Hardwick preaches Hafey gospel
richmondfc.com.au
By Tony Greenberg | Tue 22 September, 2009
New Richmond coach Damien Hardwick wants to instill the spirit of the triumphant Tiger teams of the 1960s and 70s into the current playing group.
Speaking at last week’s Jack Dyer Medal night, Hardwick told the audience he was hoping the special qualities that defined those Tommy Hafey-coached Tigers, could be transplanted into the Club’s modern-day players.
“I look back with envy at the Hafey era, the period between 1967 and ’74, and the four premierships that go with it – the most successful era of this club,” he said.
“Ruthless, relentless and, most importantly, uncompromising. These are the words used to describe those great teams.
“The sooner these words become associated with our current group, the closer we will be to that elusive 11th premiership.”
Hardwick advised the Yellow and Black faithful that the road to the Tigers’ next successful would be long, but short-cuts were definitely not on their map.
“The Richmond Football Club, from this point on, will take no short-cuts,” he said.
“We’ll make brave decisions – and make no apologies for them because, you know from our proud history, that a period of sustained success is built on the back of hard work and exceptional teamwork.
“You’ll hear the term “team first” a lot about Richmond from here on in. We won’t just pay it lip-service, we’ll absolutely live it. It will become the fundamental plank in restoring the Club to its rightful position as a power of the AFL.”
Hardwick finished his speech with a strong message to the Tiger players . . .
“There will no longer be a reliance on hope at the Richmond Football Club. We will believe,” he said.
“Over summer, you will start that belief by rehearsing, rehearsing and rehearsing an offensive and defensive game plan that will keep you in good stead for the 2010 season.
“Belief comes when you are properly prepared. Finally, we have a blueprint for success – and we will not deviate from that blueprint.
“Every decision we make will be around how this can help the Richmond Football Club win the 11th premiership cup, and develop a period of sustained success . . .”
http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/6301/newsid/85122/default.aspx
Wow. Remember this? What a lying prick Dumma has turned out to be.
"Richmond is an egg, crack the shell and it's all soft inside".
Mostly everyone here knows that we are clearly the most fragile, mentally weak, panty wearing, marshmallow, soft as butter team in the competition.
This is always going to be the case when truly tested & especially manifested in finals all the while opposition coaches reiterate the same words to their players. Paul Roos has been able to get his teams to expose the softness no more evident than the Tom Hafey tribute game.
Heck, we even saw it today as Frankston turned up the heat and the reserves melted.
It's clearly the easiest way to kill off the faux toughness of a pansy team. This has been the clubs most pressing issue that not any coach has been able to change since Swooper was last in charge.
One thing I can't stand is when players don't go in to stick up for a team mate, it riles me more than anything else I see that I hate. I absolutely lost it that day when Wayne Campbell was the only player in to remonstrate with Libba after hitting Matty Knights in 2001. Some might say other players went in but it was soft, Campbell was the only one that was fairdinkum that day.
There has been the odd player that has flown the flag at times ie. King, Howat, Jackson, but mostly we are a club that just lets these things happen without the team willing to remonstrate and truly say that this isn't acceptable any longer.
I don't know why softness isn't the first thing a new coach addresses when arriving. It's bad enough to be mediocre but to be labelled soft is, in my opinion, the worst thing that anyone can say about you on the footy field.
There are so many areas to repair, but Hardwick has done nothing to address this underlying issue at the club although he has probably contributed more to it than any other coach before him.
The pre season debacle of trying to take players off the field and stop the match at 3 quarter time was definitely the beginning of the end of this regime. This one act filters throughout the whole club, damaging the teams psyche and more than likely damaged them forever.
I hate that we are soft, it makes me sick.
