Sad thing is, the tigers repeat the same mistakes over and over. Doesn't matter the coach. As soon as the pressure is on, they go with a defensive possession style game plan to reduce blowouts, they stick fat to their tried (and failed) senior players, they put next weeks win ahead of future success in an attempt to prolong their appointment, they recruit accordingly, they play injured players and the cycle repeats.
I wanted Hardwick gone three years ago. At that point you could see that he was not going to deliver anything more than our previous coaches. He is a terrible match day coach, he doesn't motivate the players, the training is poor, his list management has been poor and the one area you expected him to be strong in, "toughness", he has always been soft on his favorites.
Hinkley had an immediate impact. Roos had an immediate impact. You can instantly see their game plan, what they are trying to achieve. The players are well drilled, they demand standards, they make bold recruiting decisions, they show leadership and direction.
The media lambasted the tigers for eating their own for so many years. But outside of Bartlett, none of the coaches have deserved their tenure at the helm of Richmond. Northey was the only one of our recent coaches who understood that the game plan should match the strengths of the playing list. Had he been around for the Fitzroy merger, history might have treated him differently. He (like Bartlett) was a great motivator. it doesn't matter if Hardwick has lost the players or not. They aren't playing for him.
Take away the 15 years wasted on Frawley, Wallace and Hardwick and you could have tried another three or four coaches. Despite our mediocre administration, we might have accidentally succeeded in picking a decent one. How could they have extended Hardwicks contract without a finals clause in there? They need an external perspective because clearly their personal relationships are affecting their objectivity.
There doesn't appear to be much in the way of good coaches available but we could do worse than trying someone like Ling. The club has never been in a better position off the field in terms of finances, facilities etc. With a strong team around him, he has the credentials to deliver change.
The cost of keeping Hardwick is mounting up in excess of paying out his contract with each Richmond fan that refuses to go and watch the non competitive football he is putting out. I really hope Benny Gale and co are actively looking at options behind the scenes and not trying to protect their own jobs. I can forgive them all their mistakes if they deliver this club a decent coach.
