domin8
Club Legend
Stay classy
Coach Hey 'Supporters', have some respect for Hardwick and all he has done.
- Thread starter Aristotle Pickett
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Stay classy
- Feb 14, 2014
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The tribalism some people have where you can't say anything negative about champions is like the third most triggering thing for me. First is umpires decisions against us and the second are main board Geelong posters.
When someone opens their reply with a personal attack I dont bother reading the rest.
- Feb 14, 2014
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The results of the review don't seem to be made public. To be completely honest, it was something I am like 95% sure Wilson said on footy classified. I am pretty sure it came up regarding the review Collingwood did/wanted to do in 2017. She mentioned it and basically said that Brendan Lade was a shite assistant.
- Feb 14, 2014
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You should read it fully. Embracing friction in life can help us all grow as a society. I promise you that there are pearls of wisdom in the entire post.
You should read it fully. Embracing friction in life can help us all grow as a society. I promise you that there are pearls of wisdom in the entire post.
- Feb 14, 2014
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I see your using my love of Seinfeld against me. Cunning strategy.
Who doesnt love Seinfeld?
Phar Ace
Brownlow Medallist
I didn't read it that way - it was nuanced enough to see he was throwing some cause back at the effect
- Feb 14, 2014
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People who like Friends. I wish those people could show "The one with the funny Joke"
Phar Ace
Brownlow Medallist
Yep, this! Good to see you're around mate!
And don't forget that Cotchin played a huge role as the conduit between players and coaches. It was Cotchin that stood up to and with Dimma after letting him know how his micro-managing of everything made footy un-fun.
This became part of Dimma's mea culpa. He was really brave to say "it is me" as much as the assistants, but he also said we need to let some assistants go and get new assistants too. The Board bought into this - Peggy herself has said many times they were not going to send Dimma on his way, they were going to improve him, that he himself needed to own some new man management skills, and said to him how he was going to do it and with the new plan going forward that Dimma presented with so much energy.
So this was all part of the presentation to the board at the end of 2016 about how things were going to be changed up. The game plan was never just about the new assistants. Yes, they were very important parts of the whole picture - but Dimma needed assistants that could be delegated to, as opposed the ones that needed so much hand holding.
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Moonatic77
Team Captain
- Aug 23, 2020
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But here's the thing. The Tigers turned from a team that could make an elimination final to a dynasty team in only one off season. To me that is not Dimma's doing, he was in his 8th or 9th year as coach and don't think he suddenly flicked a switch. He is a good coach but not a brilliant coach. He needs quality around him. This is not me advocating he be sacked but rather the club making sure he has quality around him again.
- May 23, 2017
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I don't want him sacked. It seems to me that IF (big IF) the problem is Dimma, he's the sort of guy that would resign and take a year off before taking on a new challenge.
I doubt he's the problem though. Got us to 5th in 2013. 8th in 2014 with a great streak of wins to make finals. 5th again in 2015 (oh how I hate #Norf). Disaster in 2016, followed by the ultimate glory in 2017. Amazing season in 2018 ruined by one bad night at the office. Redemption in 2019. B2B in 2020 during a global pandemic. Finals again in 2022. The man can coach.
I doubt he's the problem though. Got us to 5th in 2013. 8th in 2014 with a great streak of wins to make finals. 5th again in 2015 (oh how I hate #Norf). Disaster in 2016, followed by the ultimate glory in 2017. Amazing season in 2018 ruined by one bad night at the office. Redemption in 2019. B2B in 2020 during a global pandemic. Finals again in 2022. The man can coach.
- Feb 14, 2014
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To be fair 2018 was ruined by patient 0 of the gastro that made it into the club and Dusty basically being on 1 leg
- Oct 3, 2012
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So like every coach? Every good coach is surrounded by good people. No one does it solo.
Weird how someone like Clarko gets credit for his assistants walking away with lots of skills and getting head coaches jobs because of it, yet for Hardwick its the oppisite (at least on this board). Instead of giving Hardwick credit for what he got out of his assistants people act like he did nothing and the assistsants did it all.
