Gary March says Richmond primed for giant step Jon Ralph
From: Herald Sun
March 28, 2012 RICHMOND president Gary March says there are no more excuses for the Tigers - starting with their Round 1 blockbuster against arch rival Carlton.
March said he had total confidence in the plans of re-signed coach Damien Hardwick and would not shy away from setting finals as an expectation after a 10-year absence from September action for the club.
After two years under Hardwick, the Tigers had enough star power and depth to topple top-eight sides, including the Blues.
"We have gone from being not sure we could compete to being pretty sure we can," he said.
"Does that mean we are going to win (against Carlton)? We would hope so. We would be bitterly disappointed if we didn't put up a good showing, but also for the rest of the season. We expect to be ultra-competitive this year.
"If you go through it on a statistical basis on the number of games played, we are coming into that window that says we should be able to compete with the top-eight sides consistently.
"Nothing is guaranteed but if we have a fair run with injuries we believe our list is good enough to be ... playing regular finals footy over the next three years."
March, in his seventh year as president, said Hardwick had laid a platform over the pre-season for sustained performances this season.
"We go into this first week probably in the best shape we have ever been. Our fans should go Thursday expecting us to put on a bold show and we will be disappointed if we don't win," he said.
"I think there is a feeling within the group that they need to step up. At the end of the day you can't say we are too young any more.
"We will be one of the youngest lists still but it's not an excuse because in games played, they are starting to catch up."
March's bullish attitude stems from Richmond's encouraging pre-season, lack of injuries and two seasons of force-feeding games into high draft picks.
The Tigers believe they could break their membership record of 47,000 by tomorrow.
www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/more-news/gary-march-says-richmond-primed-for-giant-step/story-e6frf9jf-1226311799512
