Hardwick's post-match presser / Proud of our footy club: Dimma

[one-eyed]

Dimma post-match:

* Proud of our footy club. Been through adversity. Guys asked to play some foreign roles and they stood up. Leaders too stood up educating and keeping spirits up.

* Dimma said he definitely has got belief in the players and the group is now believing it too. Starting to understand what they can do.

* Dusty has been threatening and finally got reward on the scoreboard tonight. Cotch important too with his two first quarter goals. Thought Geelong had the better of the first quarter and kicking accurately kept us in the game.

* We've become more predictable to each other playing our way. That's allowing the likes of Dusty, Bolton, etc to influence the game more.

* Balta was incredible with a number of things he does. Great battle between two big blokes [Balta & Hawkins].

* Broady did a wonderful job on Cameron. We rate him highly but he doesn't get the credit he deserves outside our four walls.

[Chuck17]

Credit where credit is due had a cracker tonight

[Andyy]

Definitely out-coached his counterpart tonight.

I'm also very proud of the players - literally every one of them had a bloody dip for Prestia tonight.

[one-eyed]

Dimma's post-match presser:

WATCH: https://www.richmondfc.com.au/video/1328886/round-9-hardwick-post-match

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Richmond ‘starting to feel the heartbeat coming back’ says Hardwick

The Age
13 May 2023

Is this the “I told you so” moment?

(CHUCKLES) No, not really. I was just proud of our footy club overall. We’ve been through some adversity, as have other clubs, the side across the road [Geelong] have obviously hit a bump in the road with their injuries. But we asked some guys to play some foreign roles and they’ve stepped up and executed. That’s a really pleasing thing. Our leaders have been great just the way they’ve continued to promote the positive messages we’ve been trying to portray. They’ve done a wonderful job of keeping the energy up. It was pleasing. It’s always good to beat a really good opposition in Friday Night Footy. Makes the week a little bit more enjoyable which is great.

All jokes aside, you stayed really positive. You didn’t seem to blink throughout any of the tough times at the start of the year. You obviously still have a lot of belief in this group?

I certainly have got belief and I think the playing group are starting to feel that heartbeat coming back. It looked Richmond-like. The goals, the way we got the ball to ground, the way they charged in. There was a bit of play that last quarter, the ball’s in the goal line and there’s bodies flying everywhere. That’s a Richmond game. That’s the fabric of our footy club has been built on for a number of years. That’s starting to come back into the playing group. Hopefully, our players are starting to understand the belief that we’ve got in them, ’cause I think we’ve got a wonderful group of young men that will continue to challenge sides along the way. We’ll have some bumps in the road but more importantly, they’re starting to understand what they could possibly do.

You mentioned Dusty and Cotchin produced one of the best games of the year. Must’ve been really pleasing for you to see those two?

They’ve been threatening for a little while. Things started to click a little bit. Dustin got the scoreboard reward today, and Trent was the same. His two first-quarter goals were really, really special and we needed them, to be fair. Geelong probably had the upper hand in that first quarter and we kicked six straight, which certainly keeps up in the game and leading. I thought they probably had the better first term. Those goals were really important. What he does is just little things, it’s hard for the everyday fan to see but what both those players do is just little touches that make the players around them better. That’s the measure of a quality player for mine.

With Cotchin, you played him in the pre-season, you indicated you wanted him in the more forward attacking role. It’s taken a little bit into the season. Is that what you were hoping?

I think so. It was really hard for him to play that role consistently because we were unpredictable. We weren’t playing the style of game we need to play. We’ve played an exorbitant amount of players through that forward 50 which is really tough. The connection piece wasn’t quite there. Once we started to remain predictable, suddenly those players become not necessarily better but they get the reward they probably deserve. They do an incredible amount of hard work that not a lot of people see. The same as the Geelong half forwards as well. But those players that can get up and down the ground and hit the scoreboard are really valuable.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/afl-2023-round-9-live-updates-richmond-tigers-geelong-cats-chase-key-win-at-mcg-20230511-p5d7nk.html

[one-eyed]

‘Hard ball’: Dimma’s call on free agent after stopping Jezza

Ronny Lerner
HeraldSun
13 May 2023

Two players in particular who played their roles magnificently were key backs Nathan Broad and Noah Balta who got the better of Geelong superstars Jeremy Cameron and Tom Hawkins respectively.

“Noah was incredible, some of the things he does in the contest, just incredible,” Hardwick said.

“Those two guys (Balta and Hawkins), you look at them, they’re big, strong men and the battles that they have were incredible.

“And I thought ‘Broady’ did a wonderful job on Cameron and, it’s funny, whilst in our four walls he’s really highly regarded, he probably doesn’t get the respect outside that.

“But the four games he’s missed, as harsh as it (the sling tackle on Adelaide’s Patrick Parnell which led to Broad’s four-game ban) was, were crucial.

“All those sort of players that he generally takes, they were hurting us so we’re really pleased that he’s back in the side and starting to understand how important he his.”

Broad comes out of contract at the end of the season.

“He’s playing hard ball, I suppose. We won’t answer his manager’s call this week, he’ll be wanting too much money,” Hardwick joked.

The win came at a cost for the Tigers with star midfielder Jacob Hopper set to miss “some time” due to a calf injury he suffered which forced him to be subbed out in the third quarter, although Hardwick was hopeful it wasn’t serious. The former Giant will get scans on Saturday.

But in some better news for Richmond, No.1 ruckman Toby Nankervis was rated a “small chance” to take on Essendon next week in the Dreamtime game, while Daniel Rioli, one of Richmond’s best against Geelong, was expected to line up next week too after hurting his ankle.

“It’s Indigenous round this week so he might be sleeping over at the club, icing everything I think to get himself up for it so he won’t miss,” Hardwick said of Rioli.

https://www.codesports.com.au/afl/afl-dion-prestia-urges-richmond-supporters-not-to-boo-tom-stewart/news-story/5ee9832bf9bb0ace2d1fddc66576147e