Hardwick's post-match media conference / Tigers showed great maturity: Dimma

[one-eyed]

Dimma's post-match media conference:

VIDEO: http://www.richmondfc.com.au/video/2015-04-02/round-1-hardwick-postgame

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Richmond showed maturity in absorbing Carlton’s early pressure, says coach Damien Hardwick

Bruce Matthews
Herald-Sun
April 03, 2015

RICHMOND coach Damien Hardwick described last night’s 27 points win as “a great sign of our maturity’’ the manner his players absorbed Carlton’s early pressure and turned around the game.

“We probably got let off the hook a bit early. Carlton was the dominant side well and truly in the first quarter. I think the inside 50 count was more than double,’’ Hardwick said.

“It’s great that we rectified it after quarter time and started to get our game up and going a bit. All credit to Carlton, they came out really firing.

“They (Tigers) took that, were well behind on the scoreboard and we started to turn the game our way. It was a great sign of our maturity and evolving leadership of our group.

“It’s early in the season and we expect our better players to play better than they did tonight. It was pleasing for the Taylor Hunts of the world to step up and really deliver for us tonight.

“I thought we were sloppy with our ball use, but we rectified that and got the game on our terms. The great thing about our group is that we can make on field adjustments which is really important. It’s easy to do things at quarter-time and half-time, but when the players respond accordingly.’’

Hardwick said he didn’t see the Brett Deledio-Simon White clash that resulted in the Tiger on-baller being reported for rough conduct for the front-on bump in the opening minute of the game.

“I was watching a replay. I’m not sure. We know Brett is a ball player and we’ll let the tribunal take care of that,’’ he said.

On Kamdyn McIntosh’s 23 possessions debut, the Tiger coach said: “He was very good. We always knew we had a player. It’s three years in the making and his ability to work from contest to contest is very good, but he still has a long way to go, don’t get me wrong. There’s still some things in his game that he can improve on, but overall he ticked that box tonight’’

Hardwick was pleased with key forward Jack Riewoldt’s four goals haul after being held to just one by Carlton opponent Michael Jamison in the first half.

“Jamison has had a pretty good record on him over the course of the years, but the thing we spoke to Jack about was that it might not be his night, but it can be his moment and I thought he stood up big. He took a couple of big marks that, to be honest, we probably haven’t seen from Jack for 12 months,’’ the Tigers coach said.

“I was really pleased with his game, defensively he was chasing, tackling, all the things we know he does and he’s going to have a good year for us.’’

Hardwick said Deledio on the interchange bench for the last quarter was a combination of his achilles tendon ailment and lack of match fitness.

“It’s a bit of management. We probably were always only going to play him for three quarters. We were really pleased what we got out of him in those three quarters and he’ll build into the season proper and play more minutes as we go along,’’ he said.

http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/richmond-showed-maturity-in-absorbing-carltons-early-pressure-says-coach-damien-hardwick/story-fndv8t7m-1227289902804

[one-eyed]

Hardwick 'very pleased' after solid season-opening win

  Matt Murnane
     The Age
    April 3, 2015


Richmond's injury management plan for Brett Deledio could have a delay built in by the match review panel after the Tigers vice-captain was reported for rough conduct in the explosive opening minutes of the round one victory over Carlton.

In an eventful start to the new season, Deledio presented the new match review panel system with its first high-profile case following his high bump on Simon White, running in from the centre square to collect White in the head and shoulder as the Blues tagger slid to win a ground ball from the opening bounce.

Deledio was later substituted in the fourth quarter for what Tigers coach Damien Hardwick confirmed was a pre-planned decision as part of getting their key play-maker back to peak fitness.

Hardwick said Deledio would be available to play in next week's match against the Western Bulldogs, from a fitness point of view, with a 10-day break between matches for him to recover and progress his build-up from the Achilles' tendon and calf problems that have interrupted his pre-season.

But the Tigers must first dodge suspension, and to that end, the fact White was able to get quickly and play out the match is at least a factor in Deledio's favour.

Of the incident, Hardwick would say only that "we know Brett is a ball player", adding "the tribunal will take care of that, I really enjoy the new system".

The Deledio incident was the only negative on an otherwise encouraging opening night for the Tigers where first-gamer Kamdyn McIntosh relished the big stage (on the eve of his 21st birthday), and Jack Riewoldt also stood up with four goals on an emotional night for the key forward in light of the recent death of his cousin Madeleine - the sister of St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt.