Craig McRae is killing it for exmaple.
Sensible minds would say Dimma and his position in Richmond helped him get the best of himself and gain all the knowledge and skills that he has taken to Collingwood.
Nuffies would say he he just was always this good and carried Hardwick who knows nothing.
domin8
Club Legend
Nailed it
Ophidian Old BoysGreat to see you around mate. Great post, and I actually forgot about the Cotchin part of this.
domin8
Club Legend
The cotchin part was actually an inward reflection that came to a head at Neville Crowes funeral where he and Dimma had a heart to heart. There was no standing up to Dimma at all. I believe at the funeral that had they had d and m and tears were shed. That’s when cotch realised he can be himself and not have to be the perfect leader.
Phar Ace
Brownlow Medallist
I didn't mean standing up to Dimma in any sort of demonstrative way, you can stand up for yourself and others without that, but yes that event was something of a catalyst but by no means the only. Honesty takes many forms
- Apr 27, 2014
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- The Fanboi Farters
Revealed: The nine key points of Richmond’s internal review that turned the Tigers around
IT’S the document that propelled Richmond towards one of the game’s most unlikely premierships.
With the footy world drastically closing in on the Tigers last year, 30 pieces of paper helped set the club free.
A review driven by professional services giant Ernst & Young over a 10-week period leading into the 2016 finals series laid the foundation for a yellow and black fairytale just 12 months later.
Craig Mitchell, of Ernst & Young’s Sports Advisory Practice, was the architect behind the analysis.
For the first time, the Herald Sun can reveal details of the secret report used to judge the Tigers. Mitchell used a now-proven formula he devised while working for the AFL Research Board nearly a decade ago.
“I interviewed more than 90 people in the AFL. I met every CEO, every senior coach, board members, assistant coaches, senior players, junior players, media people, sports science experts; basically the whole industry,” Mitchell said.
“We developed a model that said: This is what makes a coach effective. Then we designed a tool that helps clubs recruit and evaluate their coaches.”
The result is a nine-step checklist that ranked Richmond out of 10 in each department.
“It’s the most satisfying thing I’ve ever been a part of,” Mitchell said.
“The review provided an important road map from which the club could focus attention and align effort going into 2017. But it’s all in the execution.”
Mitchell spoke to a wide-range of people across multiple departments, interviewing each for an hour. But he was often reluctant to spread the net too wide.
“People just don’t keep it to themselves. They just talk to people and say, ‘Yeah, we had this guy from E & Y in talking asking about things and next thing you know it’s in the press,” he said.
“We often speak to the leadership group together to see the dynamics and then seek out players you know have good insights or a unique perspective.
“You might get a first or second-year player who’s very articulate and can give you a good insight into how the coaches are communicating and how the players are feeling towards the game plan, about not getting a contract until late or only getting a one-year deal.
“A whole range of things come up.”
Mitchell is prohibited from discussing the Richmond review specifically, but one of the swiftest turnarounds in AFL history had its genesis with the following nine key points:
1. LEADERSHIP MANAGEMENT
“THIS is pivotal. There needs to be alignment from the board to the president to the CEO and into the football department,” Mitchell said.
We say: The football department was restructured, with more emphasis put into list management and recruiting. It was found that too much was left to Dan Richardson, a relative newcomer, as football manager.
Neil Balme was lured back to the club as general manager (football), releasing Richardson to become the general manager of football talent. Balme’s return was a huge plus.
Richardson now works closely with the head of list management and recruiting, Blair Hartley, and reports to Balme on contracts, management of the club’s TPP, development of the Next Generation Academy and more.
2. CULTURE AND PURPOSE
“ELITE sporting environments embed a focus on purpose to galvanise everyone involved at the club,” Mitchell said.
“It’s about being clear with what you’re doing.”
We say: Experienced facilitator and consultant Shane McCurry ran the players’ leadership group program and the players took a real liking to him.
The result was a new three-man leadership group, with Trent Cotchin chosen as captain for a fifth season beside Alex Rance and Jack Riewoldt.
