Hardwick's presser 4-8-16 / Dimma's message to coup plotters is "good luck"

[one-eyed]

Dimma's presser today:

VIDEO: http://www.richmondfc.com.au/video/2016-08-04/hardwick-press-conference-august-4

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

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick's message to Tigers coup plotters is "good luck"

Ronny Lerner
The Age
4 August 2016

Embattled Richmond coach Damien Hardwick had a simple message to the prominent group of disgruntled Richmond supporters planning a board challenge – "good luck".

Fairfax Media reported on Wednesday that the group was targeting at least five long-serving Tiger board members, including president Peggy O'Neal, in their bid to reshape the club's board and future football direction.

They met last Wednesday night at the Malvern Hotel and haven't ruled out calling for a spill of the entire board.

The revelations have served as additional headaches for the Tigers who will miss the finals action for the first time since 2012 on the back of an underwhelming 2016 campaign.

However, Hardwick dismissed the looming board challenge as "external noise" and said that the last thing Richmond needed was upheaval in the coming months.

The former Essendon and Port Adelaide premiership player described the current board as a "fantastic group of people" who had delivered outstanding off-field results for the club.

"The board (has achieved) zero debt (and) 72,000 members – good luck," Hardwick said at Punt Road Oval on Thursday.

"The best organisations in the world are stable environments. We've got a fantastic group of people here who are continuing to strive to get us where we need to go.

"Change is always inevitable and you have to embrace it – from a football department to board level, who knows? But what we have got is a group of committed people who are delivering on a promise to get us better.

"We've fallen short of that this year. We'll continue to drive ourselves to get a better result next year."

As for his own future, Hardwick, who still has two years to run on his contract, wasn't contemplating the potential fallout for himself if his side produced another inept performance in the last four weeks of the season.

Richmond have lost their last two games against Hawthorn and GWS by a combined 158 points and have only managed a measly total of eight goals in that period. Their score of 3.5.23 against the Giants was their lowest in 55 years.

"We've played the top side and the second-top side, where are we on the ladder? Not near the top so we probably get what the ladder would suggest," Hardwick said.

"We play a side that is very similar to us this week in Collingwood ... so it'll be a much more even competition.

"We're working our way to where we need to be, we have honest and up-front conversations here, we don't get worried by external noise.

"We have the same conversations on a weekly basis ... we are very plan-orientated, we are very process-driven here."

Hardwick agreed that this season had been "unacceptable" and he would start trying new things in the final month with an eye towards next season now that finals are no longer in their equation.

"We feel we're a finals-calibre side, we haven't played well enough," Hardwick said.

"It's probably the first year where we've really been challenged through injury as well. In our previous finals campaigns we haven't really had a lot of injuries. This year it's probably been a little bit above the norm.

"We haven't got up and going, we haven't had any consistency of performance, we haven't had any consistency of personnel.

"There's no point continuing to do the same things if you're not going to make the finals. It's an area of opportunity for us so as a coaching group we come with new plans, we come with new processes, that's an exciting time for us."

Pressure has also been mounting on Richmond's assistant coaches and while Hardwick admitted he would be disappointed to lose any of them, he revealed they had been allowed to explore their options of employment beyond this season.

"It's always my call. I'll do the interviews and all of that," he said.

"We have been unable to commit to our coaching staff at the moment ... they'll be highly sought-after those guys.

"They're quality people. They're outstanding coaches. Unfortunately with the season we've had, change is inevitable ... that's not to say that they're not terrific coaches."

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/richmond-coach-damien-hardwicks-message-to-tigers-coup-plotters-is-good-luck-20160804-gqks3q.html

[one-eyed]

'External noise' won't distract us: Dimma

AFL.com.au
4 August 2016

RICHMOND will not be distracted by the "external noise" that has followed its thrashing by Greater Western Sydney and will use the rest of this season as a springboard to bounce back in 2017, coach Damien Hardwick says.

Following the Tigers' 88-point loss to GWS last Saturday there have been reports of board challenges, a shake-up of Hardwick's assistant coaching team and renewed calls for Richmond to trade star players to fast-track a list overhaul.

But Hardwick said the blowtorch applied to the club over the past week had not distracted anyone at Richmond from the tasking of rebounding from a disappointing 2016.

"It's all external noise for us. We're focused on what we're doing here, we've got a fantastic board, a fantastic football department and we're working our way to get us back to where we need to be," Hardwick said on Thursday.

"We have honest and up-front conversations here. We don't go outside; we don't get worried by external noise, it is just that.

"The people that matter are within these four walls."

Hardwick said the loss to the second-placed Giants and the 70-point defeat at the hands of ladder-leader Hawthorn a week earlier had accurately reflected the gap between the Tigers and the competition's best teams.

