Hardwick | PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
  • IMPORTANT // Please look after your loved ones, yourself and be kind to others. If you are feeling that the world is too hard to handle there is always help - I implore you not to hesitate in contacting one of these wonderful organisations Lifeline and Beyond Blue ... and I'm sure reaching out to our PRE community we will find a way to help. T.

Hardwick

Great to see Dimma using my music to inspire the boys!

Here are the lyrics to Blood Brothers by The Boss , a beautiful song:


We played king of the mountain out on the end
The world come chargin' up the hill, and we were women and men
Now there's so much that time, time and memory fade away
We got our own roads to ride and chances we gotta take
We stood side by side each one fightin' for the other
We said until we died we'd always be blood brothers
Now the hardness of this world slowly grinds your dreams away
Makin' a fool's joke out of the promises we make
And what once seemed black and white turns to so many shades of gray
We lose ourselves in work to do and bills to pay
And it's a ride, ride, ride, and there ain't much cover
With no one runnin' by your side my blood brother
On through the houses of the dead past those fallen in their tracks
Always movin' ahead and never lookin' back
Now I don't know how I feel, I don't know how I feel tonight
If I've fallen 'neath the wheel, if I've lost or I've gained sight
I don't even know why, I don't know why I made this call
Or if any of this matters anymore after all
But the stars are burnin' bright like some mystery uncovered
I'll keep movin' through the dark with you in my heart
My blood brother
 
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Hardwick will equal Hafey’s coaching record in the Tigers’ blockbuster Friday night, Round 17, 2020 clash with Collingwood at the MCG.

And is scheduled to break Club ‘Immortal’ Tommy Hafey’s record for the most games coached in Tigerland’s history in Round 18 of the 2020 season. The Tigers play Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium in that round on Saturday, July 18 (an afternoon fixture).

Hafey 248 games
Hardwick 231*
Dyer 222

Bewdy. When the fixture came out, the first thing I looked for was if we played the suns up there so I can organise my annual road trip. The game will be even more special now that that has been pointed out.
 
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This link was first posted by IanG on the Journos forum
https://footyology.com.au/the-inside-story-of-another-tiger-flag-triumph/

But the review of the book tells the story of Dimmas pre-GF address to the players.
Just further adds to Dimma’s status.

Thanks for the link, Tenacious.
Good article from Connolly.
I really enjoyed Marshall's book about 2017 flag, so this will also be a ripper no doubt.

This sort of coverage of RFC's success just indicates how comfortable the Club sits with itself and the culture it has created among the coaches, players and staff.
As much as the other clubs in the comp might try and replicate RFC's intellectual and emotional property, they try in vain unless they really have buy-in from all, a spirit that is unique and a willingness to bind together in a collective fashion.
Long live the Richmond Man.
 
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Great to see Dimma using my music to inspire the boys!

Here are the lyrics to Blood Brothers by The Boss , a beautiful song:


We played king of the mountain out on the end
The world come chargin' up the hill, and we were women and men
Now there's so much that time, time and memory fade away
We got our own roads to ride and chances we gotta take
We stood side by side each one fightin' for the other
We said until we died we'd always be blood brothers
Now the hardness of this world slowly grinds your dreams away
Makin' a fool's joke out of the promises we make
And what once seemed black and white turns to so many shades of gray
We lose ourselves in work to do and bills to pay
And it's a ride, ride, ride, and there ain't much cover
With no one runnin' by your side my blood brother
On through the houses of the dead past those fallen in their tracks
Always movin' ahead and never lookin' back
Now I don't know how I feel, I don't know how I feel tonight
If I've fallen 'neath the wheel, if I've lost or I've gained sight
I don't even know why, I don't know why I made this call
Or if any of this matters anymore after all
But the stars are burnin' bright like some mystery uncovered
I'll keep movin' through the dark with you in my heart
My blood brother

should add a line or two about kick it to dusty?

sometimes doubt will make you feel rusty.
so bang it on the boot, in the direction of dusty.
 
