Steve Morris says Richmond’s new mantra has helped Tigers soar into top eight and potential finals appearanceSam Landsberger
Herald-Sun
August 26, 2014 A MANTRA made famous by the All Blacks has helped lift Richmond to eight straight wins and a spot in the top eight.
Defender Steven Morris revealed the Tigers began to “sweep the sheds’’ when, at 3-10, a wooden spoon looked more likely than a finals berth.
“When the All Blacks were struggling, their saying was to ‘sweep the sheds’,” Morris said.
“It means put the weights away (in the gym), keep the place tidy, keep everyone accountable and the other stuff will come with it.
“We focused on doing the small things, making sure we weren’t cutting any corners and being able to hold each other accountable to that, and it seems to have paid off because we’re playing some good footy. I think our best is better than we’ve ever played.”
Morris said tapping into the culture of Rugby union’s powerhouse had been senior development coach Mark Williams’ idea — and the Tigers have not lost since.
“When you do the little things, everything else takes care of itself,” Morris, 25, said.
The 62-game Tiger said the pain of letting slip last year’s elimination final against Carlton was still driving Richmond, which will likely need to beat Sydney at ANZ Stadium on Saturday to play finals.
“The buzz and the feeling that you got running out in front of 95,000 people drives us more than anything,” he said.
“I know I just can’t wait to get that feeling back again at the MCG in front of our fans.
“It was just a feeling I’ll never forget and a feeling I’ll be doing everything I possibly can to feel again.”
The Tigers led St Kilda by 50 points in the second half on Sunday before easing off to win by 26 points.
“Good teams win ugly and we feel we did that to some extent,” Morris said. “At 3-10, it was hard to believe we’d be in the eight, but we knew the sort of footy we could play.”
On the All Blacks mantra, Morris said: “Choco (Williams) has got plenty, so I think it might have been out of his repertoire.”
Tigers double effortsRICHMOND is one win away from securing back-to-back finals appearances for the first time since Tom Hafey was coach — and will travel to Sydney on the back of the best interstate record in the club’s history.
The Tigers’ remarkable finals push faces its last hurdle when they meet the Swans at ANZ Stadium on Saturday.
After eight straight wins, their destiny is in their own hands and an upset victory will seal eighth place.
The last time Richmond made successive finals series was 1971-75, seasons that delivered two of Hafey’s four premierships to Punt Rd.
Richmond’s brave win against the Crows in Adelaide last Saturday week gave it a club record eight wins from its past 10 games outside Victoria.
In that time, from Round 7, 2013, Richmond has lost only to Sydney (SCG, Round 18, 2013) and Gold Coast (Metricon Stadium, Round 1, 2014) while chalking up road wins against West Coast and Greater Western Sydney twice and Brisbane Lions, Adelaide, Port Adelaide and the Suns.
“Our finals start now and it’s exciting,” defender Steven Morris said.
“We just can’t wait to get up to Sydney and have a crack at the very best team in the competition.
“We’ve had a bit of practice. Last week it was do-or-die in front of a pretty hostile crowd in Adelaide.
“We set ourselves for that game, we set ourselves for (Sunday’s win against St Kilda) and we’ll set ourselves for next week as if it’s a final.”
http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/steve-morris-says-richmonds-new-mantra-has-helped-tigers-soar-into-top-eight-and-potential-finals-appearance/story-fndv8t7m-1227036392140