But the Tigers coach said his 13th-placed team should be more evenly matched against its opponent on Friday night, 12th-placed Collingwood.

"From our point of view we play a side that is fairly similar to us this week in Collingwood. They had a good win last week versus West Coast, so it will be a much more even competition," Hardwick said.

"We were playing some pretty good sides the last two weeks, they're better than us there's no doubt about that. We've got some work to do, we understand that."

Hardwick said the Tigers would use the final four rounds of the home and away season to kick-start their 2017 preparations.

"We're going to try new things. There's no point continuing to do the same things if you're not going to make the finals, it's an area of opportunity for us," he said.

"So as a coaching group we come with new plans, we come with new processes.

"Don't get me wrong, we still want to win. The players go out there trying their best every time, as a coaching group we do the same.

"But this is certainly an area of opportunity for us going forward into 2017.

"We feel we're a finals-calibre side … it will be a quick bounce from my point of view."

Hardwick said the make-up of his coaching team next year would ultimately be his call, with changes inevitable following the Tigers' performances this season.

"We've been unable to commit to our coaching staff at the moment so we allow them to explore their options," Hardwick said.

"They will be highly sought after, those guys, because they've been through finals and all this sort of stuff, although without winning one.

"We've got some quality people so that's not to say we won't take some back."

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-08-04/external-noise-wont-distract-tigers-says-damien-hardwick

[(•))(©™]

What an hole

The former Essendon and Port Adelaide premiership player described the current board as a "fantastic group of people" who had delivered outstanding off-field results for the club.

F A N T A S T I C ??
Lolol

[(•))(©™]

Guess who popularised that word at rfc....

MR FANTASTIC DID!!

[(•))(©™]

It's all external noise for us. We're focused on what we're doing here, we've got a fantastic board, a fantastic football department and we're working our way to get us back to where we need to be," Hardwick s

Everything's fantastic !

LMAO

See if YOU can count the "fantastics" Damien used.

[mat073]

I wouldn't say we are similar position to Collingwood.

They have had some quality wins this year and seem to be tracking north .

We have been playing like a team which has given up. Our captain does not want to lead by example and is only interested in accumulating cheap stats . Cotch didn't even lay a tackle on the weekend.

[Ruanaidh]

For a multitude of reasons every single sentence is delusional and/or deceptive and that is being kind. Is he deliberately looking to paint the club into a corner in order to get a pay-out and walk? He won't be getting one cent of my money!

[(•))(©™]

For a multitude of reasons every single sentence is delusional and/or deceptive and that is being kind. Is he deliberately looking to paint the club into a corner in order to get a pay-out and walk? He won't be getting one cent of my money!

Yes.

That'd be his best option.

[TigerMonk]

No-one cares Dimma what happens off field your a idiot

Supporters go to watch football on field for winning results. No-one gives a toss what happens with the footballers off the field or at home. 

sack the lot of them. They are only there for taking money & nothing else. 

[Francois Jackson]

"the board have done a fantastic job in reducing debt down to zero"

funny how they never mention the main reason the debt is down to zero, being as a result of us members.

i guess we arent inside the "4 walls" aye.

stuffin loser hope pies pump us this week

[(•))(©™]

External noise' won't distract us: Dimma


Yep.He just keep on losing and trying to put a square in a round circle....cos eventually, it'll work.

[YellowandBlackBlood]

Off field results are important. They are important because they are supposed to set up a team to allow them to achieve on field results.

So Dimwit, you've had seven whole years to give us on field results and you haven't even been able to win a single final in that time.

The other thing the board is supposed to do is employ the right people in the FD to bring on field success. They've failed miserably in that aspect.

[Harry]

Some of them will be wishing you good luck when they sack you.

[Tigeritis™©®]

"The people that matter are within these four walls."

So the supporters don't really matter then?

[(•))(©™]

Off field results are important. They are important because they are supposed to set up a team to allow them to achieve on field results.

So Dimwit, you've had seven whole years to give us on field results and you haven't even been able to win a single final in that time.

The other thing the board is supposed to do is employ the right people in the FD to bring on field success. They've failed miserably in that aspect.

Good one. 

Also proves the current board, over seven years, chose to place football second behind
Corporate relevance amongst their wanker peers, whoever the stuff they are.

Furthermore as many have already stated, the profit they so arrogantly hang their
Reputation as winners on, is largely the funds bled from the members under false promise.

Peggy is just an ignorant witch with her head up her clacker.
White Ribbon diplomat one minute, coach extension expert the next.
She's useless., so don't be talking sexist crap in her defence
Unqualified to reside as president of the RFC.

the dissection of Dimma is nigh