Hardwick lauds Tiger grit
DAMIEN Hardwick says his Tigers have learnt the lessons of this year’s agonising losses after climbing into the top four yesterday.
Hardwick had promised Richmond “owed them one” against Greater Western Sydney after an earlier lastgasp loss and they duly delivered yesterday.
The Tigers rebounded from a 20-point quarter time deficit, with Hardwick lauding the influence of leaders Dustin Martin, Trent Cotchin, Alex Rance and Jack Riewoldt.
Hardwick confirmed Bachar Houli would come straight back into the senior team from a four-week suspension against Gold Coast (Metricon Stadium).
But he said Ben Griffiths had dislocated his shoulder in his first minute of game time against Collingwood in the VFL yesterday.
Hardwick had been desperate to get Griffiths back into the senior team after concussion issue, but the key forward faces a further stint on the sidelines and possibly surgery.
The Tigers coach said Richmond had wrested back momentum after Toby Greene’s first-quarter strike on Alex Rance saw a GWS kick at goal overturned.
Perched in the top four, the Tigers now have a launching pad to try to gain a double chance in September.
A Josh Kelly goal early in the last term saw nervous Tiger fans wonder if it might happen again, but Hardwick said those losses had brought growth.
“We spoke about it on Saturday. Some of those scars you get, you come back stronger and I think that’s what we learnt,’’ he said.
“Sometimes as a side the lessons you learn are the best when you are at your worst.
“We will have a stage where those games are close again and we will have learnt some good things from that.
“We set up a little bit better. We were prepared to lose inside to make sure we managed the contest outside and it stopped our scoring a little bit, but they didn’t get goals over the back.
“They got one early and it made me a little bit nervous, but the players fulfilled it pretty well and I thought we held up really strongly in the end.”
Martin surely polled another three Brownlow Medal votes after 31 touches, 11 clearances and a goal.
He and Trent Cotchin were instrumental in stopping the rot in the second quarter, Hardwick lauding Martin’s consistent brilliance.
“He has been in the system for eight years not and he is a guy who has improved every year. It’s a credit to him and the work he does,” Hardwick said.
“He takes care of himself, I would love to say I have had a massive contribution to it, but he’s just a bloody good player.”
“Our intensity was a little off and then I thought in the second and third quarters we controlled proceedings. Martin and Cotchin and Alex Rance and Jack Riewoldt responded really well in the second quarter which got us going.”
Houli has just had a daughter — his second child — after spending four weeks suspended, but won’t come back through the VFL.
“He will come in. Who goes out (I am not sure). He is a pretty good player, Bachar.”
Anthony Miles injured his knee at training on Friday and will likely miss another week.