Richmond coach Damien Hardwick wants Tigers to play ruthless footy against Melbourne out of respect for Tom HafeyHerald-Sun
May 16, 2014 6:07PMDAMIEN Hardwick says Richmond lost Tommy Hafey’s blueprint.
But the Tigers coach warned his side was fighting to get it back and would honour two qualities Hafey stood for when he held Hardwick’s post and led Richmond to four flags in its golden era.
“Relentless and ruthless,” Hardwick said yesterday before the Tigers trained in ‘Tommy T-shirts’.
“Tommy’s an immortal of our footy club (and) a legend of the AFL so it’s a significant weekend.”
Hardwick said while today’s pre-game routine would remain standard, he implored his Tigers to put special emphasis on running, chasing, tackling and one-percenters in yesterday’s team meeting.
“(They’re) the things that Tommy brought to the fore of his football coaching.”
The Tigers served hot tea — Hafey’s drink of choice — to about 200 fans yesterday and Hardwick said when he joined the Tigers he trawled through Richmond literature to study up on Hafey’s coaching wisdom.
“The things he stood for resonate today. The blueprint Tommy left this footy club has been lost for whatever reason for a reason of time, and that’s a blueprint we’re trying to get back,” Hardwick said.
“If we can play some quality football like those Tigers of old, we’re going in the right direction.”
The Sherrin used against Melbourne at the MCG today will adorn Hafey’s lifespan (1931-2014) while spearhead Jack Riewoldt will be desperate to end his frustrating return against the Demons as both clubs eye their third win.
Riewoldt’s return of 15.26 from 11 Melbourne matches is his worse record against any club, while he has kicked more goals than behinds against the Demons only once — when he returned 2.1 back in 2008.
Hardwick said the absence of James Frawley — who usually stands Riewoldt — would be a “bonus” but was wary of the Dees’ improvement under Paul Roos.
“The rise of young (Demon Tom) McDonald, Lynden Dunn’s probably in career-best form, they’ve got some really capable players down there,” he said.
Legends Kevin Bartlett and Warwick Capper were among a host of people in the AFL community to pay their respects to the late Tom Hafey, who lost his battle with cancer on Monday.
Hardwick said debutant Ben Lennon would have been in the Round 1 frame if he hadn’t hurt his knee and praised the crafty swingman who joined Punt Rd with pick 12 last year.
“He’s an uncanny goalsneak, good mark and outstanding kick, so he’s going to be a good player for us for a long period of time.
Hardwick did not shy away from his side’s miserable start but said the Tigers took a step forward in their method against Geelong before the bye.
“We’re disappointed with where we’re at. We’ve only got ourselves to blame, we’re not playing anywhere near our capability,” he said.
“We’ve done a lot of soul-searching and a lot of reviewing over the course of the break and we’ll change a few things to get our season back up and going.”
The AFL has advised fans attending the Richmond v Melbourne game to avoid driving, with parking “extremely limited” due to scheduled maintenance works at Yarra Park.
The only vehicle access is via Gate 5 or 6 on Punt Rd.
Richmond has asked fans to arrive early for a pre-match Hafey tribute.
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