Another week, another game where Richmond get belted. I am not a Richmond fan – which is just as well, because if I was I I’d be in therapy.
Richmond’s performances this year have to been, to put it bluntly, disgraceful.
Yes they have a young side, but this is a club that has been rebuilding for 20 years. They have the worst recent record of any AFL club (their only rival would be Fremantle).
Since the 1990s their only two seasons of note were preliminary final appearances in 1995 and 2001. In both games however they were hammered by Geelong and Brisbane respectively.
No excuses, it is simply not good enough.
But why has such a proud club done so poorly?
They aren’t short of money. They consistently get solid membership numbers and they get the same concessions and priority draft picks that every other side does. So what gives?
Perhaps it’s the administration and recruiting department that are to blame?
Maybe the culture in the footy club is not one that produces successful teams or players?
Maybe the players just need to harden up?
Most people who follow footy would have heard of the drunken incident at Sydney’s Intercontinental Hotel involving several Richmond players (including role model Ben Cousins).
The thing that staggered me about the whole incident was the fact that a team playing that poorly was staying at a 5 star hotel.
Call me old fashioned but they should have been staying at the PYYC hostel in Kings Cross. The Intercontinental could have been used as a reward for a good performance. Seems to me Richmond (and perhaps footballers in general) these days are spoilt babies whether they win, lose or draw.
I sometimes think it’s a shame the AFL doesn’t have a relegation system, because it may teams work just that bit harder to earn some respect.
Ron The Bear
Roar Rookie
Maybe Richmond could've been given a ton of AFL assistance like Gold Coast and other clubs? Or maybe they could drag themselves up the ladder under their own steam with a bit of patience and smarts.
Gazza
Roar Rookie
Kevin Bartlett has wrecked the Richmond culture, the AFL changed the rules to counter him throwing the ball out in front of himself. But it appears every new player going to Richmond has picked up KB's habit of throwing the ball away when being tackled.
B.C. Queenslander.
Guest
Richmond players play for themselves, not for the team. They have done so for many years. Losers.
Al
Guest
I'm not a richmond supporter but i'm getting pretty sick of how everyone is sticking the boot into them when they're at rock bottom. They have to rebuild from scratch after Wallace decimated their club, it'll take them years before they are even in the hunt for finals, Hardwick is the right man for the job for them and has already laid down the law, sure they are uncompetitive now and will be lucky to win 2 games this season, but give the club credit for recruiting a coach that will in the long run transform that club for the better and who is willing to give youngsters a go from the start. Unfortunately for them the inclusion of the two Demitriou extensions to his ego in GC and GWS wont help matters in the draft, however as we have seen Fremantle and a few other clubs do, there are VFL, WAFL and SANFL players that can come in and play decent if not excellent football in the AFL. Credit to Freo, another laughing stock of the AFL in picking up these types of players in the rookie draft (Broughton, Barlow and Silvagni) and finally playing quality football. Richmond are a club with a massive supporter base and the AFL is all the poorer when they are uncompetitive.
Richard
Roar Guru
Richmond have done the right thing by being firm in dealing with the behaviour after the Swans game. They dealt with it swiftly, demonstrating that that sort of behaviour is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Good first step; positive early signs for Hardwick.
Redb
Roar Guru
Hope springs eternal for Tigers fans. Keep playing the kids.
Ben
Guest
I am a Richmod supporter, and yes I have been in therapy for a long time. I don't think it matters where you stay, the big disappointing thing for me, was that players were out drinking after a game. These guys are meant to be professional athletes. Your recovery time after games lengthens after having alcohol. I'm not saying having a quiet beer is all that bad, but to go out on a bender after a game is amateurish. Actually even amateurs that play at a high level dont do it, but that is normally because they have to rock up to work the following day. The other thing that disappoints me, is that instead of out drinking, they should have been out doing punishment drills!!! They were awful against the swans. For majority of the game there was a complete lack of skill, intelligence and ability, but worst of all the effort was non existing. These guys, especially the young guys need to realise that they are doing something others can only dream of, and they need to pull their fingers out and realise that this is their job and treat it with some respect and earn being AFL players.
Richard
Roar Guru
Richmond is a great club, but it has been very poorly led for a long time and is now paying the price. For the good of AFL we all want to see Richmond back among the best - it's long overdue. But I don't think you get there by treating your players from the start as if they're second best. You select carefully, provide great leadership, provide great training and development resources, make sure the goal, the challenge, is fully understood and accepted, trust your team and treat them with respect, and expect only the best. That's what wins championships. I'm not a Richmond supporter either but I hope they do well.