Dimma's aftermatch media conference / Hardwick apologies for today's game

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Sorry for that: Hardwick
By Adam McNicol
7:08 PM Sat 07 Jul, 2012

RICHMOND coach Damien Hardwick summed up his team's scrappy win over Melbourne when, as he was leaving his press conference, he quipped, "Sorry for the game today, you blokes."

The Tigers' 23-point victory, in which they booted a wayward 13.23, was indeed a tortuous affair.

But Hardwick was far from despondent with his team's seventh win of the season, which came three days after the club parted ways with Dan Connors and slapped a two-week suspension on emerging star Dustin Martin.

Four other regular senior players were also forced to miss the clash with the Demons due to injuries and suspensions.

"It's not often you make seven changes to a footy side and probably get the result you were after, so we're just pleased to walk away with the four points," Hardwick said.

"I think it just shows we've probably matured as a footy club. We spoke about it during the week, that it was a tough call to make but the right one.

"We don't change our stance, and I think as a footy club we've become more resilient and become better as a result."

Richmond captain Chris Newman was also proud of the way his teammates stood up after a trying few days.

"The leadership group … made sure that we were still upbeat," he said.

"To the boys' credit they were really good; they handled it really well.

"It's a really tough thing to see their teammates and their mates go through what they had during the week."

The Tigers dominated most of the key statistical areas.

They had 21 more inside-50s than the Demons and won the clearance-count 44 to 25.

But they also committed a stack of skill errors.

"We bring all those players in, guys who haven't played in the team for quite some time, and they didn't quite gel," Hardwick said.

"We just couldn't finish our work, and … it's been a common trend in the last couple of weeks - more behinds than goals.

"We were probably a bit wide at stages, but then there were some easy, gettable shots and probably a couple that we thought were goals that weren't."

With Ty Vickery out for the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury, Richmond continues to search for another tall forward to take some pressure of Jack Riewoldt.

Having dropped Todd Elton after one game, the Tigers this time started another debutant, Tom Derickx, in attack.

Derickx, a 201cm giant, won six possessions and 11 hit-outs while alternating between the forward line and the ruck.

"He competed well," Hardwick said. "He's certainly going to get better for the experience.

"We've got to find a big second target. Obviously Ty was that, but with the shoulder not coming up, we've got to find a guy that can compete.

"Probably the other positive today was [that] Lukey McGuane really, really competed well.

"He could quite easily have finished with three to four goals, but he kicked two, missed one he should've got and I think the other one he tried to handball to Jack.

"The good thing about Luke and Tommy is they bring a competitive instinct to the forward half."

The two worries for the Tigers are Matt White's high bump on Melbourne full-back James Frawley late in the last quarter, which is sure to be scrutinised by the match review panel, and key defender Ben Griffiths' calf problem.

Griffiths was subbed out of the game during the third quarter.

"He did pull up a little bit tight," Hardwick said. "We think he's going to be okay.

"We just didn't take any risks. He's had a wretched run with injuries, so as soon as they said he was getting a rub on his calf we just said, 'Let's pack him up.'"

Richmond travels to Cairns next weekend to play a 'home' game against Gold Coast.

"We went up there last year and Gold Coast rolled us, so there's a bit of fire in the belly for us to really go up there and prove that we can play away from home," Riewoldt told AFL.com.au.

"They've got so much young talent up there they can pull anything out of the bag.

"So we're going to have to be right on our A-game, and hopefully we can come away with the same result we did today."

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/140730/default.aspx

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VIDEO: Dimma and Newy spoke to the media after the game today, watch the full presser here

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/roarvisionarchive/tabid/11454/contentid/466568/default.aspx

[one-eyed]

Hardwick praises Tigers' maturity
Michael Lynch
The Age
July 8, 2012


RICHMOND'S response to a week of turmoil — an ugly win over Melbourne at the MCG — demonstrated a new maturity and resilience, coach Damien Hardwick said last night, as the club moves closer to its first finals berth in more than a decade.

It wasn't the Tigers' most scintillating performance, but they rarely looked in danger and could have had the game wrapped up by quarter time if they had their kicking boots on.

Hardwick said the display was emblematic of the way his side was developing this season, winning the games they were expected to win despite the fact that things might not have been running in their favour in the lead-up.

That was certainly the case following the sacking of Daniel Connors and suspension of Dustin Martin for missing a training session after taking sleeping tablets last week. Richmond made seven changes from the team that ran the Crows close in Adelaide last weekend, and that clearly made it harder for the Tigers to find their rhythm.

But Hardwick contended the club's response to the dramatic off-field events said a lot about where it was heading.

"It shows we have probably matured as a footy club," he said. "It was a tough call to make but the right one. We don't change our stance, and I think as a footy club we have become more resilient and better as a result.

"The guys that we brought in were hungry, competitive types. The thing that takes away from that is that they haven't gelled with the side. We have made very few changes in the course of the first 13 rounds so it was probably always going to be a tough ask."

The Tigers wasted chances in front of goal.

"It's not often you make seven changes to a footy side and get the result you were after," Hardwick said. "We had all those guys in, guys who haven't played in the team for quite some time, so it didn't quite gel. And we just couldn't quite finish our work.

"I think we had 15 more scoring shots than the opposition. We have just got to get better finishing our work inside 50. It's been a common trend the last couple of weeks, more behinds than goals.

"There were some gettable easy shots, and probably a couple that we thought were goals that weren't," he added, referring to efforts that might on another day have been referred for video adjudication.

Hardwick said that after the 23-point victory over an out-of-sorts Melbourne, expectation at Tigerland would, as ever, be high.

This time, the fans might have real reason to believe, Hardwick suggested.

"We have slowly built and got better. The games that we should be winning we generally are, and the pleasing thing for us is that we have lifted our standard performance against the better sides.

"We have lost six games by under 20 points, which is a sign of a side that is improving but just not quite getting the results."

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/hardwick-praises-tigers-maturity-20120707-21o6z.html#ixzz1zxgi0nK7