Dimma's B&F speech ...
VIDEO:
http://www.richmondfc.com.au/video/2014-10-01/jdm-2014-hardwicks-speech------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Damien Hardwick warns Richmond players of hard training program during pre-seasonBruce Matthews
Herald-Sun
September 30, 2014RICHMOND coach Damien Hardwick warned his players to expect a torrid pre-season.
Hardwick said there would be “nowhere to hide’’ in the pursuit to raise the standards to challenge for a premiership.
The brutally honest Tigers coach laid it on the line to his playing group in a stirring call-to-arms speech at the club’s awards night at Crown.
“It was a bitterly disappointing season overall. Consecutive years of finals football was an important step for our footy club and we need to consistently play in September to give ourselves a chance. But losing elimination finals doesn’t have any of us sleeping soundly at night,’’ Hardwick said.
“We must not accept what has happened in the last two years or feel in any way comfortable with it. We haven’t achieved anything and, if we don’t start thinking differently, nothing will change.’’
Hardwick told a packed Palladium room that players were made aware of the unacceptable exit to an underachieving season in the review following the cruel elimination final loss to Port Adelaide.
“Finals are the first month of the season, the most important part of the season starts in September. We told the players exactly that after our elimination final loss a couple of weeks ago,’’ he said.
“We embarrassed ourselves and our club with that performance. It has got to cut deep and, more importantly, it has to genuinely hurt.
“We’ll find out when the players return for the pre-season who is really hurt and, more importantly, what is going to happen going forward.
“We need to find a burning desire to keep raising our standards and there will be nowhere to hide in pursuit of that.
“It has to be a collective effort and collective accountability from every single person in our football department and every single person within our football club. The players have to ask themselves, ‘Do I want to play in a good team or do I want to play in a bloody great team?’ “I’ve got no doubt they’ll be prepared to make the sacrifice and we have to be willing to pay the price.
“I’m very confident of that from the moment they set foot inside the club walls for the start of 2015 pre-season.”
http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/damien-hardwick-warns-richmond-players-of-hard-training-program-during-preseason/story-fndv8t7m-1227075740817
