Coach Did Damien Hardwick fake exhaustion to graciously exit a declining Richmond?

[Kappa]

Damien Hardwick may have been the worst thing to ever happen to the Richmond Football Club.

 

[Handsuper47]

He probably did, but three flags is three flags. I'm a happy camper.

 

[Grrr]

The wisdom of hindsight. Richmond are second bottom and hitting depths no seen since our good old days, but what do you expect. The last two weeks we have come up against sides that have been underachieving, with a bit of pressure on desperate to hit some form. Look at the respective midfields of the 3 teams.

Bont, Treloar and co (thank god they didn't have Libba)
Neale, Zorko in great form, and co.
vs Dow (playing his 10 game as a mid), MacAuliffe playing his second, Pickett, playing first time since the 2017 GF as a mid.
Prestia, nowhere near the player he was and underdone after missing 6 weeks. Dusty who is most likely playing injured but doing very little of the heavy lifting, and cameo's from Bolton.

Hopper, Taranto and Ross, whilst not stars sure add some muscle, experience and they get the ball. It has been boys against men the last few weeks.

Then we have had nobody to kick it too. Lefau, our rugby player has been our focal target, and has not done to badly. And he was knocked out second Q. Lynch and Balta and Lefau would be nice, although Balta has two games under his belt now, if you could call it that with the beltings we have received.

We had 3 players left in the VFL last week. Only 4 players have played every game this year. You can't compete under those circumstances, look at WC last year compared to this year.

Hardwick leaving was the best thing for the club. He had run his race and was much like Buckley when he left Collingwood. New coach new energy.

Richmond in the next 3-4 weeks will get a lot more good players back, until then it is hard to know where Richmond are at, other than getting a top 1-4 draft pick next year.

 

[Big_Birdy]

To be honest I wasn’t aware this was ever actually in dispute.

Up there with the Reichstag fire when it comes to official story vs real story

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

Yep. He had a chat with Djokovic in the 2023 Aussie Open and decided to adopt the same tactics.


Bloody legend.

 

[Scritchyscroony]

2020* Covid season forever tarnished.

Two well earned flags but it's back irrelevancy for you lot

Richmond getting spanked by 100 points is never an irrelevancy like it is for StKilda.
In the AFL era I reckon Richmond would hold the record for 100 points spankings. Its something I've come to associate with them alongside dump trucks of manure.

I've missed it. But after a brief hiatus it's back to business as usual at Tigerland. Normal service has been resumed. I can enjoy watching them play again.

 

[GoldbergsGold]

Yes he left them for Gold Coast, but he brought them 3 flags so he owed them nothing.

Probably the way he left Richmond was a bit lame, but clubs have fired premiership coaches midseason, which is even worse. So I guess it was good in a way he left on his own terms.

 

[CharacterFirst]

"graciously exit"

Hahahahahahahaha.

 

[Billy_01]

Probably but who gives a shit

 

[Handsuper47]

2020* Covid season forever tarnished.

Two well earned flags but it's back irrelevancy for you lot

You have the weirdest obsession with Richmond, are you alright? I take it you are very young and don't forget how much of a joke Geelong was before 2007. Settle down mate.

 

[Millsie69]

You just know this is exactly how it all went down......

 

[Osho]

He's certainly got Suns playing delectable footy. Next step is to win in Melbourne. I love the way they play.

But yeah, once one starts telling fibs to those closest to us, it is pretty easy to tell fibsies to your employer, colleagues, even if they are Richmond men and women, when that used to mean something.

 

[dean33]

First of all I’ll say I love Dimma and everything he brought to the club but Dimma loves Dimma first and foremost.
I think what happened is 2023 was always going to be his last year even though he was contracted to the end of this season. He wanted to go out on a high and thought the addition of Tarranto and hopper could see us winning last years flag. A deal had been made in principal with the suns prior to 2023 that he’d be their coach this year.
Once 2023 started to turn to crap and he knew a flag or finals was not going to happen he thought what’s the point, better to go now and give the club the chance to appoint a successor while he could have a break.
Fine to finish up whenever he wanted however what irks me is the club having no succession plan in place as we had both McRae and Kingsley sitting underneath him who could have smoothly transitioned into the top job.
Saying all this I don’t think we are the car crash as what is being talked about us. Our injury list is horrendous and no club can compete with so many key players out and so many young inexperienced players in. We’ll have the best draft hand of any club this year and yze will have a better understanding of our list moving forward.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Makes you wonder if your bombers had chosen him over knights if they would have won a flag or two in the 2010s.