3. COACHING
“THE coach isn’t the be-all and end-all. While he is the key architect of the football strategy, he also manages a team of people, including the assistant coaches, to support and challenge him to produce elite outcomes,” Mitchell said.
We say: A broom went through the coaching panel. Assistant coaches Ross Smith and Greg Mellor, along with senior development coach Mark Williams, were not offered new contracts for 2017.
It paved the way for the return of former assistants Justin Leppitsch as forwards coach and Craig McRae as VFL and development coach.
Blake Caracella was entrusted with ball movement and Xavier Clarke as development coach and VFL midfield mentor.
4. TRAINING AND PREPARATION
“PHYSICAL performance and injury management are critical to performance and the players’ appetite for the physical load and their standards are measured using performance training data,” Mitchell said.
“The insights from the physical performance team need to be integrated across recruitment, list management, coaching and selection committees.”
We say: Luke Mehan was promoted to the role of strength and conditioning coach, replacing Adam Douglas. Rob Inness was given the rehabilitation brief, taking over from Mehan.
5. MENTAL STRENGTH
“PREPARATION of elite athletes has historically focused on physical and technical development. As the complexity and pressures of high-performance sport has increased, elite organisations have broadened their focus to include mental skills training,” Mitchell said.
“The players need to be in the right mental state to make good decisions during times of high stress under physical fatigue.”
We say: A huge growth area at Tigerland, with the players and coaches buying into the vision.
The Tigers’ HHH — hardship, highlight, hero — sessions, saw players, coaches and staff pour their hearts out to each other to build deeper connections.
The Tigers gathered each week during pre-season to hear a colleague talk about something personal.
One day every player was given $5 and told to have a coffee with someone they didn’t know that well. A busload of players travelled to Dan Butler’s 21st in Ballarat, surprising other guests with their attendance.
No doubt there were other initiatives and it fostered trust where there was little and built relationships where there were few.
The Tigers didn’t have the most talented list in the competition, but they would prove to be the best team. This was a major reason why.
6. INFRASTRUCTURE
“INFRASTRUCTURE is another key component of setting up an elite environment, having the right equipment and space for the players to do their job. Most clubs are generally on top of this now,” Mitchell said.
“Infrastructure can affect a whole range of things. If you don’t have good cohesion between back of house staff and the footballers, the evidence tells us it dilutes on-field success.”
We say: Some AFL clubs are elite when it comes to the off-field numbers. Sponsorship can be raging and membership can be excellent, but the team isn’t playing well.
The two need to knit together, because everyone is part of the success on the field. Infrastructure and floor plan layout, as simple as it sounds, can help foster that connection.
7. SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES
“ELITE sports teams use systems, data and structure to control their program and it needs to be balanced with an approach that encourages the athletes to take responsibility for their preparation and performance,” Mitchell said.
“The best teams use data to make better decisions and push for innovation.”
We say: With the soft cap on football department spending not increasing between the 2016 and 2017 seasons, all clubs faced the same challenge — getting more blood out of the same stone. Richmond thrived here.
8. TALENT DEVELOPMENT
“THE job of elite sporting environments is to select good people and then make them the best they can be,” Mitchell said.
“Player potential and athlete improvement should be tracked and analysed. The development process is taking them on that path, teaching them, and you need metrics around what their development has been.”
We say: Recruiting was further overhauled with Matthew Clarke promoted to national recruiting manager, replacing Francis Jackson, who has remained at the club in a part-time capacity. Next month’s national draft will be Clarke’s first in charge.
Development programs were also further reinforced.
9. PLAYER/LIST MANAGEMENT
“THIS is a very complex area and it goes back to leadership management,” Mitchell said.
“The football strategy and game plan need to be aligned with how players are inducted into the club, developed to deliver on that game plan and then respectfully managed out of the club.”
We say: You can have the best game plan football has ever seen, but if you don’t have the cattle to implement it it’s as useful as you-know-what on a bull.
History is littered with a new coach who comes in with new game plans, but not the list to deliver it. Those coaches are chewed up and spat out.
The whole organisation needs to be on the same page.
Richmond was, and the rest is history.
