Hardwick's aftermatch media conference / Finals-like air in Tiger nostrils

[one-eyed]

Finals-like air in Tiger nostrils
By Jason Phelan
Sun 22 May, 2011


RICHMOND coach Damien Hardwick's clearly-defined task when he came to Punt Road ahead of the 2010 season was to return the Tigers to the finals and ultimately deliver the club its eleventh flag.

Not cobble together a bunch of players capable of scraping into the eight, but building a team talented and well-drilled enough to make the finals and compete with the best of them once there.

There have been some stumbled steps along the way, but Richmond's 16-point win against top-four, quality opposition in front of a heaving MCG crowd on Saturday night has to be among the greatest encouragement Hardwick has received as he plots a course back to the top for the club and its long-suffering fans.
 
"To play in front of 83,000 people like that, both teams had their armies out today, and for such a significant event with the Indigenous Round, it probably ranks right up there," Hardwick said of the win against traditional rival Essendon.

"I think for a young footy [team] to find its feet [like that] … we haven't had any finals experience for a long time, it's probably as close as we've come to a final in a long time.

"The atmosphere was electric and I thought the game was a really great endorsement for the Indigenous Round."

The crowd noise, although near-deafening at times, wasn't the main reason for the coach's satisfaction.

A week after his team failed to beat an undermanned Western Bulldogs side, Hardwick could have been forgiven for wondering just what sort of an effort he was going to get against the high-flying, if similarly short-staffed, Bombers.

He needn't have concerned himself.

"I was really pleased with the way the guys fought it out," he said.

"The Bombers kept coming and we kept responding. The game opened up there in the last quarter and a half. When Dylan Grimes went down I thought we might be in a little bit of trouble, but the guys, to their credit, fought hard on a number of occasions.

"It was good to get a good start for a change and they fought it out really well."

Grimes has injured a hamstring, but the length of his time on the sidelines will be determined by scans on Monday.

It's a cruel blow for the 19-year-old in just his eighth AFL game who formed part of a defensive unit that needed to respond from a disappointing game last week - and did.

"They were really poor last week, but I thought Grimes, Alex Rance and Luke McGuane really steadied the fort," he said.

"They're a proud bunch and they were really disappointed with their efforts last week so I'm really happy they stood up and made a fist of it this week."

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/6301/newsid/114454/default.aspx

[one-eyed]

Young cubs earn Hardwick's praise
Jon Pierik
May 22, 2011

COACH Damien Hardwick last night rated Richmond's 16-point win over Essendon as one of the best of his short tenure as the Tigers emerged as genuine finals contenders in season 2011.

Sparked by a best-on-ground effort by slick midfielder Trent Cotchin (29 possessions), along with Brett Deledio (34) and skipper Chris Newman (27), the Tigers maintained their composure in the final term as both teams struggled with fatigue and injury.

The Tigers led by 23 points when Nathan Foley converted a set shot at the 11-minute mark but the Bombers kicked the next two and refused to succumb.

In the end, a running shot by Tyrone Vickery from about 40 metres in the dying minutes - his third of the night - secured victory in front of a bumper crowd of 83,563 at the MCG.

''It's probably one of the best ones. To play in front of 83,000 people like that, both teams had their armies out today, for such a significant event, the Indigenous round, it probably ranks right up there,'' Hardwick said.

''I think for a young footy club learning to find their feet, haven't had any finals experience for a hell of a long time, it's probably as close as we have come for a long time.

''The atmosphere was electric and I thought the game was a really great endorsement for the Indigenous round we had today.''

The Tigers, rebounding from last week's thumping by the Western Bulldogs, have now won four of their past five games and can build on that next week when they face Port Adelaide in Darwin.

''I was really pleased with the way the guys fought it out. The Bombers kept coming and we kept responding,'' Hardwick said.

Hardwick was delighted with the belief of his team, for so long the whipping boys of the competition.

''It (belief) is a big factor. It's one of the principles we go by,'' he said.

''Chris Newman has been really hard in his leadership group on driving that.

''The belief in the game plan, the belief in each other, Chris is an outstanding leader in that regard and he drives a lot of that stuff.

''As a coaching staff we really hand it over to players on game day and they deliver the results. It has been fantastic.''

However, the Tigers, already undersized in defence, did have some disappointment with defender Dylan Grimes tearing a hamstring.

Hardwick also praised the efforts of Robin Nahas, who had only five disposals to half-time but was superb after the main break.

The Tigers were smashed 50-28 in clearances but ruckman Andrew Browne, in his first game of the year, had 24 hit-outs and was a strong performer against the Bombers' three ruckman.

Missing a host of key players, including skipper Jobe Watson, Heath Hocking and Michael Hurley, Bombers' coach James Hird blamed poor ball use for the defeat.

The Bombers led in most of the key statistical categories but their kicking efficiency was poor despite the best efforts of Dyson Heppell (29) and Mark McVeigh (25).

Hird said his team was glad to have the bye next week.

''I think the bye has come at exactly the right time. Maybe if it had come a week earlier it might have helped us,'' he said.

Hird said he expected Watson and Hurley to return from injury for the clash against Melbourne.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/young-cubs-earn-hardwicks-praise-20110521-1eyc6.html#ixzz1N0r4I1Zt