Richmond Tigers have just hit a speed-bump, says Damien HardwickJon Pierik
The Age
5 May 2016As he deals with the off-field media and supporter "hurricane", Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has guaranteed the Tigers will rebound soon, and with a rejigged game plan.
That refined game style is set to face a rugged test against a stung Hawthorn at the MCG on Friday night.
It's been another tumultuous week for the Tigers, with the entire football department under pressure after a 1-5 start to the season.
The Tigers will complete a review later this year but Hardwick insists it will be no different to those of previous years.
"You have got to understand, we review daily, weekly, monthly. We always have an end-of-year review. This is nothing that footy clubs don't do on a regular basis," he said.
"I am incredibly happy with the state of our list, we have some injuries at the moment, we have got some guys that aren't playing well. I am very confident of those players getting the best out of themselves and will get back.
"We are at a speed-bump at the moment. We will bounce back – I will guarantee you. [I am] very happy with our coaching group, they are a great group of men that have delivered 15 wins last year, 12 wins, 15 wins – they get results.
"At the moment, we are not playing well. I am incredibly confident with the people that we have got at this footy club that we have the right people to take us forward.
"At some stage in our development we were always going to hit a speed hump."
However, this review is set to take a closer look at the football department and assistant coaches, particularly if the poor form continues.
In a bid to rectify this, Hardwick said the Tigers had "changed a few things about how we are going to play and we'll start to get the results we are after".
The Tigers have been criticised for their indirect play and propensity to look wide rather than through the corridor when they have the ball.
They have won three of their past four matches against the Hawks, giving them some confidence.
"We are playing against a side that has, obviously, won the past three flags, were disappointed with their performance last week so they are going to come out breathing fire," Hardwick said.
"With all due respect to Hawthorn, we need to do the same thing. We were disappointed with our contested ball efforts last week, our tackle pressure last week.
"You are always looking for some psychological advantage…there are certain teams we play well against. You can't go too far in the past, though, because sides differ from year to year."
The Tigers are set to regain young defender Nick Vlastuin but will have to wait another week for Dylan Grimes, their second-best backman, as he recovers from a hamstring injury. Brett Deledio will replace Trent Cotchin (fractured cheekbone) as skipper.
Hardwick said he had been encouraged by the emerging talent of Daniel Rioli, Jason Castagna, Corey Elli and Connor Menadue.
In a tough week, Hardwick revealed Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley had rung and offered his support.
Buckley and Hardwick have much in common at the moment, each dealing with seasons where expectations of their clubs have not been met.
Hardwick, who remains a great friend of Hawks mentor Alastair Clarkson, said Buckley had accidentally rung Hardwick's wife before getting on to his coaching counterpart. Buckley had been given the wrong number by AFL Coaches' Association chief Mark Brayshaw.
"He has rung Mrs Hardwick. Mark Brayshaw gave him the wrong number. Why Mark Brayshaw has got my wife's number, I am not so sure," Hardwick joked.
"We had a chat. The one thing the coaches' association has grown in is, look, we want to kill each other on weekends but I think as a group of men, we have started to understand, we are all in this situation at some stage. So we lean on each other a lot more than we used to. That's not to say I don't want to kill Clarko this weekend."
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