Damien Hardwick

[Sintiger]

So our captain and 3 time premiership defender is unable to make basic defensive structure decisions when he’s tiered.

Good choice as captain then

I think that is a stretch

He should be criticised when he makes a mistake but this is a guy who has been one of the best defenders in the game for 4-5 years now and took over the leadership of our backline when Rance left including in 2019 when Tross got injured. He has been the leader of a backline that was extraordinarily good in 2 premiership years.

He has not been at his best in 2022 and clearly wasn't last weekend but there weren't many Richmond people or even AFL people questioning his credentials as skipper when he was appointed and with good reason.

 

[Coburgtiger]

dont tell me you dont believe in heavy training loads??

Do I believe they exist? Yes.

Do I think they were a major contributor to our last two losses? Not at all.

As far as I know, no one from the club or training has even suggested we've been in a heavy training phase. Someone just decided it here. We might be, I don't know. It's a pretty crazy idea considering we desperately needed to win.

But what you're describing is more akin to quadriplegia than training.

IF we are in a heavy training phase, and IF it is so heavy that it is causing one of our most seasoned trainers to become unable to run, react, move or think, then that's an even bigger management issue than the other explanations.

 

[Carter]

Do I believe they exist? Yes.

Do I think they were a major contributor to our last two losses? Not at all.

As far as I know, no one from the club or training has even suggested we've been in a heavy training phase. Someone just decided it here. We might be, I don't know. It's a pretty crazy idea considering we desperately needed to win.

you do realize that IF we were planning a heavy training phase, it would likely coincide with a game against the bottom team of the ladder, as opposed to a top team?

your logic is poor.

if we're to make finals, it'll be at full steam or not at all.

club has learnt this. a few supporters know this.

you apparently don't.

 

[Coburgtiger]

you do realize that IF we were planning a heavy training phase, it would likely coincide with a game against the bottom team of the ladder, as opposed to a top team?

your logic is poor.

if we're to make finals, it'll be at full steam or not at all.

club has learnt this. a few supporters know this.

you apparently don't.

Is it empirically evident that we are in a heavy training phase?

I understand that logic.

Given our injuries over the last two weeks, that logic is poor.
And you've made it very clear since the start of the year that you want us to miss finals and play for draft picks.

 

[Carter]

Is it empirically evident that we are in a heavy training phase?

I understand that logic.

Given our injuries over the last two weeks, that logic is poor.
And you've made it very clear since the start of the year that you want us to miss finals and play for draft picks.

a litany of desperate diversions. don't be so sensitive.

i say again - your logic that we shouldn't apply heavy training loads against the bottom team because we are "desperate" is pretty dumb.

ps. our injuries are manageable. we are the ultimate system-based side. how have you not noticed this over the years?

 

[Aegean Tiger]

Reckon Dimma is coaching a transitioning team as well as can be expected.

 

[momentai]

Reckon Dimma is coaching a transitioning team as well as can be expected.

And what do you think is happening at Geelong?

 

[Tigers of Old]

Geelong have about the healthiest injury list in the AFL right now.

 

[Coburgtiger]

a litany of desperate diversions. don't be so sensitive.

i say again - your logic that we shouldn't apply heavy training loads against the bottom team because we are "desperate" is pretty dumb.

ps. our injuries are manageable. we are the ultimate system-based side. how have you not noticed this over the years?

It’s not sensitive to find your posts aggravating. They are intentionally antagonistic. Maybe you should reflect on why so many people respond so negatively to your insult littered posts. You are allowed to disagree with someone without calling them dumb, desperate, blind, or saying they don’t watch the game.

Without all the garbage, you would be a genuinely interesting poster to discuss the footy with.

As for your one point out of several problems with the ’heavy training load explains everything’ hypothesis. IF we have been in a heavy training phase (which still seems to be a fiction borne our of a supposition), then we have stuffed it up. Our outs (although Dusty and Lynch instantly make us a 4 or 5 goal better side) are not too bad right now, but against Goldy, they were horrendous. Probably not the week to flog them on the track.
Especially when you’re barely hanging on to the eight. And if the suggestion is that we had a system/plan in place that we couldn’t change, well, that’s also something that could be improved. System is good. Inflexible is bad.

Timing aside, if we are supposedly training so heavily that our players are functionally incapacitated during games, that would also be a stuff up. Whether or not you’re playing North. Heavy training loads should mean heavy legs, not a complete inability to function.

None of that really matters anyway, if we have been training normally, which is still entirely possible. It’s all a bit of a hypothetical regardless.

 

[Aegean Tiger]

And what do you think is happening at Geelong?

Reckon we are transitioning with youth moreso than Geelong. Hence the inconsistency during and between games.

Cats have been topping up with mature age A graders for yrs. Not really a generational type transition such as ours. Their ageing champs are also proving to be more durable and effective than ours.

Dimma (and particularly the MC) has made mistakes but reckon he is going ok.

 

[Redford]

View attachment 16049

Boy. Them and Geelong sure do seem to go well during these heavy training loads......

 

[Liam_Nissan]

Was going to 100% say something. Kane cannot control himself at all when it comes to Dimma and RFC.

Everytime Dimma opens his mouth about something, every single time, Cornes comments on it. I love it.

Richmond and Dimma rent free in his head. He's obsessed with us. rent free.

Can’t let go that we destroyed his 300th. As you say rent free. It’s a pain that will never go away for him.

 

[momentai]

Geelong have about the healthiest injury list in the AFL right now.

Injury’s have impacted our performance, but do not explain why we have lost 3 out of the last 4,

 

[daniel30]

We have no excuses whatsoever for the 2 losses heavy training loads or none it's on us our composure , smarts , pressure and tackling and not converting.

 

[seven]

has anyone meantioned our heavy training load?

 

[spook]

Boy. Them and Geelong sure do seem to go well during these heavy training loads......

Collingwood were a couple of *smile* frees away from losing to GC and Norf as well.

 

[Sintiger]

Collingwood were a couple of *smile* frees away from losing to GC and Norf as well.

It sticks in my gullet to say it but Collingwood find a way to win and we don't and they have to be congratulated for that. However they are a long way off being a threat imo. They scraped past North, Adelaide, Gold Coast and quite a few others and imo they will be very lucky to win a final. They just aren't at that level.

Flybags has found a way to make a "silk purse from a sows ear" as the saying goes. Coach of the year to me

 

[Redford]

Collingwood were a couple of *smile* frees away from losing to GC and Norf as well.

Meh. They didn’t. We did.

Before the GC game I was being told we needed to focus on the top 4. Top 4 sides don’t use training loads as excuses for getting beaten by sides below them, especially last place sides.

 

[Tigers of Old]

Injury’s have impacted our performance, but do not explain why we have lost 3 out of the last 4,

Prestia, Dusty , Lambert & Lynch all absent or not at their best over this period. I don't think we'd have lost 3 out of the last 4 if those important players were available. That said injuries are part of footy. You need a bit of good management & luck to have a healthy list.

 

[Redford]

Prestia, Dusty , Lambert & Lynch all absent or not at their best over this period. I don't think we'd have lost 3 out of the last 4 if those important players were available. That said injuries are part of footy. You need a bit of good management & luck to have a healthy list.

Injuries, age, poor form, midfield or whatever. I can accept those better as excuses ….but training loads ? Cmon. Against a laughable last place side like Norf ? Couple of bridges too far for me I’m afraid. (666 is still the best excuse I’ve heard though. )