Hardwick set to lift Tigers out of hole (Age)

[one-eyed]

Hardwick set to lift Tigers out of hole
Michael Gleeson
July 19, 2011


''I KNOW what is around the corner - I just don't know where the corner is. But the onus is on us to perform and we must control the bandwagon,'' said Kevin Keegan, ex-England manager.

Managing England can be like coaching Richmond.

Unlike Kevin Keegan, Damien Hardwick is confident he knows where the corner is, and that his team has turned it. Like Keegan, getting the side to perform and controlling the bandwagon remains a problem.

''The thing that caught us a bit off guard was we had a couple of really good wins - the win against Essendon and the win against Fremantle - and the thing is with Richmond, the expectations start to rise. Whether that is a true indication or not, that tends to happen when our football club is involved because we have such a big following and the media that comes with it and we probably exceeded the expectations in some areas,'' Hardwick said yesterday after the Tigers' sobering loss to Gold Coast in Cairns at the weekend that certainly did not meet expectations.

''Over the last three or four weeks we have lost some games we should have won. We were up at three-quarter time on the weekend and against Essendon, but unfortunately when you don't win those games that you should, momentum goes against you.

''The reality is in the majority of games this year we have been in the contest. The Carlton and Hawthorn games were the only occasions we were out of the contest; every other game at three-quarter time we were thereabouts.

''Anyone who would say we haven't improved from last year to this year is kidding themselves as far as I am concerned. The improvement in our side has been significant. Individually, players have improved but also the improvement has come as a side. Granted, at stages, we have not played well, but so have a lot of other sides at stages and unfortunately we are just in a hole at the moment that we need to get out of.''

Hardwick admitted that Coleman Medal-winning full-forward Jack Riewoldt was in a form slump as was star young midfielder Dustin Martin. ''Obviously, we are relying on Jack to play to his optimum every week and unfortunately he has been down and that is just a form issue and Dusty is a little bit the same and the reality is at the moment we are asking a lot of a player in his second full season of AFL.''

Richmond has plainly been exposed in the past six weeks in the ruck and for the lack of quality tall defenders. Part of this problem is compounded by the poor form of ruck Angus Graham, who has struggled in the VFL at a time when Andrew Browne's form in the seniors has been poor.

The Tigers have also been hurt by the absence of young defenders David Astbury and Dylan Grimes to long-term injury and Kelvin Moore's hip problems that have cost him the season.

''At the start of the year we… exceeded everyone's expectations and the momentum started to gather from there and the reality is we were probably playing a little bit above ourselves,'' Hardwick admitted. ''We know where we are at but more importantly we know where we have to go and how we have to get there.''

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/hardwick-set-to-lift-tigers-out-of-hole-20110718-1hloi.html#ixzz1SThqEkcf

[Hard Roar Tiger]

Richmond has plainly been exposed in the past six weeks in the ruck and for the lack of quality tall defenders. Part of this problem is compounded by the poor form of ruck Angus Graham, who has struggled in the VFL at a time when Andrew Browne's form in the seniors has been poor.

Huh?

[Jackstar is back again]

Gus Graham is permanently poor

[one-eyed]

Dimma determined
richmondfc.com.au
Tue 19 Jul, 2011


Richmond coach Damien Hardwick is resolute in his belief the Tigers are on the right path despite a form slump, which has seen them lose six of their past seven games.

“Look, I fully understand the frustration of our members and supporters right now, but believe me, our players and coaches share that same sentiment,” Hardwick wrote in his weekly email message to Tiger members.

“Clearly, we’d love to have more wins on the board at this stage of the season.  But I think the fact we’ve been right in the contest more times this year than last year, is a definite sign of improvement.

“We’ve lost four games by 20 points or under and had a draw, so it’s a bit of a sliding doors situation there . . . you take a couple of opportunities in certain games and things are looking a lot brighter.  Whereas, if you don’t, you find yourselves where we are at the moment.

“We are in a bit of a hole right now and the players have lost some self-belief.  That’s what we’re working on to restore, so they can play the good football we know they’re capable of in the back-end of this season.

“For the majority of the year, our players have had a genuine thirst for the contest, but we just need to get back to that, so we can start playing our best footy again.”

Hardwick also mentioned the importance of the Tigers not deviating from their pathway . . .

“As a club, what we’ve got to do, is stick strongly to the plan we have in place,” he said.

“When I took over the coaching job 18 months ago, we knew it was going to be a tough, bumpy road, and this patch at the moment is testimony to that.

“We’ve just got to persevere and keep playing those players we believe are going to take the Club forward.

“At the end of the day, we know exactly where we are at, but, more importantly, we know where we are going . . .”

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/6301/newsid/118879/default.aspx

[cub]

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