Last
IT’S the document that propelled Richmond towards one of the game’s most unlikely premierships.
With the footy world drastically closing in on the Tigers last year, 30 pieces of paper helped set the club free.
A review driven by professional services giant Ernst & Young over a 10-week period leading into the 2016 finals series laid the foundation for a yellow and black fairytale just 12 months later.
Craig Mitchell, of Ernst & Young’s Sports Advisory Practice, was the architect behind the analysis.
For the first time, the Herald Sun can reveal details of the secret report used to judge the Tigers. Mitchell used a now-proven formula he devised while working for the AFL Research Board nearly a decade ago.
“I interviewed more than 90 people in the AFL. I met every CEO, every senior coach, board members, assistant coaches, senior players, junior players, media people, sports science experts; basically the whole industry,” Mitchell said.
“We developed a model that said: This is what makes a coach effective. Then we designed a tool that helps clubs recruit and evaluate their coaches.”
The result is a nine-step checklist that ranked Richmond out of 10 in each department.
“It’s the most satisfying thing I’ve ever been a part of,” Mitchell said.
“The review provided an important road map from which the club could focus attention and align effort going into 2017. But it’s all in the execution.”
Mitchell spoke to a wide-range of people across multiple departments, interviewing each for an hour. But he was often reluctant to spread the net too wide.
“People just don’t keep it to themselves. They just talk to people and say, ‘Yeah, we had this guy from E & Y in talking asking about things and next thing you know it’s in the press,” he said.
“We often speak to the leadership group together to see the dynamics and then seek out players you know have good insights or a unique perspective.
“You might get a first or second-year player who’s very articulate and can give you a good insight into how the coaches are communicating and how the players are feeling towards the game plan, about not getting a contract until late or only getting a one-year deal.
“A whole range of things come up.”
Mitchell is prohibited from discussing the Richmond review specifically, but one of the swiftest turnarounds in AFL history had its genesis with the following nine key points:
1. LEADERSHIP MANAGEMENT
“THIS is pivotal. There needs to be alignment from the board to the president to the CEO and into the football department,” Mitchell said.
We say: The football department was restructured, with more emphasis put into list management and recruiting. It was found that too much was left to Dan Richardson, a relative newcomer, as football manager.
Neil Balme was lured back to the club as general manager (football), releasing Richardson to become the general manager of football talent. Balme’s return was a huge plus.
Richardson now works closely with the head of list management and recruiting, Blair Hartley, and reports to Balme on contracts, management of the club’s TPP, development of the Next Generation Academy and more.
2. CULTURE AND PURPOSE
“ELITE sporting environments embed a focus on purpose to galvanise everyone involved at the club,” Mitchell said.
“It’s about being clear with what you’re doing.”
We say: Experienced facilitator and consultant Shane McCurry ran the players’ leadership group program and the players took a real liking to him.
The result was a new three-man leadership group, with Trent Cotchin chosen as captain for a fifth season beside Alex Rance and Jack Riewoldt.
3. COACHING
“THE coach isn’t the be-all and end-all. While he is the key architect of the football strategy, he also manages a team of people, including the assistant coaches, to support and challenge him to produce elite outcomes,” Mitchell said.
We say: A broom went through the coaching panel. Assistant coaches Ross Smith and Greg Mellor, along with senior development coach Mark Williams, were not offered new contracts for 2017.
It paved the way for the return of former assistants Justin Leppitsch as forwards coach and Craig McRae as VFL and development coach.
Blake Caracella was entrusted with ball movement and Xavier Clarke as development coach and VFL midfield mentor.
4. TRAINING AND PREPARATION
“PHYSICAL performance and injury management are critical to performance and the players’ appetite for the physical load and their standards are measured using performance training data,” Mitchell said.
“The insights from the physical performance team need to be integrated across recruitment, list management, coaching and selection committees.”
We say: Luke Mehan was promoted to the role of strength and conditioning coach, replacing Adam Douglas. Rob Inness was given the rehabilitation brief, taking over from Mehan.
