Richmond set to kick on next year Jay Clark | Sunday Herald Sun December 06, 2009 NEW Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has delivered on a promise to recruit players with excellent kicking skills in his first draft in charge.
To avoid previous draft failures, the Tigers' beefed-up recruiting team this year developed a formula to deeply analyse the kicking abilities of the top-100 national draft prospects.
It is believed players who failed to meet a standard devised by key football staff were overlooked, regardless of other outstanding characteristics, in the annual lottery.
The recruiting mantra is a key weapon in Hardwick's plan to dramatically improve the Tigers' field kicking, after averaging 65 per cent efficiency last season, ranked 15th in the AFL (above West Coast).
Richmond recruiting chief Francis Jackson would not elaborate on the kicking policy but was nonetheless delighted with the foot skills of the seven players chosen.
In particular, forward Troy Taylor shone, gliding through traffic with silky evasiveness and precise skill in the club's first open training session on Friday.
Jackson told club connections there were four players picked in the first round of the national draft who didn't meet the club's new kicking standards.
Hard-nut Koby Stevens, one of the surprise draft sliders eventually taken by West Coast at pick 23, is believed to have ticked every box except the Tigers' kicking requirement and was therefore overlooked at pick 19.
Hardwick's taste for hard work has been passed on to the playing group which began training as early as 6am for dawn swims at Brighton Beach last week.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/richmond-set-to-kick-on-next-year/story-e6frf9jf-1225807321432
