PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum

I've been fortunate enough to have actually seen three Tiger premierships and one loss and in that time we have gone from being one of the most feared outfits in the VFL/AFL to one of the most comic. We have been the least successful club for well over a quarter of a century with a culture of mediocrity and ever decreasing skill level. The moment for me that marks the deterioration was when Geoff Raines, David Cloke left for Collingwood and Bryan Wood went to Essendon. Apart from the fact that I had to get a new number and name on my duffle coat (Rainsey), we haven't played with the same feroricty or expectation of success. We tried the coaching cull only to find that potential coaches feared coming to the rabid yellow and black home. We also went down the pathway of granting coaches their 5 year plan ala Spud and Terry and still we find ourselves in the same position of missing out of playing in the finals. We have had many players with potential who have "failed to thrive" yet I don't believe that they lack the skill or ability. I honestly feel that we lack the mental toughness and self belief. We have a tendency to crumble under pressure and even in those preliminary finals of 1995 and 2001, we still were smashed by 89 points by the Cats and 50 points by the Lions. That is why I don't think that Sheedy as Head Coach with an assistant waiting in the wings (Hardwicke, Hird, Bucks, Leon) is such a bad option. I believe that Sheeds could bring about this mind set change and expectation of success. I want the old "Ruthless Richmond" ethos back.