News How Damien Hardwick helped Richmond move on from preliminary disaster

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How Damien Hardwick helped Richmond move on from preliminary disaster
DECEMBER 07, 2018
PREMIERSHIP Tiger Nick Vlastuin has revealed how Richmond coach Damien Hardwick put the heartbreak of their stunning preliminary final upset into perspective as they prepare for an assault on 2019.

The 24-year-old said Hardwick had a simple message when he brought the group together four days after the 39-point loss that dumped the then-reigning premiers out of the finals: ‘s**t happens’.

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Richmond coach Damien Hardwick was quick to put the Tigers’ preliminary final loss into perspective. Picture: Getty Images
“Dimma just sat down and said pretty much ‘s**t happens’, put it in perspective,” Vlastuin said on SEN this morning.

“He looked at the whole year, (it was a) pretty successful year — we only lost six games and Collingwood just played too good that day.

“He tried to get us to move on pretty quick because you don’t really get better dwelling on such a bad game for us.

Vlastuin — sans his trademark in-season woodcutter beard — said he was happy to see the premiership cup head to Perth “and not really hear about it too much since”.

Star recruit Tom Lynch had been champing at the bit to get back into training as he continued his rehabilitation from a PCL injury.

“He’s going really well, he’s in rehab still, so not with the main group,” Vlastuin said.

“Pretty much two weeks before even our young boys were back, he was in there every day.

“He’s had a pretty extended break (due to injury) so he was keen to get back into it.

“As far as I can tell, he’s fitting in really well.”

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Tom Lynch has settled in well at Tigerland. Picture: Getty Images
Fresh off a trip to Sumatra to learn more about tiger conservation, Vlastuin said a number of young Tigers had impressed, early doors, but they would have to bide their time behind some of the more seasoned guns.

“Going from preseason Liam Baker’s been training really well in that small half forward role, but that’s a pretty hard position to bust into,” he said.

“We’ve got a couple of key backs who are pretty good — the boys really like Ryan Garthwaite, so hopefully he can play a few games, but then he’s competing against Dave Astbury and Alex Rance, so once again, pretty tough.”

He said 2017 father-son pick Patrick Naish was working hard to improve his defensive running.

Link: http://outline.com/Ff8Gwr
 
Probably a good thing.
 

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Great attitude from Dimma and Co.

6 losses for the year - Wow! My neighbours just wouldn't believe that with the loud expletives being yelled out.

Vlaus is a top man, all class.

Bet Bucks says "s**t happens" after their first loss. Round 1 or 2 I'd say
 

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Great attitude from Dimma and Co.

6 losses for the year - Wow! My neighbours just wouldn't believe that with the loud expletives being yelled out.

Vlaus is a top man, all class.

Bet Bucks says "s**t happens" after their first loss. Round 1 or 2 I'd say

Brilliant. And then he will be lauded by the Collingwood media mafia as being “so brave” for taking this approach ....


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yep. it's a past event. take the lessons from it and onward and upward.

s**t happens eh? Well I just hope that was one story for the players.

Yep, there were lessons, some of which I really had hoped Dimma had already learned tbh. You didn't need to be a particularly clever coach to have a plan of someone going to Sidebottom with a much harder tag much earlier. He had form of being a game killer leading up to the Prelim, AND one game he was shut down and they lost! Did Dimma miss that clue? Backing your own system is one thing but countering another system has a role too.

I'll bet nearly every Richmond fan was thinking pre game - Grimes to go to De Goey. The shut down king. We watched and we watched and we waited. I wonder who rode the delay on this - who in the coaching box was saying no wait, Grimes is doing a good job elsewhere - let's back our system!

How we never filled the hole better on Coxy's day out I don't know. I wasn't there hearing the strategy so who knows what was tried, but it didn't look like too much.

They were the lessons for mine. The first two didn't need to be lessons - they were as obvious as the smirk in Coxy's face, (or the ball in Sidey's hands or the goals off De-goeys boots in games leading up to the Prelim).
 
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Good to hear the boys have/are moved on. Hope it inspires them to focus and continue to improve in 2019....GO TIGES!!
 
From Round 22 on there should be a rule of no eating out - the club pays for chefs to provide meals. No surprise gastro events. Control what you can control - and you can control what the players shovel into their mouths. Gastro - and perhaps a lack of hunger (complacency) - cost us a spot in a grand final.
You know that gastro is not only from eating bad food right?
 

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