Richmond vice-captain Jack Riewoldt says Sydney Stack and Callum Coleman-Jones’ COVID-19 protocol breaches were an “expensive” and “damaging” lesson but the test of the AFL club’s culture will be how it moves forward.
Stack and Coleman-Jones were removed from the Tigers’ Queensland hub after leaving in an uber, visiting a strip club and then being involved in a drunken fight early on Friday morning.
Riewoldt said he and his teammates had learned of the pair’s breaches on Friday morning and were “gutted,” but said the Tigers wouldn’t ostracise them.
“We’ve had two young men make … a lot of very poor decisions and the easy thing to do is ostracise them from the group and say ‘look, that was their choice’,” Riewoldt told SEN’s Tiger Time.
“But the sign of a good football club and the sign of a good organisation is that we own it.”
Stack and Coleman-Jones were both suspended for ten matches by the AFL while the Tigers were fined $100,000 for a second breach by members of their club travel bubble.
Their actions also leave the Tigers at risk of losing premiership points or draft picks if the club breaches protocols a third time.
“That’s not going to define us in the back end of the season … but we’ve got to learn our lesson from it because we’re in a position where we’re right on the borderline of going over into the next stage of punishments, which are pretty severe,” Riewoldt said.
“So we’re on heightened alert as well, we know that we need to maintain the regulations – as every side does up here.
“For us I say it’s a learning lesson but it’s one, a very expensive one and two, it’s been a pretty damaging one for the brand of the club and we’re really disappointed about that.”
Riewoldt agreed with chief executive Brendon Gale that Richmond had “lost some respect” but rejected suggestions the Tigers were “arrogant”.
“We’ve got some extremely humble people in here and they would cringe hearing that (arrogant), and I would cringe about them saying that about our people,” he said.
Riewoldt was confident the Tigers’ leaders were all “pushing in the right direction” and said the true test of Richmond’s culture would be how they moved forward.
“The culture is what you do next,” he said.
“How do you bounce back? How do you prepare and put this behind you and get ready for Friday night (and) a massive game of AFL football? How do you look after your people to get them through and get them going again?
“So the culture will be what pans out over the next period of time.”
Dangersphere 10
Roar Rookie
The fact that you felt the need to defend them pretty much sums up the sorry state of affairs when it comes to diving in the sport atm. Grimes absolutely should be hung out to dry not only for the dive in that match, but the many dives he has been doing long before it (he was already fined for staging earlier in the season). Go watch the GF again and watch him go flying from the SLIGHTEST bit of contact to alleviate 2 promising GWS attacks (one of which himlburg was lining up for the shot, 30 meters out). They were some of the worst dives I've ever witnessed, and the commentators didn't say a world, which to me was the worst part of it. What happened to the old days of name and shaming players who dived? Happy to dump it on Goodsy but no one else? If you don't call it out, it will only get worse. Don't know why you're defending Vlaustin either, because for a man of his size and (usual) bravery, he went down like a soccer player and a half. Selwood ducking his head and risking potential facial/head injuries to try and milk a possible freekick is not really the same as throwing yourself to the ground at the slightest bit of contact like what Grimes and co have been doing. Not really a fair comparison, given that since selwood to now- 9 out of 10 players usually try to do the same thing looking for a free, of which the umps usually deny. It's not really a problem the way diving has become.
Dangersphere 10
Roar Rookie
I'm not talking about "over the years" I'm talking about now. There seems to be one team doing it and getting away with it, and that team is called Richmond. Sorry if the truth offends you so. Not to deny that he hasn't before, but honestly I don't even remember the last time paddy took a dive, -and Selwood ducks his head, risking possible head/facial injuries, to maybe milk a high free kick for the team (like 102 other players do week in week out), I wouldn't compare that to Grimes/Riewoldt Olympics level diving performances of late. But I guess he did learn from the best, before his untimely retirement, we all know who I'm talking about. Deny it all you want, but outside of Wards dive against Essendon, the only team that has been doing it consistently since last season has been the Tigs. No sour grapes, just facts. Seems the media agrees or they wouldn't have been highlighting it as much as they have been of late. So again, not my opinion, but tangible fact based on visible evidence. Maybe learn not to cheat so often, and people wouldn't feel the need to call you out? Pretty simple stuff really.
Johnno
Roar Rookie
You have to walk the walk.
BBQ Bill
Guest
Ha, Riewoldt's comments about not being arrogant - from one of the most arrogant looking faces in the league!