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Hardwick will equal Hafey’s coaching record in the Tigers’ blockbuster Friday night, Round 17, 2020 clash with Collingwood at the MCG.

And is scheduled to break Club ‘Immortal’ Tommy Hafey’s record for the most games coached in Tigerland’s history in Round 18 of the 2020 season. The Tigers play Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium in that round on Saturday, July 18 (an afternoon fixture).

Hafey 248 games
Hardwick 231*
Dyer 222
'Dual Richmond premiership coach Damien Hardwick'........hey Figgy....:mhihi
 
This link was first posted by IanG on the Journos forum
https://footyology.com.au/the-inside-story-of-another-tiger-flag-triumph/

But the review of the book tells the story of Dimmas pre-GF address to the players.
Just further adds to Dimma’s status.

Thanks for that tenacious.

Another example of who Dimma and his players have become.

This cant be copied by other players/coaches. We have seen the end result of their attempts.
MANUFACTURED.
NO TOTAL BUY IN.
 
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Just watched Dimma on the couch just after this years flag. Apart from being the greatest man alive, I noticed a couple of things.
Browny looks like he is genuinely in love with Dimma. He looks at him with this dreamy look in his eye. Secondly, I have thought this for a few years, but Ive now decided Dimma is definitely a smoker.
 
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Thanks for the link, Tenacious.
Good article from Connolly.
I really enjoyed Marshall's book about 2017 flag, so this will also be a ripper no doubt.

This sort of coverage of RFC's success just indicates how comfortable the Club sits with itself and the culture it has created among the coaches, players and staff.
As much as the other clubs in the comp might try and replicate RFC's intellectual and emotional property, they try in vain unless they really have buy-in from all, a spirit that is unique and a willingness to bind together in a collective fashion.
Long live the Richmond Man.

The key to keeping the Richmond man ethos is to have it continued even after Jack, Cotch, Shed and Tross are gone.

It is difficult to maintain a culture when those who implemented it and direceted it are gone.
 
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BEAVIS ................in2010 , whodathunkit he's Clarko and Bomber Thompson 2.0.

On the verge of the arse and goes on to bring home multiple flags and create his own legacy in the history of the RFC and the AFL.
 
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The key to keeping the Richmond man ethos is to have it continued even after Jack, Cotch, Shed and Tross are gone.

It is difficult to maintain a culture when those who implemented it and direceted it are gone.
Not if you get genuine buy in from the second n third generation as the club evolves. That's not just players but Board, admin, coaches as well.
Coaches and admins etc are constantly spruiking about growing and developing young kids into quality adults. They all go about it in slightly different but similar methods with obviously varying results.
If the club holds to it's doctrines of caring for and supporting one another, accepting and sharing in the foibles, faults and differences of all the various people within the club. Most importantly of ensuring they need to enjoy being together, playing their footy n having shared fun as they grow n develop then there shouldn't really be an issue. The finals competitiveness and flag successes should be an enjoyable added bonus to the journey. Not the sole reason for existing.
 
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I was one who'd lost faith after 2016. Dimma is obviously a likeable guy, but my love for the club and the desire for success wanted a change.

FRom what i'd witnessed of our finals campaigns, it seemed Dimma had been pushed more and more into his shell, that the first finals loss against the Blues who'd actually finished 9th, had scarred him. They got a run on and defensively we just couldn't stop it. A first year Vloss was manning Chris Judd who'd apparently come into the game with a bad knee, but he torched us.

The following season, we started by trying to play a fast brand of footy and got smashed on the rebound, so we reverted to ball security, won something like 8 games straight and scraped into the finals only to get obliterated by Port. FRom then on it looked like ball security became everything, and sure we had a good season in 2015, but we were crap to watch in my opinion. We lost our first final against Norf after they rested all their prime movers the week before.

