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Damien Hardwick
- Thread starter Tigers of Old
- Start date
I know I’m being greedy but it quite easily could have been 17-20; and in contention for best of the modern era
Contention????? Four on the trot ain't been achieved since the prehistoric era of footy. Would have been an all out stand alone achievement n it was all there for the taking, bar a wet fart or two.
Agree the soft cap influenced coaching moves for all clubs. Caracella going was a big money decision prior to covid. And assistants move all the time, agree Leysy. Rutten just got poached that's all.
Leppa's break didnt last that long and I posted this when it happened - McCrae barely mentioned Dimma at his presser when he got the Pies gig - though he mentioned Richmond. IMO, something wasnt 100% kosher with both those 2 departures - not suggesting anything untoward re Dimma/or his personal situation.
I personally genuinely believe this all started with the new executive structure put in place to keep Tim Livingstone and Blair Hartley. Balmy mentioned quite a few times in the media how he has stepped away a bit, how it was even his idea to step away to help the club promote these 2 men etc so as not to lose them. ie, they gave them 'General Manager' type roles (clearly more money/more responsibility, etc) to help retain them.
This new structure was put in place early 2021/end 2020. After that, Leppa left. McCrae not long after, to Hawthorn as an Assistant under clarko, down the queue to Sam Mitchell, when he was in theory, higher in the queue at Richmond. I am convinced something was astray.
And I am even more convinced a year later something isnt right with this coaching set up. Dont know if it has affected the Blair list management dept.
But the Tim Livingstone area which is the footy and coaching department, yes - it's the small things below and prob many more that make the big things.
BTW, have said for a little while, I also think our midfield is in the bottom 6-7 now. And we are no longer top 4. But gee, we've dropped the bundle since last year.
1. someone posted over the weekend, Caesar maybe? re the arguing of the VFL team, that's so outside our supposed culture built these last 3-5 years. It's a bit shocking.
2. The lack of discipline on field since mid last year
3. MC decisions and IMO poor MC/selection issues such as Samson Ryan last year, players playing out of position (yes, I know I am not a coach before everyone starts to criticise me)
4. the assistant coaches - in my view, we are failing on every line
5. What's happened to our progressive. leading strategies - we are one of only a few clubs who's pitch for money to get a female coach failed - I cannot believe we cant put a pitch together that's convincing AFL HQ when all the minnows and other larger clubs can - those pitches come from the footy dept not Benny. Why werent we talking to Daisy Pearce or some of the other high profile female coaches.
I dont know - sorry for the essay - but when people structures or the wrong people in jobs arent working, it only takes a few months for little things to start building up and going wrong. That's my observations from last summer, the 2021 pre-season and its been showing onfield since early last year
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Yes. And our success came from designing a game plan around the personnel and now we try to mould players into replicas to fit the system.
i see this a lot on here- players played out of position, i assume we are talking about Stack, who came to the club as a midfielder, moved down back- where some want him to stay-, then moved forward- where some want him to stay, or Baker who started with Richmond as a small forward, then moved back, then moved back forward, and now plays at times in the midfield- some want him back, some want him forward and some want him in the midfield. or our JDM winning BP Jayden Short, who came to the club as a small forward, or mayvbe Brandon Ellise who was goign well on the wing, whne we made the decision to move him to the HBF in 2017, where he became a premiership player, or his fellow premiership defenders Astbury and Houli, who both started their AFL careers as forwards.
AFL players move positions all the time, some times the move fails, some times it works, sometimes it appears to fail but actually works as it teaches players different parts of the game. we can disagree with moves- i disagreed with a midget like Baker going to the backline, but it turned out ok- but i reckon coaches get the moves right more often than not.
We do seem to have unlearned the revelation from 2017 that playing to the strengths of your playing group can be very effective. It is always a balance but I reckon we have shifted away from this way too far.
DS
The turnover game that forgave mistakes and embraced imperfection with ball in hand suited a whole bunch of our players.
As long as we were perfect without the ball. And as a team, we were.
666 and stand helps players move the ball on, but you still gotta be precise.
2021/22 footy is not for us. We don’t have the list for it.
Unless we come up with a tactical platform that allows us to maximise strengths once again, we’re done.
I’d rather finish bottom 5 with a dozen games into last years crop than finish 9-12.
As long as we were perfect without the ball. And as a team, we were.
666 and stand helps players move the ball on, but you still gotta be precise.
