Tigers looking for their 15 minutes of fame Michael Horan
Herald Sun
May 29, 2010 MAYBE, just maybe, Richmond can bring a lot more heat to today's clash against Port Power than most people think.
The winless Tigers are friendless among tipsters and unwanted by punters for the AAMI Stadium clash, but coach Damien Hardwick is certain his young group is close to a breakthrough.
Two 15-minute lapses against Adelaide and Essendon and a last-gasp miss against Hawthorn a fortnight ago proved costly, but the Tigers give themselves a chance against the Power, which is recovering from an energy-sapping loss in Darwin.
"We talked about that through the week. It is hard playing up in Darwin, there's no doubt the humidity takes it out of you," Hardwick said.
"From our point of view, we'll be looking for every advantage we can. We're going to play a running side - we've got four runners on the bench - so we'll be trying to run in as much as we can.
"We're starting to play some good football. We've just got to make sure it's a four-quarter effort and we'll go a long way (towards) winning that game."
While the Tigers continue to put faith in their youngsters -- forward Ben Griffiths, 18, will be the eighth Richmond debutant this season - Hardwick is also banking on veteran Ben Cousins to find form.
"Ben, by his own admission, has had a pretty ordinary start to the year, mainly because he's missed a lot of training and been in and out of games," Hardwick said.
"This is his second game in a row. Now he's just got to build on his fitness and in three to four weeks he'll be back to his best."
While the Tigers' 0-9 record looks grim, it doesn't reflect the team's improvement over the past three weeks.
In Round 7, against Adelaide, scores were tied at the final change, only for the Crows to cut loose in the last quarter.
A week later, Hawthorn fell in by three points after Richmond looked set to snatch victory and in the Dreamtime game at the MCG last Saturday night Essendon did all the damage in the opening term before the Tigers matched it for the rest of the game.
"It's been killing me actually. Just 15 minutes of footy in both games has cost us. If I could pinpoint that bloody 15 minutes it would be a hell of a lot easier for me," Hardwick said, adding his young group remained positive.
"The great thing about our group, the positive thing about bringing in 14 young guys is they remain very, very upbeat. I don't have to work at that," he said.
"I can't wait to sing the bloody song to be honest. Our guys are dying to win, too. They are every week, and it's getting closer, no doubt."
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