McIntosh, making his debut after two years waiting for his chance, had 23 disposals and a goal, highlighting a key element of the win - that the Tigers' top seven ball winners featured the likes of Geelong recruit Taylor Hunt (27 disposals), Nick Vlastuin (21 disposals) and Shane Edwards (seven clearances), rather than the usual suspects of Deledio, Dustin Martin (well tagged by White) and captain Trent Cotchin.

"Taylor Hunt was very good, [as was] Nick Vlastuin - they're the sort of players that we needed," Hardwick said after the game.

"We have had faith in our recruiting team to pick those guys and we knew at some stage they would step up," he said.

"But it's still early in the season. We always knew Carlton would come to shut down those [star players] so it was pleasing for the guys like Taylor Hunt and others to step up and really deliver for us tonight."

It was a point re-emphasised by Carlton coach Mick Malthouse, lamenting that his team allowed the Tigers "second tier players" to perform better than expected.

Hardwick said the hard-running McIntosh still had parts of his game to improve but was overall "very pleased".

"We always knew we had a player. He's been three years in the making," the coach said.

"His ability to work from contest to contest is very good."

Hardwick was similarly happy for Riewoldt as he turned the tables on Blues key defender Michael Jamison, who before this game owned a solid record on the Tigers main goal-kicker.

"The thing we spoke about with Jack is that, it might not be his night but it can be his moment and I thought he really stood up big," Hardwick said.

"He took a couple of big pack marks which, to be honest, we've haven't seen from Jack for probably 12 months."

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/richmond-tigers/hardwick-very-pleased-after-solid-seasonopening-win-20150402-1mdxye.html

[one-eyed]

Emotional Riewoldt set for a big year, says Hardwick

Callum Twomey 
afl.com.au
April 3, 2015



JACK Riewoldt's ability to stand up when Richmond needed him on Thursday night has Tigers coach Damien Hardwick confident his star forward is in for a strong season.

The dual Coleman medallist started quietly against Carlton in the season-opening game but gradually worked into the contest and finished with four goals in the Tigers' 27-point win. 

Riewoldt has had an uninterrupted pre-season after dealing with a range of injuries in previous summers, but entered the round one clash coming up against Blues defender Michael Jamison, who has won many battles with him in recent seasons.

Hardwick said Riewoldt, who has kicked 58 or more goals in his last five seasons, was able to make an impact for the Tigers when it counted.

"Jamison's had a pretty good record on him over the course of a couple of years but the thing we spoke to Jack about was it might not be his night, but it could be his moment," Hardwick said after the Tigers' win.

"I think he stepped up big, and took a couple of big pack marks which, to be honest, we probably haven't seen from Jack for 12 months. I was really pleased with his game.

"Defensively he was chasing, tackling, all the things we know he does. He's going to have a good year for us."

After his first goal in the opening term, Riewoldt pointed to the sky in a tribute to cousin Madeleine, who passed away last month after a battle with illness.

Riewoldt was emotional in the Richmond rooms after the win, and Hardwick said he understood it had been a huge toll on his forward and St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt, Madeleine's older brother.

"It's probably the one thing that can take his mind off that, together with Nick obviously. The one thing footy can do is probably allow to you vent at some stage, but both those boys will battle through," he said.

Riewoldt was one of few bigger names to be star performers for the Tigers, in what Hardwick described as a pleasing sign of the club's developing maturity.

They overcame a slow and sloppy start in the first quarter – Carlton had 11 scoring shots in the opening term – to quickly wind back the deficit by half-time to grab a seven-point lead.

Captain Trent Cotchin (17 disposals) and Dustin Martin (13 disposals, one goal) were shaded by close-checking Carlton opponents, but youngsters Kamdym McIntosh, Brandon Ellis and Taylor Hunt were pivotal contributors.

"We probably tried to move the ball a little bit too aggressively at the start in the pressure of the game. Carlton to their credit came out and hit us pretty hard early, but the great thing for our footy club and a sign of the maturity of our group is that they took that," Hardwick said.

"We were well behind on the scoreboard and we started to turn the game our way. It's a great sign of our maturity and the evolving leadership of our group."

Brett Deledio was substituted out of the game in the last term with his load being managed after an Achilles issue through the pre-season.

The vice-captain is expected to be fit to take on the Western Bulldogs next Saturday, if he escapes scrutiny from the Match Review Panel for his first-minute bump on Carlton's Simon White.

Hardwick didn't make an assessment of the incident, but said Deledio would be better off for the match conditioning.

"We probably always had it under our hat that we'd probably only play him for three quarters. We were really pleased with what we got out of him in those three quarters. He'll build into the season proper and continue to play more minutes as we go along," Hardwick said.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2015-04-02/jack-stepped-up-big-dimma