Dangersphere 10
Roar Rookie
Not scared at all Realist, just a tad bitter over stolen home finals and unfair advantages which my team will never benefit from. Minus all that from the last 3 years and I'd probably even be happy for you! lol.. Certainly last year you beat us fair and square, I'll give you that much. But 17 will forever leave a bitter taste. As for this week/season I certainly don't think you've got our number, I'm pretty confident we have what it takes to defeat the tigers, just gotta make sure to do it in finals when it really counts. I won't say anymore until the right time comes, for now, lets just wait and see what transpires. p.s. the doggies never had an "us against the world" mantra? As I recall it they were supported by pretty much everyone (neutrals), as people wanted them to end the draught, and put franklin/sydney back in their place.
Mark
Roar Rookie
“us against the world” mantras rarely take you far It won the Doggies a Premiership in 2016 and will do the same for the Tigers this year. The only reason you keep flapping on about the Tigers Danger, is because you fear them. You know they’re building and you know they’ve got the Cats number.
pablocruz
Roar Rookie
You're floggin' a dead horse . . . or something!
sven
Roar Rookie
turns out theres no demand for fat balding approaching 60 year olds .....
sven
Roar Rookie
thats it fellers, im checking out for a bit, gonna check out sum o dis e harmony biz
sven
Roar Rookie
reckon youre slightly selective in what u see as staging/milking frees there danger, to say grimes & vlaustin were carrying on like soccer players is laying it on pretty thick, grimes mightve staged to some extent but vlaustin did bugger all, he took a gutsy mark & copped some highish contact, as has been stated theres plenty of players from different clubs that do it, some worse than others. joel selwood is one of my fav current players, but the bloke had a rule changed to combat his technique of sagging or shrugging when tackled to draw high contact (& hats off to him, he's prepared to cop a high hit for his team to gain advantage). tell me how gws are denied 2 goals in the grannny, when the ball gets turned over for contact on grimes twice where was the pill?
pablocruz
Roar Rookie
Keep floggin', dude.
2dogs
Roar Rookie
You’re welcome :thumbup:
sven
Roar Rookie
so now u tell me 2dogs, "ive been looking for love in all the wrong places" .....
sven
Roar Rookie
as a tiges man it hurts to admit theyre def up there with the best
Dangersphere 10
Roar Rookie
Seems this season is the season of delusions and denial Yattz. No point even bothering to bringing it up, as they'll simply deny it until they're blue in the face. Lets see how far this culture of denial and deflection takes them, "us against the world" mantras rarely take you far (just look at Jose Mourinho for example), you're far better off being in harmony within yourselves and the external world, i.e tigers of 2017-19, who were universally loved and supported (by just about everyone except for me, it seemed lol). The cats seem more unified than ever before, and with no CS vs the world -regarding our old "home finals" saga this year, there is little to no external noise/pressure to worry about for the cats. The stars seem to be slowly aligning atm, but lets just wait and see where it goes (with the lid still firmly on) :silly:
pablocruz
Roar Rookie
Rubbish. We are aware ALL teams do it. The difference being you, and others, are either ignorant or choose to be ignorant. Probably the latter. Also a bit rich coming from someone who idolises Dangerfield, he's been a major culprit for staging and diving over the years. And let's not talk about Joel Selwood! We're not oblivious or in denial, it's been endemic to the game since the games inception. The fact you wanna single out one side is a reflection of you rather than Richmond. Sour grapes? Absolutely. Watch your own team without the rose colored glasses.
Dangersphere 10
Roar Rookie
yes, but nobody does is quite like the tigers, they seem to be intentionally hunting for it, as if its been coached into them to use it to add to the score board pressure. You see it week in week out, its not something new, i.e go watch last years GF to see 3 all time great dives by grimes and riewoldt. Seems the only people oblivious to this are tiger fans, which we can't say we're all that surprised by lol
Mark
Roar Rookie
Did a bit....think I got a bit carried away! :happy:
Dangersphere 10
Roar Rookie
lol that's cute, did you happen to see Grimes x2 and Riewoldt's dives in the final a week later? You're calling Danger out for getting shoved from the back running full speed and being given a free kick for it, mind you with no appeal either, -yet completely negating the 3 dives in the final by Richmond players which denied GWS 2 goals and gifted Richmond one of their own at the other end? Even just watching the Richmond v Essendon game recently, it was astonishing to watch Grimes and Vlostune rolling around like a couple of wannabee soccer players. The only thing more embarrassing than the staging on display was Richmonds insistence on defending the behaviour. Seems Richmond as a club and a fan base have no shame whatsoever. It's just "us against the world" and no matter what the world might be saying, we're in the right and they're in the wrong just by default. When people speak of arrogance, that is what they mean. And when you begin to wonder why your club has become so disliked by the previously sympathetic neutrals, that would be why... a reality check might just be what the doctor ordered at tiger land.
Yattuzzi
Roar Rookie
Sounds a bit like McAnny.