Tigers not aiming for shoot-outBy Paul Daffey
Fri 31 Aug, 2012RICHMOND coach Damien Hardwick has acknowledged the trend of shoot-outs in dead rubbers of final rounds, but said the Tigers would change nothing from their usual approach when they play Port Adelaide at the MCG on Sunday.
Neither Richmond (12th) nor Port Adelaide (14th) can make the top eight and in recent years, such an equation has occasionally led to all-out attack from both teams as they throw off the shackles after a long season.
"It'll be one of those games when you suck it and see, I suppose," Hardwick said.
"Port are capable of kicking a big score; so are we.
"We'll not be changing much from an offensive or defensive aspect this week."
The Tigers are favoured to beat Port and end their season with an 11-11 record, bettering their 2011 record of eight wins and a draw.
Yet Hardwick said the season had been a failure because the Tigers had missed the finals.
He said the club was happy with some aspects of its game and unhappy with others.
He said one of the main areas the Tigers would work on over summer was ball use inside 50.
"Probably that's the thing that's hurt us," he said.
"We’ve got improve on what we did this year because it didn't get us where we want to be.
"When you don't make finals it's as a failure.
"It's something we set out to do and we underachieved according to our internal measures."
Hardwick acknowledged that the biggest disappointment of the season was the loss of close matches. The Tigers lost nine games by 22 points or less.
From rounds 16 to 18 they lost by a combined tally of 10 points, against Gold Coast (two points), North Melbourne (four) and Carlton (four).
"To have the amount of losses we did by a close margin indicates we're not doing things consistently enough over time," Hardwick said.
"The important thing is we're setting up a base camp at the summit.
"We're just not quite there."
http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/146295/default.aspx"We’re just interested in finishing the season on a good note, and getting the four points.
"Port Adelaide over the year has been a side that's played some really, really damaging passages of footy, but haven't done it over four quarters.
"We'll be making sure we do everything right and play the game on our terms."
Hardwick was also reluctant to fuel the gathering hype over midfielder Trent Cotchin's Brownlow Medal hopes.
He did say that Cotchin has played well in every match, as shown by his imminent victory in the AFL Coaches' Association award.
Cotchin goes into this weekend's round on 103 votes in the coaches' award.
Collingwood's Dayne Beams, who's on 93, can draw level only if he scores the maximum 10 votes during the Magpies' match against Essendon and Cotchin fails to score a vote against Port Adelaide.
"I personally think it (the coaches' award) is the best award going around," Hardwick said.
"It's certainly one we rate really highly.
"It's something we talk about a great deal — who's going to get those votes — so it's a great indicator."
Hardwick described Cotchin as "a special player".
"I often grab my kids and say, 'Look at this, look what he's done this time'."
But he added that Cotchin's teammates such as Brett Deledio and Dustin Martin would be just as important if the Tigers were to rise up the ladder.
"He's a small part of the picture — an important part — but we certainly think we've got other players who can take us forward as well," Hardwick said.
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