Hardwick's press conference 12-4-17 / Tigers still have a fair way to go: Dimma

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Dimma's presser today:

VIDEO: http://www.richmondfc.com.au/video/2017-04-12/hardwick-previews-brisbane

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3-0 is no big deal: Hardwick

Chris Cavanagh,
Herald Sun
12 April 2017

RICHMOND is keeping a lid on things despite growing confidence levels after the club’s best start to a season since 2013.

The Tigers sit second on the ladder with a 3-0 record and will be looking to make that 4-0 when they tackle Brisbane at the Gabba on Sunday.

Richmond last started a season 4-0 in 1995, a year which saw them make a preliminary final, and have beaten the Lions in each of the past nine meetings between the clubs.

But Tigers coach Damien Hardwick said the Lions had already proven to be a much improved side this year under new coach Chris Fagan and his troops would need to bring their best to continue the winning run.

“It’s going to be a really good challenge for us to go up to Brisbane,” Hardwick said.

“They’re playing some pretty good footy without getting the results. Defensively they set up behind the ball very well. Offensively there’s some things that they’re doing that are quite exciting g for their footy club. We’ve got to make sure we come to play because they’re a side that is capable of kicking high scores in a short period of time.”

Richmond has already won as many games as it did from its last 10 matches of 2016 but Hardwick said looking back was not his focus.

“All I can say this year is guys are playing good, consistent footy,” he said.

“We’ve had solid contribution from 22 players week-in, week-out.

“Our VFL side’s playing extremely well so there’s real competition for spots. So we’ve been thoroughly pleased with what we’ve put out on the park over the first three rounds but we still realise we’ve got a fair way to go to where we want to be.”

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/richmond/richmond-coach-damien-hardwick-says-tigers-have-a-fair-way-to-go-despite-unbeaten-start-to-2017/news-story/7df9d1a5cd7dc2e8bbba50d84010fba8

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VFL playing well? Didn't RFC get spanked by 10 goals?

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Fun police: Tigers trio keep lid on unbeaten start

The Age
13 April 2017

Their fans are up and about, but no one at Richmond is getting carried away with their perfect start to the season.

Least of all the AFL club's on-field leaders.

The feel-good factor at Richmond is clearly back - as evidenced by the 42,000 who braved torrential rain to see their latest win over West Coast.

The Tigers have had plenty of contributors, with captain Trent Cotchin and deputies Jack Riewoldt and Alex Rance pivotal in boosting the Tigers to the 3-0 start.

Coach Damien Hardwick revealed they were also acting as Richmond's version of the fun police to keep any emotions in check.

"Winning creates a good vibe," Hardwick said on Wednesday.

"The challenge is when things aren't going your way that you don't ride the emotional roller coaster. You stay balanced.

"Our leaders in Trent, Jack and Alex have really controlled that from us. We're not getting too carried away with our wins."

The Tigers have started 3-0 for just the second time since 1995, the last season in which they started with four straight wins.

They're favourites to extend their winning run when they travel to play Brisbane on Sunday.

As might be suspected from a coach who has run into plenty of speedbumps during his eight seasons in charge at Punt Road, Hardwick is doing his best not to get carried away.

"It's certainly nice to have your head above water. You feel as though you can gain momentum and confidence," he said.

"We still realise there's a fair way to go to where we want to be.

"All three games we've won, don't get me wrong, but there's been chances where the opposition could have taken the game away from us.

"The game doesn't know how well you're travelling. It just knows what you put out each week. And that's all our players are focused on."

Two Tigers - Ben Griffiths and Nick Vlaustin - must pass concussion tests to play at the Gabba, while tall Ivan Maric will be assessed for his back after training on Wednesday.

Sean Edwards, who suffered a hip injury in their round two win over Collingwood, won't be seen until round six at the earliest.

Against the Lions, Hardwick will be reunited with former Hawthorn mentor Chris Fagan.

The Richmond coach said Sunday's match would be a formidable test but he'd enjoyed a laugh at Fagan's expense during opposition research.

"He was always a calming influence in the box when I was (at Hawthorn) but as soon as you sit in the chair you see things change. I did get a laugh out of that," he said.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/richmond-tigers-trio-alex-rance-trent-cotchin-jack-riewoldt-keep-lid-on-unbeaten-start-20170412-gvjdt1.html