick, the poor game plan of slow moving possession football is so antiquated in today's game and too easy to coach against.  Dan Richardsons arrogant football payment model is why we've missed on Adams, Treloar and co and why we've landed Townsend and Moore.

Not until those two areas are addressed properly will we ever stand a chance of succeeding.

The FTF established to eradicate debt and bring in elite people to our club, well that's been a huge success hasn't it, the members have been had yet again by a board with 90's thinking.

[Eat_em_Alive]

Robbo, luke Ball, Matthew Lloyd etc etc all think we should retain Dimma
Wonder why? Want us to continue down the garden path..
Only journo with balls I've seen is Hutchy and he said it's time, even Richo said the whole department should be reviewed when asked about Hardwick. And my feeling was he has had enough of this poo too.
Nathan Brown argued we sack coaches but was burnt down by Hutchy on the footy show as the last 3 coaches have had enough time to do something.
Media is all a big boys club and they're reveling in our failure. When you have the opportunity on social media- take it up to this pricks with facts and shut them down.

[Stalin]

Back to the pub Robbo u fat gimp

[Harry]

Blobbo looking out for his mate Dimma from their essendon days.  The pies have a couple of losses and he's all over buckley.  Seems hutchy is the only journo with half an idea.

[tigs2011]

Wow Carlton nearly beat Sydney. 

We've only beaten them every year since Dimma started or at least it feels like it. Where did it get us? stuffing nowhere. 

[Diocletian]

Still remember watching the replay of one of our wins over Sydney early on in Halfstep's tenure and Bruce in commentary exclaiming  ..."this is the kind of win that changes a club!".....

....yep....

[tigs2011]

Still remember watching the replay of one of our wins over Sydney early on in Halfstep's tenure and Bruce in commentary exclaiming  ..."this is the kind of win that changes a club!".....

....yep....

It did we started beating Sydney every year...
















...and cancelling it out with the annual loss or 2 to Melbourne.

[one-eyed]

Robbo, luke Ball, Matthew Lloyd etc etc all think we should retain Dimma

Add Mark "Vitamins" McVeigh to that list.

Hardwick deserves one more year
Ben Hocking
Sportsfan/afl site
Aug 1, 2016

Mark McVeigh believes that despite Richmond's poor form, there is no point in sacking coach Damien Hardwick, saying the issues are with their list.

Richmond chief executive Brendon Gale has pledged his support for Damien Hardwick following a horrendous 88-point loss to GWS on Saturday.

Hardwick is under increasing pressure to keep his job next season after the Tigers managed to score just 23 points, their lowest return in a game for 55 years.

Former Bomber Mark McVeigh told SportsFan that Gale was right to back his coach to turn things around next year and said Hardwick still had the support of the players.

"Damien Hardwick is a good coach although the results wouldn't suggest that at the moment," McVeigh said. "They (the players) play for him, they really like him."

While McVeigh agreed that Hardwick should be able to see out his contract next season, he said Hardwick would be under massive pressure to produce results in 2017.

"They should keep him, give him one more year and hopefully they can tinker with that list. If they don't make finals next year it could be curtains," McVeigh said.

"Internally they might have looked at their list and thought it was better than what it was, but now they know they have to make some serious changes."

http://www.sportsfan.com.au/hardwick-deserves-one-more-year/tabid/91/newsid/206049/default.aspx?cid=SF_LOWDOWN_AFL_article_hardwickdeservesonemoreyear_010816