2021/22 footy is not for us. We don’t have the list for it.
Unless we come up with a tactical platform that allows us to maximise strengths once again, we’re done.
I’d rather finish bottom 5 with a dozen games into last years crop than finish 9-12.
People look for all sorts of reasons for the decline but i think it is simply we had some great players, that history will judge kindly, that are now either retired/gone or in decline. It happens. The replacement players are simply not as good. All good teams/dynasties go through it.
Yep, spot-on TMaso.
As I said when we fell off the cliff last year - and yes, going from Premiers to 12th is falling off a cliff despite all the excuses offered in this forum - the midfield is almost gone, it's totally predictable that Lambo, Cotch and Meatball will NOT stay on the park consistently, Lambo and Cotch are shadows of what they were even if they do. The Dusty thing is a concern too - maybe its nothing, but there is a lot on his shoulders now.
I'll always love them and Dimma for what they have done, but realistically Dimma has been there, what, 13 years now? Time for a change. Nothing on him, but you need fresh ideas and a fresh approach - 10 years is enough for a coach at any club, although he did win a flag in year 11? Anyways, you get my point.
Good points, All Australian.
I won't entirely pot Beavis.
He has given us so much success and joy.
For that we will all be eternally grateful.
He doesn't seem to change things up when it starts going south.
Doesn't swap too many guys around.
Won't drop other guys.
He seems to have a beef with Caddyshack.
How many guys need to be injured/covid protocols for him to get a game? 10, 20?
Why is he on the list if he ain't gonna play him?
Also should have tried harder to keep one of Leppa/Fly if not both IMHO.
I understand that's not just his decision.
Not sure how long he wants to keep coaching but maybe one of the above guys in a succession plan may have worked nicely.
We'll never know now.
Maybe they will try and keep Kingsley or is Beavis setting himself up for a Mrs Doubtfire type tenure? 20 plus year coach?
Hoping to see Caddyshack, Syd A Knee, Pinjarra, maybe Nigel as ins tonight.
And Best wishes, Aston Martin.
Take the time you need.
Get well Triple Norm!
Careful what you wish for. A number of clubs have struggled after seeing off their premiership winning coaches.
Going by https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1084892/hardwick-backs-mids it looks like same old, same old from Dimma.
The cliff does come for some / most sides and our position reminds me a little of lolnorf when they hit the wall. Lolnorf had a fairly successful period making the prelims in 2014 and 2015. In 2016 they won their first 9 games of the season for the first time ever and then suddenly hit the wall, crashing badly and only winning 3 of their last 13 games, they only just hung onto 8th spot but they then lost the elimination final for that year - and then they lost the first 5 games of 2017 - they were a shadow of their former self.
The end comes quickly and when you least expect it.
I really really hope I am wrong but I smell a cliff at the tigers - they just look as flat as.
sure ToO.Where speculation meets imagination.
Have no idea how much of this is true bob (if any) but it was an entertaining story none the less.
Time will ultimately tell our fortunes.
not just a fable but that's fine everyone has an opinion. Our fortunes are visible on the field right now and throughout 2021.
You are right, time will tell; it has for a small while now.
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Then there's :
1. Rioli - some believe he's awesome at HB, others like me don't.
2. Yes, Stack.
3. Caddy on a wing. what has happened to him since?
4. Ross at Half Back or Wing to see how he goes.
5. Is Aarts a winger, really?
6. CJ left, that's fine, but what was he these last 2 years - a ruck or forward.
To be honest, I hadn't even thought of Short or Ellis. I'm referring to the last 18 months to 2 years tops.
It's the sum of everything that isn't quite working these last 18 months.
As I said, all of last year, I didn't think we had a top 7 midfield and we weren't top 4. But Geelong played that same GF we did and have been at the deep end of Sept for far more years in a row than us.
They didn't just drop their bundle as quickly as we did.
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Plenty will disagree and thats fine but to me just from my outsiders perspective. The energy the vim the vigor the "lightening in the bottle" the love has seemingly gone.
Something has been amiss at Punt Road since 2020, and the vibe is just not the same.
The catalyst for it only causes consternation and contention, but to me its clearly not the same spirit from an outsiders perspective.
Like I said, I may be seeing it all wrong.
Something has been amiss at Punt Road since 2020, and the vibe is just not the same.
The catalyst for it only causes consternation and contention, but to me its clearly not the same spirit from an outsiders perspective.
Like I said, I may be seeing it all wrong.
