Hardwick's press conference today

[one-eyed]

* Bye record of other sides hasn't been great but we've stuck to our structues and we'll see how it plays out.

* Had a couple of reasonably tough training sessions last week but trained normally this week. Darwin no factor as we've always planned to prepare for the Sydney this week this way.

* Last 6 weeks we're 4-2 so we were going to have a dip at one point. Easiest thing this week would be to play in Melbourne but this is a good test of our resilience to have another interstate trip. We're a young side and we've got to learn to win on the road.

* Sydney in good form coming off a strong win up in Brisbane.

* A number of guys had good performances at Coburg so we'll look at that in match committee.

[one-eyed]

Sydney no place for timid Tigers

    James Tzaferis
    From: Herald Sun
    June 09, 2011 3:57PM

RICHMOND coach Damien Hardwick knows his side will have to step up its contested game to beat Sydney on Sunday.

The Swans, who sit fifth on the ladder, have been one of the most physical teams in 2011, and are amongst the competition leaders when it comes to the tackle and contested possession counts.

The Tigers on the other hand, were criticised a fortnight ago for their lack of hunger against Port Adelaide and will have to overcome interstate travel and the bye curse if they are to beat Sydney.

Richmond has not won in Sydney since 2004 and the Tigers' five losses since a the SCG have come at an average margin of 45 points.

“The Sydney contested possession, I think they’re No.1 in the AFL at the moment, defensively they are outstanding and they really do set the standard in that area,” Hardwick said today before training.
 
“It’s an area we need to improve on.”

Despite the poor record of teams coming off the bye, the coach said the club was committed to the training program they had drawn up at the start of the season.

“Obviously, the recent win-loss record of certain sides has come into play, it hasn’t been great, but we came in with a strategy and we’ve stuck with what we needed to do and we’ll see how it plays out on Sunday,” Hardwick said.

“We had a couple of reasonably solid sessions last week, this week we’ve just gone about our training as normal.”

Hardwick also confirmed that a few fresh faces would take to the SCG on Sunday.

One of these is likely to be elevated rookie Tom Hislop who has overcome knee surgery to star for Coburg in the VFL this season.

After being delisted from both Essendon and Richmond, Hislop was given another reprieve by the Tigers this year.

Hardwick expects his return, as well as that of Shane Edwards, to boost his side’s physical presence and level attack on the football.

“We obviously put (Tom) up on the primary list so whether he plays this week or the forthcoming week, we’re not too sure, but he’s been really solid down at Coburg level, and his competiveness is great,” Hardwick said.

“He certainly adds to that (contested game).”

“There will be a few changes to the side; Shane Edwards will also obviously come back in.”

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/sydney-no-place-for-timid-tigers/story-e6frf9jf-1226072479621

[one-eyed]

Richmond stick to routine despite bye
The Age
June 9, 2011 - 2:36PM

Richmond have stuck to training normality in a bid to counter the effects of the AFL bye.

The Tigers face Sydney at the SCG on Sunday coming off the bye, as well as a horrible loss to Port Adelaide in Darwin a fortnight ago.

But with most other sides struggling after the bye this season, Tigers coach Damien Hardwick has tried to make his team's preparation as normal as possible - the only exception a couple of days off rather than a match last weekend.

"The recent win-loss records of sides (coming off the bye) hasn't been great, but we came in with a strategy and we've stuck with what we've needed to," Hardwick said.

"(Last week) we went about our training as normal, had a couple of days off, then came back and reviewed the game and went from there.

"This week we've gone about our training as per normal, so hopefully it reaps dividends on Sunday."

The Tigers are 4-2 from their last six matches, though they have lost two of their past three.

They face a Swans side with wins in their past two games, and on the cusp of a top four spot.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/richmond-stick-to-routine-despite-bye-20110609-1fub1.html#ixzz1OlJ1j5ur