In what continues to be such a wonderful race for the top four, one unfortunate shellacking stood out among a significant number of champions’ individual milestones – a completely and utterly pathetic Richmond.
Many pundits, including experts here at The Roar, had Richmond knocking on the door of the top four this year.
I certainly saw them on last year’s tracking of making the top eight – but my vision is often very blurred as they seem to find a way to towel the Swans every time they play them.
Riewoldt, Rance, Deledio and Martin. That core is elite. Rance I would argue is on another level given who he has to help him down back.
Not surprisingly, coach Damien Hardwick came to Richmond and focused on a Hawthorn mark 2.0 approach.
The basic theory being utter domination of possession with accurate short-chipping, and strike when the opposition opened up. Turnovers are punished ruthlessly.
Hardwick certainly had some moderate success, with Richmond making three consecutive elimination finals albeit not being able to win one. But to play that sort of football you need talent in abundance – and the players they have brought in or draft around the core do not have that. Even Jack Riewoldt got sick of the game-plan in 2014.
To compound 2013 woes, only Richmond could find a way to lose an elimination final to a ninth-placed team.
For me, the seeds were sown on Hardwick in last year’s elimination final against North Melbourne.
During a significant period of the third term (and to a lesser extent fourth), it all fell to Alex Rance. He had to spoil, he had to be the link player, he had to rebound from defensive 50.
He kept them in the game and clearly what was needed for 2016 was another big-body defender to help Rance, and potentially a couple of younger players with skills to dispose the footy off the back flanks.
Richmond’s response? Draft Chris Yarran, from a ‘successful’ Carlton defensive unit.
Yes, it is also a fair call to blast very poor recruiting, but Hardwick has had a decent crack to get things right and any argument that a coach is not involved in recruiting is laughable.
Continuing my critique of Hardwick, the use of Jack Riewoldt is a case in point. In my opinion, having seen him destroy the Swans on a fare few occasions over the last few years, no one has a greater influence in the league inside forward 50 – let’s face it, Buddy is hitting goals from 50-60 metres these days.
His pack-marking, pressure, and clean hands when ball is on ground are amazing.
Yet Hardwick continues to play Riewoldt high up the ground, robbing Richmond of a marking and pressure weapon. Not that the ball would have gone there much against the rampant Giants.
The final, and probably most damning comment is you get the sense the players are not invested in the Hardwick game plan anymore. This is a bad time for any elite coach. You saw it last year with Hird, and similar pressure on Leppa at the Lions heading towards the season’s sunset.
On current tracking, the Tiges will finish around the mark of Hardwick’s first year in the job. It is time for someone else to drive this team forward as a new game-plan and reboot around the ‘fab-four’ is needed.
Which leaves me pondering, just why is Richmond the poisoned chalice of AFL coaching jobs?
Wilson
Roar Guru
Sheedy - happy whre he is at ESS Malthouse - Are you Nuts did you not see what he did to Carlton. Mathew Knights - Like Hardwick development Coach he is great but not that next step
Rocko
Roar Guru
As I raised earlier - what about someone like Stuey Dew at the Swans - Longmire has extended his contract and Dew's work with the midfield is amazing.
Rocko
Roar Guru
Dingo glad you liked it :-)
Rocko
Roar Guru
What about Stuart Dew from the Swans?
big four sticks
Guest
It will work out cheaper to pay Hardwick out than to keep him, as we will lose members and sponsors otherwise.
big four sticks
Guest
We need a Richmond man to take this club to greatness. Sheedy, Malthouse, or Matthew Knights.
big four sticks
Guest
Hardwick has to go. This was our lowest score since 1961. We have only moved on one assistant coach and that was Ben Rutten. We need Knights at the helm. We also need to clear out the assistant coaches. Our efforts over the past two weeks have been pathetic against sides we usually beat. The buck stops at Hardwick and the rest of the coaching staff. It is time to make Richmond great again.
Milo
Guest
Actually not true. Frawley left after 5 years amicably, Wallace when he believed he lost the players, Gieschen told the club he wasnt interested continuing but with a positive winning record, Northey left to go to Brisbane and Jeans (Janes??) left due to poor health. One coach, Walls was sacked and paid out. Important to get your facts right Brian.
Brian
Guest
Frawley, Wallace, Gieschen, Northey, Walls, Janes all were basically sacked post 1991. On top of the 6 or so sacked in the 1980s. I appreciate if there is no improvement next year Hardwick has to take some responsibility but currently he is not the problem. Clarkson would not make the Finals with the current list whereby the last great draft choice made was Dustin Martin some 6 years ago.
garlee10
Guest
Brian You do realise that was the lowest score this mob have served up in 55 years? On a dry mild day too I might add. Did you act silly see the game and witness how bad it was? They need a clear out as Muz and Paul have rightly stated. Matthew Lloyd opined last week how Dimma has destroyed Riewoldt. Looking at Saturday's debacle I felt sorry for the bloke chasing lost cause after lost cause. Now we has to front up tomorrow on 360 and regurgitate the same crap we've heard all season. At least Sam Burgess from the Rabbitohs called a spade a spade after their embarrassing show yesterday.