Watchnig us in 2016, it looked like the burden of loss a potential loss was so great, that we were too scared to try to win. We were absolutely rubbish to watch. Ball security meant we were chipping backwards from half back, racking up meaningless possessions and eventually turning the ball over 30m from goal and conceding scores. Cotchin was under fire for getting 30 or so disposals that mainly went backwards, the media was into us over the re-treads like Houli Grigg etc.

What happened in 2017 completely blind sided me. I remember an interview with Jack Reiwoldt pre season and he was talking about his optimism, that we'd recruited well etc, and then he was asked where the goals would come from. We'd just lost Vickery to Hawthorn so the only 2 genuine tall options we had were Jack himself and Griffiths who couldn't string two games together. Jack admitted we were going to need some luck with injury in so far as tall forward was concerned. "I thought, good luck with that", considering Griffiths history. Jack also spoke of being back int the leadership group and the mentoring he was doing with all the kids that were gonig to be packed into the forward line.

Part way through the interview, i'd got a glimmer of hope, but then as they spoke about our forward line i started to think "Sh!te, other than Jack, there is really nothing dangerous there"! We were talking about a Star Full Forward in Jack, an injury prome Griffiths who had a ton of ability but no real sense of where the play was flowing to, Castagna with about 8 games to his name, Rioli with about 15 games, Butler with 0 games and not much else.

Reading the books of Conrad Marshal and you really start to appreciate how remarkable Hardwick is.

I still have no doubt that those finals losses had severely scarred Dimma and it was affecting the way he coached. But to have the strength of character to completely re-invent himself, re-build relationships inside the group and turn this club into the monolith it is now is nothing short of incredible.

It's like that furnace that he went through is the very thing that has forged what we see now. It's like Dimma himself reccognises what those fears did to his coaching so has completely let it go. Reading "Stronger and Bolder" , the half time address to the group during the Prelim as we stared at a 21 point deficit, he's telling the group that if we lose it doesn't matter, he's still proud of what they've achieved etc etc

It's easy to say you're going to discard the fear of losing, but to actually do it and re-mould yourself as a coach in little more than a few months between seasons, it's a staggering achievement.

On his contract extension, i thought "Well by the time he's gone, Reiwoldt, Rance Ctochin and Martin will be past it, and it's another re-build"!

Instead, his contract extension has delivered the most enjoyable period i've ever experianced as a football supporter, and there was some great periods as a kid. The number of times post 2017 premership that i'd be going through my daily tasks and literally break into laughter and say "we're the f*%ing PREMIERS" - i was still dumbfounded. I mean by round 15 or 16 i was thinking "we'r in this up to our eyeballs", but to actually pull it off against some damned decent sides was incredible, and coming from where we did.................

I have an incredible affection for this group, and the coach i wanted to see sacked.

I hate seeing de-listings, hate seeing the end of Grigg's career or Towner leaving etc, but thats a part of footy. But all of these players.

It's so different watching us play, knowing you can trust the team, rather than watching us play and expecting us to blow leads. With the off field success, the culture we've built and the results we are achieving, i can't see us faltering any time soon.

IT'S AN AMAZING RIDE!!!!!
 
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I was one who'd lost faith after 2016. Dimma is obviously a likeable guy, but my love for the club and the desire for success wanted a change.

FRom what i'd witnessed of our finals campaigns, it seemed Dimma had been pushed more and more into his shell, that the first finals loss against the Blues who'd actually finished 9th, had scarred him. They got a run on and defensively we just couldn't stop it. A first year Vloss was manning Chris Judd who'd apparently come into the game with a bad knee, but he torched us.

The following season, we started by trying to play a fast brand of footy and got smashed on the rebound, so we reverted to ball security, won something like 8 games straight and scraped into the finals only to get obliterated by Port. FRom then on it looked like ball security became everything, and sure we had a good season in 2015, but we were crap to watch in my opinion. We lost our first final against Norf after they rested all their prime movers the week before.

