Unique gifts reveal Dimma’s special bondJay Clark
Herald Sun
28 September 2019Every week, there is a gift waiting for each Richmond player.
Tigers coach Damien Hardwick leaves the trinkets and presents in front of all of his players’ lockers before each game.
In some way, the gifts represent the theme or are cleverly woven into the message Hardwick is spruiking that week in the lead-up to the game.
There’s been hammers, NFL balls and hockey pucks, vinyl records and cassettes, movies and different tops and singlets representing various sporting teams from around the world.
And before last week’s preliminary final win over Geelong, Hardwick went to another level, personally handwriting a letter to each Tigers’ player.
Richmond players have revealed that only moments before the Tigers ran out to face the Cats, they opened envelopes containing heart-felt messages about their own personal journeys from their senior coach.
Defender Nathan Broad put his letter on his fridge and has revisited it often this week, while ruckman Toby Nankervis said it would be something he cherished forever.
“I read mine before the game, and it was pretty amazing, something I’ll remember and keep forever, to be honest,” said Nankervis.
“Just how personal he makes it for us is something pretty special
“Everyone has their own journey and for him to recognise that (in writing) is pretty personal and to me and everyone, I think it really means a lot.
“And all of the gifts that he gives, it is something you will be able to look back on and be really proud.”
For youngster Jayden Short, the letter had a big impact.
“You do get emotional, reading it before the game,” Short said.
“It is something that gives you great confidence out there and shows you how much he cares for all of us.
“He always gives us some sort of present every week and there is always a back story, or a story before the game, and every week is different, there has been all sorts of things.”
Speedster Jason Castagna, who keeps all of his gifts in his top cupboard in his bedroom, added: “Reading that before the game I definitely know it gave all of us a lift. He put in so much time and effort into it, because he has such a strong connection with each and every one of us.”
This connectivity has been Richmond’s trump card, helping encourage openness, vulnerability and authenticity which ignited its premiership tilt at the start of 2017.
When the players gathered at the club before the Grand Final parade, Hardwick fought back tears as he told his troops how proud he was, regardless of the result.
Last year, the day before the preliminary final loss to Collingwood Hardwick had a Freddie Mercury impersonator sing at the club, which he admitted went down “like a lead balloon”.
Not everything is perfect, he said laughing, upon reflection.
But today was more emotional, Broad said.
“This morning Dimma got up in front of the group and it did get a bit emotional, and it does make you all feel emotional because you ride the highs and the lows together,” Broad said.
“We are such a tight-knit group.”
For some, the gifts aren’t that practical. Captain Trent Cotchin hasn’t got a record player so the vinyls are all stacked in an unused pile.
But others are. Bachar Houli’s hammer is now in his camping set while Ivan Soldo wears his Tampa Bay Buccaneers hoodie most days.
Cotchin said Hardwick “had become an amazing storyteller” and “that’s why we can relate to him so easily”.
“I love it about him,” Cotchin said.
Shai Bolton added: “I have never had a coach like him, the way he cares about you and speaks to you, it is unreal.”
Teammate Kane Lambert said Hardwick delegated a lot of work to his assistants so that he could focus on the emotional layers of coaching.
“It is quite amazing to think he comes up with a theme or something that is relevant every week,” Lambert said.
“Last week was obviously a really good one, the way he wrote the personalised letters and gave a record that was relevant to each story.
“It was a personal letter which reflected on my journey and was about backing myself in and knowing that I have the trust of my teammates and my coaches and that gives me great confidence.
“It just shows you how much he is invested into the footy club and us as individuals.”
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/richmond/damien-hardwick-gives-his-players-weekly-gifts-and-last-week-hand-wrote-them-personalised-letters/news-story/d2d474f83354586aeb89c27744cec191
