Why Tigers love controversyDamien Barrett
afl.com.au
17 May 2021Another controversial week, another series of negative headlines, another galvanising Richmond win.
So proficient have the Tigers become at not merely dealing with controversy, but steeling themselves from it, that they now go out of their way to create it.
After players Daniel Rioli and Shai Bolton boxed on with a patron in a nightclub two Saturday nights ago, coach Damien Hardwick laced up the gloves for a verbal stoush with AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan. Twice, once before and once after McLachlan said it was advisable for players to walk away from violence, Hardwick said that "we don't condone violence, but …"
Then, Tigers CEO Brendon Gale took some more jabs at headquarters when he, out of nowhere, complained about having to play GWS in round nine in a home match at Marvel Stadium, not the MCG. And Hardwick followed that up with "I hate coming here" after steering his team, after its big week, out of a 28-point deficit against the Giants into a four-point win.
Since 2017 when the Tigers began their extraordinary roll toward three premierships, only a big American playing for Collingwood in a preliminary final in 2018 has stopped them from a dominance rarely seen in the VFL/AFL.
But the early stages of 2021 have posed many challenges, particularly with serious injuries to key players including Dion Prestia, Shane Edwards, Trent Cotchin and Kane Lambert, and even after the brilliant round nine win, they sit eighth with a 5-4 scoreline.
Clearly, a source of motivation for Hardwick, like so many great coaches before him, is to create an enemy for his players to focus on. There is a very real one, though, looming, this Friday night at the Gabba. In the red corner, the challenger – a rampaging Brisbane. In the blue corner, the banged-up title holder. Should be one of the games of the year.
https://www.afl.com.au/news/615556/barrett-margin-call-r9-----------------------------------------
Fox Footy's First Crack show last night with Tom Morris, Leigh Montagna and David King had a similar theme. Claiming we see everyone else gunning for our downfall and we're using "Richmond vs World" as a source of motivation.
