I've found a few of the comments from Balme post GF win absolutely fascinating.
Like you said.......Hardwick coached the team and formulated a game plan to the players strengths.....not their weaknesses......and it worked.
Can't help but wonder that Richo had his type of game plan formulated but the players couldn't pull it off a lot of the time........round pegs in square hole situation.
Thus his at times big frustration post game.
When Balme said that the Rich players instructions during the season were not to kick backwards....less possessions count but more wins......that certainly raised my eyebrows.
Ripping post. I 100% agree. It is the easiest thing in the world to say "We don't have the cattle". The reality is that on paper, the last 2 premiers didn't have the cattle either. I think the whole "The game plan is awesome, the players just don't know how to implement it yet" type mentality is incredibly dangerous.
It is pretty much the equivalent of a company that thinks they sell a market leading product that nobody understands yet. Maybe one day the market will get it and you will become rich. More likely you will go broke before anybody realises what you sell is actually awesome.
The most damning aspect of Richo's season for me was the pre-season promise we would play daring football and use the guts a lot more. We actually regressed in this area, and pretty sure we finished stone cone last for corridor play. If the players can't execute what the coach wants then there is something wrong. Our list is not great, but it is not terrible either. If we have so clearly failed to deliver what was a primary objective at the start of the year, then questions need to be raised. Maybe Richo has too many competing KPI's that can't realistically be executed simultaneously?
More than ever, the last couple of years show you need an elite strategist to pull off flag. Richo might be adequate as a coach, but he sure as hell is not cutting edge. Everything about the club screams conservative to me at the moment. From our coaching, to what we offer players to come to the club etc.
I think Richo is absolutely massive to our fortunes next year. If he does not radically change his approach over the offseason we can expect more of the same, 7 years without finals and counting.