Yellow and slack? Not these Tigers (Age)

[one-eyed]

Yellow and slack? Not these Tigers
Andrew Tate
August 30, 2009

Damien Hardwick is about to discover that being Richmond coach can be a tough gig. But despite their well-publicised trials, the Tiger men at the top have rarely lacked passion for this great club.

1. Bloody Tigers

AS HIS name suggests, new Richmond coach Damien Hardwick developed into a hard and skilful backman first at Essendon and then at Port Adelaide after impressing at VFA club Springvale. He missed selection in the Bombers' 1993 premiership team, but won All-Australian honours in the all-conquering Essendon team of 2000. And no one could question his loyalty to a team cause, highlighted by our picture of a bloodied Hardwick taken during a home-and-away clash against the Tigers in 2001 - the year Richmond last made the finals. In fact, Richmond played in three finals that season, the first a 70-point qualifying final loss against the still-firing Bombers. The Danny Frawley-coached Tigers showed more mettle the following week to defeat Carlton, but were cleaned up by the eventual premiers, the Brisbane Lions, in a preliminary final. Hardwick has all the attributes of the old ''eat 'em alive'' Tigers and, as a player, has shown his preparedness to push the boundaries for his club. One notable incident was in Adelaide in 2004 when, as a Port Adelaide player on his way to a second premiership medallion, he shouldered Richmond runner Matt Hornsby. The Tigers lost by 78 points and Hardwick was fined $1500 by the AFL Tribunal . Hornsby copped a $5000 impost after it was alleged he had called Hardwick a ''f---ing d---head''. We don't expect the coach to cop that sort of response from the Tigers' bench these days - well, at least not for a year or so.

2. Looking ahead

AFTER the Terry Wallace implosion earlier this season, Jade Rawlings was - perhaps to some - a surprising choice as caretaker to see out the year. And, as usual at Punt Road, it has been a mixed bag for the former Hawthorn, Western Bulldog and North Melbourne player. In his first game in charge the Tigers defeated West Coast. That was followed by the round-16 draw against the Kangaroos, a huge upset win over Essendon and another win over struggling Melbourne. But there have also been thrashings - the worst a shellacking at the hands of Collingwood. Through it all, Rawlings has shown a propensity to look ahead to the Tigers' future, taking some risks at selection and with onfield tactics. With Hardwick likely to face similar tough choices in the weeks ahead, he may have cause to thank the caretaker - whether he stays or not - as he plans for 2010 and beyond.

3. Bald truth

TO THE outsider, Richmond has often seemed a fractured club, with various former administrators, coaches and players seemingly prepared to hold grudges long after their use-by date. And while the Tigers may not be alone in this regard, there's little doubt the football world loves a ''Richmond in crisis'' story. One of the most famous falling-outs involved former champion-player-turned-coach Kevin Bartlett (that's his head pictured next to his old number), who for many years refused to return to the club while members of the board that sacked him were still involved. In recent times, KB has been more visible at Tigerland, but some have questioned his recent lobbying for his old mate Kevin Sheedy to coach the club. And while many bagged Bartlett for his attitude after losing his coaching gig, it has to be said there's a certain honesty in removing yourself to let others stuff up in their own good time. Hopefully, now that the Tigers are again in rebuilding mode, all the old stagers will support the new coach and administration, even if it is from afar.

4. Tigers of scold

SO WHAT'S needed to coach a premiership at Punt Road? Well, 1980 coach Tony Jewell famously showed his players the way with a dust up against Blues counterpart Peter ''Percy'' Jones. The qualifying-final stoush at Waverley was sparked by Jones scolding the motivator Rudi Webster, who had joined the Tigers from the Blues earlier that year. In 2007, Jewell told The Age's Geoff McClure: ''All I remember is Percy having a go at Rudi Webster and me coming in between them.'' Jones said it was the sight of Webster in the Tiger camp that started the fracas. ''I was so angry as we came off that I said something unkind to him so TJ intervened, saying, 'What did you call him?' and headed for me. I thought, 'Gee, he wouldn't hit me in front of 80,000 people, would he?' Fortunately he didn't.'' Jewell's heroics didn't go unnoticed by his team. The fired-up Tigers duly won, then capped their year by demolishing Collingwood in the grand final.

5. The sack

DESPITE the hours of planning and hard work put into making the Tigers competitive, at the end of the day the coach will always wear the burden if it goes pear-shaped. With Hardwick making it clear he'll bring a ''hard-at-the-ball'' game plan, the new man will live or die depending on his success in dragging the club up the ladder. As our picture shows, all Danny Frawley ended up dragging across Punt Road was the sack.



http://www.theage.com.au/news/sport/yellow-and-slack-not-these-tigers/2009/08/29/1251394633480.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

[Infamy]

One notable incident was in Adelaide in 2004 when, as a Port Adelaide player on his way to a second premiership medallion, he shouldered Richmond runner Matt Hornsby. The Tigers lost by 78 points and Hardwick was fined $1500 by the AFL Tribunal . Hornsby copped a $5000 impost after it was alleged he had called Hardwick a ''f---ing d---head''. We don't expect the coach to cop that sort of response from the Tigers' bench these days - well, at least not for a year or so.

I think we can safely assume that Mr Hornsby will definitely be getting the ass as our strength and conditioning coach. As if he didn't have enough working against him already!