Hardwick 'pleased' with Tigers' pre-seasonJon Pierik
The Age
March 8, 2016As they reach a critical point in their evolution, Richmond are approaching full strength ahead of the season opener against Carlton.
The Tigers will complete their pre-season campaign on Thursday night when they face Port Adelaide at Etihad Stadium in their third NAB Challenge clash.
Having unveiled an inexperienced side and been crunched by Fremantle in the pre-season opener, the Tigers responded with a mauling of their own when they handed Hawthorn an 11-goal loss at Beaconsfield.
The Tigers have failed to advance past an elimination final in the past three years, intensifying a desire to ensure their latest summer campaign was meticulous.
Coach Damien Hardwick said on Tuesday he had been pleased with the performance to date.
"The great thing for us is we have a number of players available for selection, which is really important. I think the depth of our crew has improved," he said.
"The quality of the players we have brought in has improved. I have been pleased with the things we put in place to work on over summer. Some of those we saw last week. We are looking forward to seeing them again on Thursday night."
Hardwick's comments about better depth are pertinent, for this has been seen as one reason the Tigers haven't advanced deep into September.
Champion Data has rated eight players, including Trent Cotchin, Dustin Martin and Brett Deledio, as elite, but their issue has been among those ranked from 17 to 22.
The Tigers will also want to lift their scoring, for they averaged 87.7 points last season - 10th best. Their defence, however, was great, conceding only 71.3 points - third best.
Deledio, arguably the Tigers' most important player, will have his first official run of the summer, against the Power.
The veteran half-forward has been managing an achilles injury and will play half a game.
"We have had a pretty conservative approach with Brett and we look forward to putting him on the park. He will have his first run, play a half and, hopefully, get a kick," Hardwick said.
The Tigers will have to manage Deledio through the season but Hardwick does not think he will need to be rested.
"My expectations are he will play every game. It's something we have managed over the past two to three years. It's something we are familiar with," he said.
"It's one of those things he will have to manage for the remainder of his career but we are pretty confident our medical staff have a good grasp on it."
Chris Yarran, who has battled a calf problem in his first season at Punt Road, has made "huge inroads in the last two to three weeks", and could figure in calculations to face his former club, the Blues.
Ty Vickery will also return to the field, having overcome concussion after a bizarre incident where he went up for a mark 80 metres away from the ball in the clash against the Dockers.
However, it appears the Tigers still can't quite pinpoint what prompted Vickery's actions.
"Obviously, he had the concussion episode - we think it was, anyway. We gave him the week off and he will come back and play this week," Hardwick said.
"We need to get some minutes into Ty. He is an important player for us. We look forward to having him on the park."
Shaun Hampson, another former Blue, will also step out against the Power, having recovered more slowly than expected from ankle surgery. This shapes as a make-or-break season for the ruckman-forward.
Hardwick said Nathan Drummond, on the mend from knee surgery last year, was the only player who had been ruled out of round one.
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/damien-hardwick-pleased-with-richmond-tigers-preseason-20160308-gnd9ri.html
