Tigers' eye burns bright despite critics: Richardson
By Lyall Johnson
April 23 2003
The Tigers are not deterred by detractors who say they are higher on the ladder than they deserve to be, according to star player Matthew Richardson.
"You do take notice of comments that our fourth position is flattering and a lot of people did write us off at the start of the year," he said yesterday.
"We know we've still got a long way to go, but it's a solid start for us and we'll just keep plugging away."
Having lost recruit Justin Blumfield for up to two weeks because of a thigh strain sustained in the first quarter against St Kilda, Richmond is looking forward to having tall man Brad Ottens back in action in as little as five weeks.
"Brad's down here (at Punt Road oval) all the time now and he's going very well. It's a positive for Richmond to know that Brad will be up and running by mid-year," Richardson said.
He said that the team's strength at the moment was showing it had many avenues to goal.
This takes the pressure off Richardson to kick a bag of goals in every game. He said the likes of Mark Coughlan, Greg Tivendale, David Rodan, Darren Gaspar and veteran Leon Cameron were all having a solid dip each week.
"One of our goals is to be consistent right across the board," Richardson said. "At the moment we are getting that and it's a good sign."
He said he had pulled up well after Monday's match and was happy that he had not been conscious of his cheekbone injury during the game.
"I have had enough injuries to know how to get out there and play with them, so it wasn't a concern," he said.
By Lyall Johnson
April 23 2003
The Tigers are not deterred by detractors who say they are higher on the ladder than they deserve to be, according to star player Matthew Richardson.
"You do take notice of comments that our fourth position is flattering and a lot of people did write us off at the start of the year," he said yesterday.
"We know we've still got a long way to go, but it's a solid start for us and we'll just keep plugging away."
Having lost recruit Justin Blumfield for up to two weeks because of a thigh strain sustained in the first quarter against St Kilda, Richmond is looking forward to having tall man Brad Ottens back in action in as little as five weeks.
"Brad's down here (at Punt Road oval) all the time now and he's going very well. It's a positive for Richmond to know that Brad will be up and running by mid-year," Richardson said.
He said that the team's strength at the moment was showing it had many avenues to goal.
This takes the pressure off Richardson to kick a bag of goals in every game. He said the likes of Mark Coughlan, Greg Tivendale, David Rodan, Darren Gaspar and veteran Leon Cameron were all having a solid dip each week.
"One of our goals is to be consistent right across the board," Richardson said. "At the moment we are getting that and it's a good sign."
He said he had pulled up well after Monday's match and was happy that he had not been conscious of his cheekbone injury during the game.
"I have had enough injuries to know how to get out there and play with them, so it wasn't a concern," he said.
