"Incredibly flat and frustrated" were the words used by Richmond coach Damien Hardwick as he came out swinging against media "narratives" surrounding his coaching tenure and the club itself. The combative Hardwick is confident he can get the Tigers' season back on course after a poor start.
Following their loss against an average Gold Coast side last weekend, the Tigers find themselves languishing in 16th and, at this stage, facing the very real prospect of giving up a top 5 pick to GWS, which they traded for Jacob Hopper.
Ahead of a crunch clash with cellar-dwellers West Coast at the MCG on Sunday, Richmond are desperate for a win to keep their slim finals hopes alive. Speaking to the media Thursday, Hardwick was defiant, reiterating that he still has the desire to coach the Tigers for years to come.
โIt's their narratives. That's the reality, it's easy to sit there and say those comments when they're sitting behind a desk โ come and say it to my face,โ he said.
The spray came after sections of the media skirted around the subject of whether he had potentially lost the playing group. Hardwick, unafraid of getting on the front foot when it comes to the media, was typically feisty.
His comments were analysed on Friday morning on SEN Breakfast by co-hosts Kane Cornes and David King, who are both no strangers to controversy or fiery exchanges.
โI'm not sure what he gains by saying that,โ Cornes said on SEN Breakfast.
โIt's a mistake for him to do that, because even if you did say it to his face, I mean, what, what's he going to do? He's not going to punch you. There's nothing an AFL coach is going to do if you say it to his face. So that was a mistake from him.
โBut it was also a mistake from the journalist to ask and probably a mistake from the Richmond media department not to brief him accurately, because no-one actually said that he's lost the players.โ
Meanwhile King was sympathetic Hardwick's situation, rightly pointing out that the triple premiership coach is in between a rock and a hard place.
โIn fairness to him though he was asked a question alluding to the fact that someone had said that.... It's not up to him to be across everything.โ King said.
Despite the media attention, Hardwick is adamant that the desire and passion for coaching Richmond remains and that things are not as bad as they seem, boldly declaring he thinks the Tigers will be back to their best before long.
โYeah I do (have the passion to coach), it was just one of those games where you couldn't seem to get anything to go, or anything to work and our players felt that as well, and that's when you do feel flat,โ Hardwick said.
โLook, did it come across a little bit like that? Yeah it probably did, but the fact of the matter is I was probably feeling like any supporter in this organisation, incredibly flat and frustrated with where we are at.
โBut once I sit there in the cold hard light of day and review the tape and work through a few things, I feel a hell of a lot better.โ
โI think our list is well and truly capable. Many people would go โyou're kidding yourself', but the fact of the matter is I've got incredible belief in this group of players.
โWe are nowhere near where we need to be, but I certainly think we are capable when we get our game up and going, when we get some players back into the side, we are going to be hard to beat.โ
The Tigers have been bolstered by the news that premiership players Dion Prestia and Jack Graham are both fit and available, being brought straight back into the side as reinforcements for their clash on against the Eagles.
This weekend presents the perfect opportunity for the Tigers, at their home ground against a severely weakened West Coast who are coming off a 108 point loss to Carlton. By Saturday night we'll know if Richmond are close to being back in business.
