TIGERS CO-CAPTAIN “THE MOST UNDISCIPLINED PLAYER IN THE GAME”By Alex Zaia
SEN
21 July 2022Richmond coach Damien Hardwick isn’t happy with the “harsh” treatment co-captain Toby Nankervis is receiving from the umpires.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Hardwick revealed the Tigers have contacted the AFL umpiring department over some of the free kicks paid against the ruckman.
Nankervis has conceded a league-high 49 free kicks this season, including six in last week’s upset loss to North Melbourne.
While Kane Cornes agrees that too many tiggy touchwood free kicks are paid in ruck contests, he says Nankervis only has himself to blame due to his poor discipline.
Cornes accused Hardwick of “whinging” and labelled Nankervis “the most undisciplined player in the game”.
“Surely some responsibility needs to go back on Nankervis. Is he the only ruckman that is harshly dealt with?” Cornes told SEN Breakfast.
“Certainly some of the free kicks Nankervis gives away aren’t just in the ruck contest, he’s one of the crudest tacklers in the competition.
“Clearly it’s costing them in big moments. It’s fine when you’re winning premierships and everything is going well and you are playing on the edge, but when you lose two games essentially by the last kick and you look at one player who’s given six free kicks away, he’s given away some big 50-metre penalties throughout the year and you’re on the cusp of missing the eight, then you look at it a little bit closer.
“The responsibility’s got to go back on Nankervis – I think he’s the most undisciplined player in the game, and that’s not just from ruck free kicks.
“If Damien Hardwick was honest here, and clearly I don’t have a breakdown of all the 49 free kicks he’s given away, but a lot of them aren’t from ruck contests, a lot of them are for crude tackles.
“Do we need more whinging from Hardwick again? It feels like Richmond are whinging about something all the time.
“Great if you’ve spoken to the umpire department, terrific, that’s what you should be doing, but does he need to tell everyone that they’ve spoken to the umpiring department, or should that be done behind closed doors? I don’t think we need to be alerted to that.
“He’s had a crack at a few things over the journey, Damien Hardwick, and this just feels like another whinge to me.”
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2022/07/20/tigers-co-captain-the-most-undisciplined-player-in-the-game/