Richmond’s Troy Chaplin to return as Tigers consider changes for clash with GeelongSam Edmund
Herald-Sun
April 30, 2015 12:31PMTY VICKERY is poised to play his first game in nine months as Richmond looks to break a nine-year hoodoo against Geelong.
Vickery, out of the senior side since Round 18 last year, will be one of a raft of changes at Damien Hardwick’s selection table later today with Ben Griffiths sidelined by a calf injury.
“Ty Vickery is a chance,” Hardwick said today.
“He played well on the weekend, kicked four goals, took some strong contested marks and has been working really hard defensively so we’re pleased with his improved effort there.”
Veteran defender Troy Chaplin will return, while the club’s first draft pick Corey Ellis could make his AFL debut. Chris Newman and Dylan Grimes are also in contention, but Reece Conca is likely to make his comeback form a hamstring strain in the VFL.
“Troy Chaplin will come back in which is a good inclusion for us,” Hardwick said.
“We felt we missed him enormously, he’s a general down there, he marshals the troops. The disappointing thing from our point of view was we probably lacked a bit of stability without him.
“Chris Newman and Dylan Grimes, we’ll see how they get through training. We’re starting to get some players back which is important.”
But Brett Deledio won’t be one of them, with the influential midfielder still frustrated by a calf problem. The former No.1 draft pick ran laps away from the main group this morning, after Hardwick admitted it was a mistake to play him in Round 1.
“Hindsight is a wonderful thing isn’t it? We go into certain games and Brett’s the obvious example there, but there was a couple of other players on the edge who got through,” he said.
“From our point of view I reckon 95 per cent of the time we make the right call. In hindsight we’d probably say ‘Yeah, look, it was the wrong one’.
“At the end of the day we make an informed decision. The players generally got the best feeling of how they’re feeling. We warmed him up prior to that game, actually on the day, and he said he was right to go so we backed the player in and I’ll back him in again.”
Despite still not being back in full training, Hardwick said the injury was showing signs of improvement and was hopeful Deledio would be ready for Round 6.
Richmond hasn’t beaten Geelong since Round 9, 2006, when goals from Chris Hyde (4) and Troy Simmonds (3) got the Tigers over the line by 20 points at Simonds Stadium.
http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/richmonds-troy-chaplin-to-return-as-tigers-consider-changes-for-clash-with-geelong/story-fndv8t7m-1227327984449--------------------------------------------------------
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick admits playing Brett Deledio in round one was a mistakeRonny Lerner
The Age
April 30, 2015 12:28PMRichmond coach Damien Hardwick has admitted that playing star veteran Brett Deledio in round one was a mistake.
Deledio headed into the season-opener against Carlton with a suspect calf and aggravated the injury so badly that he will now miss a fourth game.
"Hindsight is a wonderful thing, isn't it?" Hardwick said at Punt Road Oval before training on Thursday.
"There was a couple of other players on the edge who got through, so from our point of view I reckon 95 per cent of the time we make the right call.
"Look, in hindsight, we'd probably say, yeah, that was the wrong one."
Hardwick said Deledio was showing progress and he was hopeful the two-time best-and-fairest would be fit for the Tigers' round six meeting with North Melbourne.
"Obviously he's missed a fair bit of training and game play at the moment, so he will probably have a full week training next week and, hopefully, be available for selection," he said.
Hardwick stated a few weeks ago that Deledio had put his hand up to play against the Blues but denied he had shown too much faith in the 28-year-old's ability to gauge his fitness.
"At the end of the day, we can make an informed decision, but the player's generally got the best feeling how they're feeling," Hardwick said.
"We warmed him up prior to that game, actually on the day, and he said he was right to go, so we back the player in and I'll back him in again."
Richmond are coming off a disappointing 32-point loss to Melbourne and Hardwick, who described the effort as "insipid" post-match, said his players had got the message "in no uncertain terms" that those kind of efforts weren't up to standard.
He said they had responded well on the track this week but that the "proof will be in the pudding" on Saturday when they play Geelong.
"It's not what we say, it's what we do," Hardwick said.
"They've been great. One thing about this group is they're as disappointed in their performance as what I was and they're a proud group. We're better than that, but we've got an opportunity to show it this week."
Hardwick wasn't concerned that two teams which had finished below them on the ladder last year - Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs - had already beaten the Tigers this season and was confident the list was talented enough to take the next step and become a finals force.
"I think we're enormously talented, we've just got to harness that talent and get the best out of them," Hardwick said.
"We're strong and united here, we know exactly where we're at, we know what we've got to do.
"It's a methodical build, it takes time to make a good footy club. We're well on the way, but what we've got to do is - as far as I'm concerned every game is winnable - is make sure we take stock of that and deliver."
Geelong have assumed the role of Richmond's perennial tormentors, having won their past 10 encounters in a run that stretches back to 2006 and Hardwick said it was about time the Tigers turned the tables.
"They're 1-3 at the moment, they're a better side than that and we know that," he said.
"It's going to be a tough old game, they're going to have a bit of a sting in the tail as will we. We're really looking forward to the challenge."
Hardwick confirmed Richmond would regain key defender Troy Chaplin for the match while Tyrone Vickery, Chris Newman and Dylan Grimes were all in the frame to return as well.
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/richmond-coach-damien-hardwick-admits-playing-brett-deledio-in-round-one-was-a-mistake-20150430-1mwltc.html