Milo
Roar Rookie
Actually IMO the coaching extension of Harwick was correct. The only problem was the length, it should've been one year (like Buckley & Leppa) not two. Richmond had no choice similar to others in their position. Failing to renew would've set the media hounds into overdrive much earlier in the season leading to unwanted distraction. Probably didn't matter in the end but looking back they had to renew then.
DingoGray
Roar Guru
This is one of my all time favourite Article Titles! Well Played Roar Editors! As for Dimma, I wouldn't of offered him a contract extension if I was a Tigers Board Member. He's very much been mediocre for an extended period of time. The Tigers won't get to a contending staff while ever he's at the helm!
Milo
Roar Rookie
Brian Im not sure you know much about Richmond history, but only one coach has been sacked since 1991 when KB's contract wasn't renewed. Dimma unfortunately is part of the problem, as are recruitment and development. From the opening round it was clear that we hadn't improved one iota from last year (which means you go backwards), our draw was tougher and other clubs have caught up and in some instances gone right past. Dimma is partly responsible there, but 100% responsible for the game plan or lack thereof, the lack of focus on things like tackling, intensity and effort and the insistence on hacks and list cloggers continuing to get games at the expense of the potential that apparently sits in the VFL. Throw in he's an unimaginative match day coach without any back up plans when things go south and I think its quite apparent we're going to need a new direction. Hardwick will be given every opportunity you hope with what happens in the trade and draft period (but I wouldn't be surprised if we fail there again) in addition to a new set of assistants so he will have no excuses going forward to be the leader of that new direction. After all that, by this time next year if nothing's changed especially in intensity and game plan then RFC will have a caretaker coach.
Jason Cave
Guest
If Hardwick was to go, who'd replace him? 'Bomber' Thompson? Kevin Sheedy? Paul Roos? Mick Malthouse?
Paul D
Roar Guru
Fine, keep Hardwick for another 12-24 months if you really must and get him to start the rebuild - but he’s not the man to take you to the heights, his gameday coaching alone rules him out of contention. Humdrum, stultifying tactics and an inability to respond to aggressive tactical moves from the opposition. No amount of support is going to make up for his manifest inadequacy to keep up with today’s game.
Brian
Guest
Richmond whole history in the last 35 years is riddled with poor performance - sack coach, get a messiah only to go backwards again and then sack the coach again. Dimma is not the problem. Richmond is and that is why his contract was extended. The draft recruitment has been terrible and so what can he do? Surely its time Richmond backed their coach rather then the usual kneejerk sacking followed by another rebuild and more abject failure.
Wilson
Roar Guru
I think Hardwick did a great job getting them to where they go to at the end of last year, so as a development Coach he is great. It’s getting to that next point that he has fail and that is where they need a new coach to come in and take them to that next level. Like what Ross Lyon did with Freo and Saints, Love or hate Lyons he did get both those teams to get to that next level after someone had done the building.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Neale, Walters and pick 18ish for Jack Riewoldt? You are joking. Not even Freo is that dumb at trade time.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Hardwick has to go, it’s all well and good to talk stability but this is just stable mediocrity. What is the point. Paul Keating was fond of saying that when things are too comfortable sometimes you need a shake-up, like "picking up a bloody big rock and dropping it in the pond". There’s a boulder with Hardwick’s name on it and it’s long overdue for a vast muddy splash. Get him out, cop the hit in the off-season, get a new coach in and start turning this club around, because no-one believes Hardwick is capable anymore, we’ve seen the best of Hardwick and it is not good enough. He’s done. And to think Brisbane hired Leppa on the strength of his experience as this chump’s assistant. Jesus wept.
Arky
Guest
Depends what you could get for him. It's a shame Freo just left the market for win-now trades. Rewind 12 months and you could have probably demanded Neale, Walters and a first rounder and got it. While personally I think North should concede that this is the last year they can try to stretch for a crack at the premiership without dipping and rebuilding, if they decided to keep trying then pensioning off Waite and Petrie in favour of Jack Riewoldt would be a great start. They have a number of quality players in their early 20s, and if they put a future first on the table as well (with a serious possibility that they will crash and that future first will be gold), Richmond would have to listen right? If Roughhead can't return, Hawthorn could be in the market too. Don't know what currency they have left to trade, but they seem to find ways.