VIDEO: Newy's press conference 4th June ...
http://www.richmondfc.com.au/video/2013-06-04/newman-press-conference-4th-juneFinals talk can wait: NewmanBy Nathan Schmook
4:03pm AEST Tuesday, June 4, 2013RICHMOND veteran Chris Newman says the Tigers have no right to talk to about finals yet despite moving into the top eight following Monday night's 41-point win over West Coast at Patersons Stadium.
The Tigers rebounded from their worst performance of the season against Essendon with their best, heading into the round 11 bye in seventh place and with a 6-4 record.
They are also set to be bolstered after the break by the return of important midfielders Reece Conca and Brandon Ellis.
Newman said there was a sense of excitement around Punt Road, but the Tigers' challenge now was to play "tough, hard Richmond football" consistently.
"We played a good game on the weekend, but the challenge now is to string those together," he said on Tuesday.
"Good teams play consistent footy, they play their brand of football every week.
"That's what we're striving towards, so we'll be looking forward to picking up where we left off when we come back.
"At this stage we probably don't have any right to talk about finals."
Newman said Monday night's comprehensive win was the Tigers' best performance this season, a victory which came nine days after their dispiriting Dreamtime at the 'G loss.
Particularly impressive was Richmond's spread of goalkickers, with Newman among 10 Tigers to hit the scoreboard.
The 31-year-old praised the midfield, led by captain Trent Cotchin, for giving the Tigers a clearance advantage (45-41) despite West Coast's hit-out dominance (81-27).
"When you go and play West Coast, (Dean) Cox and (Nic) Naitanui, you almost concede the hit-outs," Newman said.
"The midfielders knew that they really had to fight and scrap and try and win that contested footy when it hit the ground.
"To Ivan (Maric) and Ty (Vickery)'s credit, they really fought hard making sure [West Coast] didn't get a lot of clean hit-outs.
"I thought we held up really well."
Forward Jake King played through an ankle issue on Monday night, but was spotted on crutches at recovery on Tuesday morning.
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-06-04/finals-talk-can-wait-newman