Wouldn’t have put up with any of those Dank shenanigans and is the sort of guy who wouldn’t put up with Sheedys white anting.

Sliding door moment for both clubs and Hardwick right there.

He wouldn’t have lasted at Essendon. Sacked like the rest of our coaches. No way he’s around long enough to win a flag.

 

[dean33]

He wouldn’t have lasted at Essendon. Sacked like the rest of our coaches. No way he’s around long enough to win a flag.

100%. Bombers would have sacked him long before he won a flag.

 

[Rich01]

He wouldn’t have lasted at Essendon. Sacked like the rest of our coaches. No way he’s around long enough to win a flag.

Perhaps. Looking at the successful clubs over the past 20 years (and also those that haven’t been successful), a strong and stable board lead by a supportive prez, and a CEO with clear strategic vision that’s enabled by the board is key. That vision also needs to ensure the right people and resources are allocated to the football dept with little interference from others.

Of course no white anting agitators, which was a major cause of Richmond’s miserable 37 years pre 2017 and the last couple of decades for the Bombers post the Sheedy coaching era (who is ironically the clubs biggest problem still).

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Perhaps. Looking at the successful clubs over the past 20 years (and also those that haven’t been successful), a strong and stable board lead by a supportive prez, and a CEO with clear strategic vision that’s enabled by the board is key. That vision also needs to ensure the right people and resources are allocated to the football dept with little interference from others.

Of course no white anting agitators, which was a major cause of Richmond’s miserable 37 years pre 2017 and the last couple of decades for the Bombers post the Sheedy coaching era (who is ironically the clubs biggest problem still).

He’d have had a poor season at some point and simply got the arse. Just like the rest of our coaches. There hasn’t been any stability at Essendon for 20 years.

 

[Red Bull]

He’d have had a poor season at some point and simply got the arse. Just like the rest of our coaches. There hasn’t been any stability at Essendon for 20 years.

Yes there has …

 

[Sinjin Smith]

I'll take "Great Historical Questions To Which The Answer Is Yes" for $200 thanks Alex....

 

[Rich01]

He’d have had a poor season at some point and simply got the arse. Just like the rest of our coaches. There hasn’t been any stability at Essendon for 20 years.

Yep, and while white ant Sheedy is still round no coach is safe.

 

[Freomaniac]

Yes he left them for Gold Coast, but he brought them 3 flags so he owed them nothing.

Well Mark Bomber thompson coached Geelong from 2000 until 2010. Got flags in 2007 and 2009.

Bomber left due to being "burnt" out.

I dont think Bomber Thompson owed the cats Anything either.

 

[Freomaniac]

Hardwick saw the writing on the wall, his whole departure was contrived.

As a cats fan and I will ask other cats fans like The 747 , dazbroncos , Gavin Excell and Art Vandelay_ this question.

Whats cats fans thoughts when Bomber thompson left at the end of 2010?

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

No issue with him jumping ship. I'm critical of him milking every last drop out of the squad, then trading prime draft picks to try to stay up there.

But Hopper and Taranto have to be most oblivious duo to ever jump clubs.

 

[Freomaniac]

KBs anger at the club at the way he was treated seemed a bit petulant.

I mean his coaching record over 4 years was dreadful

Kevin Bartlett coached the tigers for 88 games between 1988-1991. 27 wins and 61 losses.

Richmond were a mess when Bartlett was coach. Yet guys like Brendon Gale and Matthew Knights had debut games under him.

 

[tiger_tough]

No issue with him jumping ship. I'm critical of him milking every last drop out of the squad, then trading prime draft picks to try to stay up there.

But Hopper and Taranto have to be most oblivious duo to ever jump clubs.

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