5. MENTAL STRENGTH
“PREPARATION of elite athletes has historically focused on physical and technical development. As the complexity and pressures of high-performance sport has increased, elite organisations have broadened their focus to include mental skills training,” Mitchell said.
“The players need to be in the right mental state to make good decisions during times of high stress under physical fatigue.”
We say: A huge growth area at Tigerland, with the players and coaches buying into the vision.
The Tigers’ HHH — hardship, highlight, hero — sessions, saw players, coaches and staff pour their hearts out to each other to build deeper connections.
The Tigers gathered each week during pre-season to hear a colleague talk about something personal.
One day every player was given $5 and told to have a coffee with someone they didn’t know that well. A busload of players travelled to Dan Butler’s 21st in Ballarat, surprising other guests with their attendance.
No doubt there were other initiatives and it fostered trust where there was little and built relationships where there were few.
The Tigers didn’t have the most talented list in the competition, but they would prove to be the best team. This was a major reason why.
6. INFRASTRUCTURE
“INFRASTRUCTURE is another key component of setting up an elite environment, having the right equipment and space for the players to do their job. Most clubs are generally on top of this now,” Mitchell said.
“Infrastructure can affect a whole range of things. If you don’t have good cohesion between back of house staff and the footballers, the evidence tells us it dilutes on-field success.”
We say: Some AFL clubs are elite when it comes to the off-field numbers. Sponsorship can be raging and membership can be excellent, but the team isn’t playing well.
The two need to knit together, because everyone is part of the success on the field. Infrastructure and floor plan layout, as simple as it sounds, can help foster that connection.
7. SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES
“ELITE sports teams use systems, data and structure to control their program and it needs to be balanced with an approach that encourages the athletes to take responsibility for their preparation and performance,” Mitchell said.
“The best teams use data to make better decisions and push for innovation.”
We say: With the soft cap on football department spending not increasing between the 2016 and 2017 seasons, all clubs faced the same challenge — getting more blood out of the same stone. Richmond thrived here.
8. TALENT DEVELOPMENT
“THE job of elite sporting environments is to select good people and then make them the best they can be,” Mitchell said.
“Player potential and athlete improvement should be tracked and analysed. The development process is taking them on that path, teaching them, and you need metrics around what their development has been.”
We say: Recruiting was further overhauled with Matthew Clarke promoted to national recruiting manager, replacing Francis Jackson, who has remained at the club in a part-time capacity. Next month’s national draft will be Clarke’s first in charge.
Development programs were also further reinforced.
9. PLAYER/LIST MANAGEMENT
“THIS is a very complex area and it goes back to leadership management,” Mitchell said.
“The football strategy and game plan need to be aligned with how players are inducted into the club, developed to deliver on that game plan and then respectfully managed out of the club.”
We say: You can have the best game plan football has ever seen, but if you don’t have the cattle to implement it it’s as useful as you-know-what on a bull.
History is littered with a new coach who comes in with new game plans, but not the list to deliver it. Those coaches are chewed up and spat out.
The whole organisation needs to be on the same page.
Richmond was, and the rest is history.
Last
- May 18, 2008
- 7,271
- 18,863
- AFL Club
- Richmond
A complete shambles? You are joking, aren’t you? In Wallace’s time, we recruited Jack Riewoldt, Shane Edwards, Trent Cotchin, and Alex Rance. He also left us with the pick that we’d use to get Dustin Martin. Admittedly, Bachar Houli came to the club in Hardwick’s early years but a lot of the guys that he recruited in that time - such as Troy Chaplin, Reece Conca, Aaron Edwards, and Ricky Pettard - did fu k-all to improve the quality of the list.
Last edited:
domin8
Club Legend
Well there it is I was taking the piss in my post then you drop this.
If it wasn’t for premierships papering over the cracks this would be up there with the worst post of the year.
Wallace delivered those by running the club to the bottom.
- May 18, 2008
- 7,271
- 18,863
- AFL Club
- Richmond
Funny that. Hawthorn used early draft picks to get Hodge, Roughead, and Franklin and lo, win a premiership a few years later. Getting and nailing early draft picks can set up a club for a decade.
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