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Richmond need to make a stand and terminate the contract of Damien Hardwick. He is on a path of coaching self-destruction and needs to step aside.
Now it isn’t entirely Hardwick’s fault that the club has spiralled out of control. The playing group’s lack of effort and competitiveness needs to come from them. On a tactical standpoint, Hardwick is too often outcoached. He plays a style of football that it outdated and irrelevant.
The Tigers were deplorable against the Giants on Saturday, playing two hours of football without showing a flicker of effort, intensity or skill.
This is a personnel issue in essence, but points to serious coaching deficiencies which need to be rectified at the end of the season.
The football department needs to review the coaching department, playing list and development or the Tigers will face a period as a cellar dweller once again.
It is bizarre that the club moved to secure Hardwick until 2018 before the season started.
This points to a club that has played it safe for 30 years, not accepted where it is at in the pecking order and has a belief that they are closer to a flag than it is in reality.
Hardwick has exerted all he could out of his playing list, and in his seven years at the helm, has established a commendable re-culturing of the club.
However, there comes a time when a coach and club need to move on from each other if things aren’t going as planned, and the 2016 season for the Tigers has been a disgracefully unprofessional effort.
Richmond must stop the rot, end the tenure of Hardwick, and start afresh with a rejuvenated coach who can take a promising but underperforming group of players forward.
Hardwick has struggled to develop players at an acceptable AFL level, and not taking enough selection risks to ensure his list stay hungry.
Players such as Brandon Ellis, a first round draft selection who’s first 90 games at AFL level indicated he would be one of the top line midfielders in the game, has fallen from grace. Others such as Nick Vlaustin, Reece Conca and Shane Edwards all have the potential to be great players but have also fallen away dramatically.
This points to a serious lack of development and coaching prose on Hardwick’s part.
His inability to teach his players a style of ball movement that adheres to modern AFL football is worrying and has hindered Richmond’s development.
Hardwick is a weak game day coach and is not reactive enough or daring enough to make split second decisions that may benefit the game.
Richmond’s game style is utterly confusing. At times they look to spread the ball across the ground and work the ball methodically like the Hawks. Other times they like to play a one on one style and kick the ball long.
They have no style that makes them unique.
The Bulldogs are a ruthless, fast-paced football side and that’s what they are known for.
The Hawks play a methodical, structured and sometimes safe style and it works.
Richmond have no game plan and seem directionless – and this comes from the senior coach. The Tigers have serious holes all over the ground. This is a coaching issue.
The list on face value is not that bad. The Tigers possess a lot of star players, young talent and solid citizens but they are so poorly coached and are mediocre in terms of professionalism.
Dimma fails to make the tough decisions and has brought about a system in which players are able to underperform and still hold their spot.
The fact that Ty Vickery and Reece Conca seem to be walk up starts yet have not performed at an AFL standard in 2016 highlights the difference in standards between Richmond and a club like Hawthorn or Geelong.
Connor Menadue and Jason Castagna have been victims of this mediocrity, dropped after 1 quiet game as 19-year-old kids. How do you expect the club to move forward when it conveys mediocrity and rewards players who have been around for long enough and not performed to AFL standard.
One of the biggest issues and errors in judgement on Hardwick’s part is his failures in recruiting the right players, overrating his list and not rejuvenating the talent within the club.
Not this blame needs to be placed on to the recruiting staff as well, but Hardwick has a major say on how he wants his list to look and the types of players he wants playing in his side.
They have failed in this department miserably. Instead of trading in fringe midfielders with limited talent such as Jacob Townsend and Andrew Moore, the Tigers could have committed to drafting in another two kids.
The club should seriously look at Brett Ratten, Matthew Knights, Stuart Dew or Brett Montgomery. These four are considered brilliant football thinkers and would fit Richmond to a tee.
A fresh face would do wonders to the club and would also help them secure opposition talent. The club needs to go in another direction with another senior coach and assistants, a restructured football department, and a rejuvenated playing list.
The AFL is a better and more entertaining competition when Richmond are successful. They are a major revenue source for the AFL and one of the biggest clubs in Australia, but something needs to change.
The first step? Hardwick needs to go.
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