Hardwick's post-match conference/Take big win but still a fair bit of work to do

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For Richmond, the result was a handy percentage boost that could have been even bigger, but coach Damien Hardwick said that most teams would have struggled to maintain the intensity given the size of their lead by the main break.

“It’s always a tough one. You’ve got a pretty commanding lead at half-time and the game very rarely continues on that front.

“The Suns bounced back pretty hard, I thought they were by far the better side in that third quarter and the last quarter they hung tough as well.

“There’s some good things we’ll take out of the game. There’s no doubt if you’d said to me we’d come here and win by close to 100 points, we’d take it, but we also realise we’ve got a fair bit of work to do in some areas also.”

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/suns-embarrassed-by-richmond-thrashing-20190706-p524sl.html

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Dimma's presser:

VIDEO: https://www.richmondfc.com.au/video/2019-07-06/round-16-hardwick-postmatch-

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Tigers eye Giant test after massive win over Suns

AFL.com.au
Luke Michael
Jul 7, 2019

RICHMOND is starting to click into gear after an injury-ravaged start to the season, but Damien Hardwick admits the real test will come next week against Greater Western Sydney.

The Tigers were ruthless in their 92-point win over Gold Coast on Saturday, kicking 16 goals to three in a dominant first half.

The win leaves Richmond well placed at 9-6 with their remaining seven games at the MCG.

After dealing with injuries to a bulk of stars for much of the season, Hardwick said it was great to get some continuity and build some momentum heading towards September.

"We did make those seven changes (last week) and we knew we'd be a little clunky (but) the boys are starting to connect a little bit better and get our game up and going, which is really important especially at this time of the year," Hardwick said.

"It was a step forward there's no doubt about that. We can certainly get better in a couple of areas but we're pretty pleased overall with the result we got today."

Hardwick said his side would get a better idea of where it's placed when it takes on the fourth-placed Giants next week.

"They beat us by about six goals earlier in the year. So we're looking forward to challenging ourselves against one of the better sides of the competition," Hardwick said.

"We'll probably get a better understanding of where we're at but we're certainly confident our best footy is capable.

"It's just making sure we give our players the opportunity to play their best football next week."

Jack Riewoldt is close to returning from his PCL injury, but in the meantime Hardwick said he was pleased with the speed and synergy his forward line was offering.

Jason Castagna starred with five goals against the Suns, while Tom Lynch (three goals), Shai Bolton (two goals) and Sydney Stack (one goal) also proved a headache up forward.

"(Castagna) was in good form early. Speed up forward is certainly important, they're hard to play against, which is another positive," Hardwick said.

"Shai Bolton took another step forward in his development today and Sydney (Stack) continues to become a really valuable player for us."

https://www.afl.com.au/news/2019-07-06/damien-hardwick-postmatch