Coach Damien Hardwick says Tigers still on track Jon Ralph
From: Herald Sun
July 05, 2011 12:52PM RICHMOND coach Damien Hardwick has described his side's loss to Carlton as "dismal'' but urged the Tiger Army to keep the faith.
Hardwick yesterday insisted Richmond's upward path was still on track despite being belted by 103 points.
He said in his exclusive message to members that all of the great sides had also been forced to overcome hurdles in their formative years.
"In the immediate aftermath of the game, my mood was fairly reflective of the frustration, anger and bitter disappointment that all Tiger members, who watched the game, would have been feeling,'' he said.
"(But) it's important for us to keep everything in perspective and not confuse any short-term disappointments with the bigger picture.
"The fact of the matter is that we are working to a very clear plan that we firmly believe, in time, will deliver this club sustained success.
"There's no doubt in our minds that we are making significant progress just 18 months or so into this plan, regardless of week-to-week results.''
He said the Richmond coaching department expected heavy losses at times, even if they did not welcome them.
"Suffering big losses along the way is not unexpected, nor is it a setback. I experienced this in my time as an assistant coach at Hawthorn and have seen other successful clubs such as Geelong, Collingwood and Carlton go through it, too.
"Every decision we make is done so with the bigger picture for the club in mind. We will not take short cuts or compromise our planning for the future. That would be doing the wrong thing by you, the members.''
Hardwick was particularly frustrated to lose in such a manner on a weekend the club had dedicated to the Fighting Tiger Fund.
"Unfortunately, the result really put a dampener on the special occasion. (But) there's no point dwelling on a performance that was so uncharacteristic of the way we have played in my time at the club.''
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/coach-damien-hardwick-says-tigers-still-on-track/story-e6frf9jf-1226088020779