Watchnig us in 2016, it looked like the burden of loss a potential loss was so great, that we were too scared to try to win. We were absolutely rubbish to watch. Ball security meant we were chipping backwards from half back, racking up meaningless possessions and eventually turning the ball over 30m from goal and conceding scores. Cotchin was under fire for getting 30 or so disposals that mainly went backwards, the media was into us over the re-treads like Houli Grigg etc.

What happened in 2017 completely blind sided me. I remember an interview with Jack Reiwoldt pre season and he was talking about his optimism, that we'd recruited well etc, and then he was asked where the goals would come from. We'd just lost Vickery to Hawthorn so the only 2 genuine tall options we had were Jack himself and Griffiths who couldn't string two games together. Jack admitted we were going to need some luck with injury in so far as tall forward was concerned. "I thought, good luck with that", considering Griffiths history. Jack also spoke of being back int the leadership group and the mentoring he was doing with all the kids that were gonig to be packed into the forward line.

Part way through the interview, i'd got a glimmer of hope, but then as they spoke about our forward line i started to think "Sh!te, other than Jack, there is really nothing dangerous there"! We were talking about a Star Full Forward in Jack, an injury prome Griffiths who had a ton of ability but no real sense of where the play was flowing to, Castagna with about 8 games to his name, Rioli with about 15 games, Butler with 0 games and not much else.

Reading the books of Conrad Marshal and you really start to appreciate how remarkable Hardwick is.

I still have no doubt that those finals losses had severely scarred Dimma and it was affecting the way he coached. But to have the strength of character to completely re-invent himself, re-build relationships inside the group and turn this club into the monolith it is now is nothing short of incredible.

It's like that furnace that he went through is the very thing that has forged what we see now. It's like Dimma himself reccognises what those fears did to his coaching so has completely let it go. Reading "Stronger and Bolder" , the half time address to the group during the Prelim as we stared at a 21 point deficit, he's telling the group that if we lose it doesn't matter, he's still proud of what they've achieved etc etc

It's easy to say you're going to discard the fear of losing, but to actually do it and re-mould yourself as a coach in little more than a few months between seasons, it's a staggering achievement.

On his contract extension, i thought "Well by the time he's gone, Reiwoldt, Rance Ctochin and Martin will be past it, and it's another re-build"!

Instead, his contract extension has delivered the most enjoyable period i've ever experianced as a football supporter, and there was some great periods as a kid. The number of times post 2017 premership that i'd be going through my daily tasks and literally break into laughter and say "we're the f*%ing PREMIERS" - i was still dumbfounded. I mean by round 15 or 16 i was thinking "we'r in this up to our eyeballs", but to actually pull it off against some damned decent sides was incredible, and coming from where we did.................

I have an incredible affection for this group, and the coach i wanted to see sacked.

I hate seeing de-listings, hate seeing the end of Grigg's career or Towner leaving etc, but thats a part of footy. But all of these players.

It's so different watching us play, knowing you can trust the team, rather than watching us play and expecting us to blow leads. With the off field success, the culture we've built and the results we are achieving, i can't see us faltering any time soon.

IT'S AN AMAZING RIDE!!!!!

Should add this piece to the 2019 Almanac
As concise a descriptive as one can get.
Well done.
 
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Have no doubt Caracella had a massive impact to our game style but full credit to Hardwick for completely changing and letting the players play to their strengths instead of the boring handbrake ball security crap they were forced to play. Also full credit to him for becoming a great galvanizing influence and motivator of this group of men, which imo is his strength.
 
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Have no doubt Caracella had a massive impact to our game style but full credit to Hardwick for completely changing and letting the players play to their strengths instead of the boring handbrake ball security crap they were forced to play. Also full credit to him for becoming a great galvanizing influence and motivator of this group of men, which imo is his strength.

Still not convinced about Blake's supposedly masterminding of the game plan. There were glimpses of that manic style late in 2016 but we just didn't have the cattle, or practice it enough, to pull off our high risk manic style. No doubt Blake was an asset to the club and helped to evolve our style, but I'm not convinced he was the original architect of our game plan.
 
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