And from the HUN website - gotta love originality
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RICHMOND legend Matthew Richardson says the Tigers have a reached the crossroads in their fast unravelling season. Richardson said the club needed to make calls on players who had shown they were incapable of improvement.
Saturday’s disastrous loss to Melbourne has sparked a chorus of criticism as the Tigers slumped to 16th ahead of a danger game against the Giants in Sydney.
Coach Damien Hardwick, recontracted in the preseason until the end of 2016, said he was at a loss on Saturday night after the Tigers stumbled to a 2-6 record.
Captain Trent Cotchin yesterday said the defeat was, along with last year’s finals capitulation, among the worst of his career.
“I certainly think this week will be one of our most stern reviews; (it) needs to be put on a few blokes and challenge them because when it’s happened in the past guys have stood up,” he said.
Richardson said critical decisions on players needed to be made now.
“They’ve got to now make a decision which way they go in the second half of this year, whether they play new players and go past a couple, because it’s just not looking like it at the moment,” he said on 3AW.
“Some players have probably reached the peak of their potential and they’ve got to make decisions which way that they go.
“But you can’t have the whole bottom fall out. You can’t have a season where you win only four or five games, they have to try and find a way to hang in there.”
Richardson said Richmond’s rise to 5th last year flattered the Tigers, which was yesterday quoted at $251 for the flag after opening the season at $15.
Richmond has 13 recycled players on its list while last year’s Tiger offcuts Matt White, Robin Nahas and Tom Derickx are flourishing in top-six teams.
Former Tiger Nathan Brown and Essendon great Matthew Lloyd said David Astbury, who will have surgery on a dislocated left knee, had been the only player to improve this year.
Wayne Carey said the Tigers looked top-four quality last year but it was a mistake to re-sign Hardwick — now in his fifth year — after the elimination final exit.
“They’re a classic case for me of just getting ahead of themselves — thought off the back of last year they’d roll up this year and it’d happen,” he said on Triple M.
The Tigers rank 14th for contested possession differential this year and Tony Shaw slammed their style of play.
“They have blokes who just want to accumulate possessions instead of playing penetrating football,” he said on 3AW.
“They have got a lack of skill under pressure and their list has been over-inflated by 100 miles.”
After the Giants the Tigers face Essendon, North Melbourne, Fremantle and Sydney in a horror run.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/richmond-legend-matthew-richardson-says-tigers-need-to-act-on-players-who-arent-performing/story-fni5f9jb-1226922331113
