Former Fitzroy ruckman Matt Rendell has criticised Richmond's demeanour, labelling it 'arrogant' while speaking on SEN's Dwayne's World.ย
The Tigers went down to St Kilda by 40 points last Friday night in what was one of their most lacklustre team performances in recent years.
"Richmond, well you know Iโve been on them from day dot, I really like how they play", he said.
"Thatโs the worst game Iโve seen them play for a long, long time."
The ex-assistant coach went further with his scathing appraisal by stating that the Tiger's untidy disposal had let them down last Friday.
"I canโt believe how many kicks and handballs they missed, missed targets. Their swarming offence with numbers tracking the ball, gone," Rendell said.
"I donโt know if theyโve got lazy."
Rendell also called out Hardwick's side for playing the man and not the ball.
"They look a touch arrogant to me, Richmond at the moment.
"Getting challenged by clubs and getting narky with it. Doing little sly things. I know theyโve been doing that for a while, but it seems to be getting worse".
Rendell highlighted Samson Ryan's debut against the Saints as an example of apparent arrogance.
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"I just thought playing Samson Ryan, first gamer with hardly any experience, against [Paddy] Ryder and [Rowan] Marshall, I thought thatโs arrogant", he added.
"You had [Mabior] Chol and [Callum] Coleman-Jones. I donโt know what they were thinking, maybe they could expose them in the forward line with three talls. It didnโt work.
"They didnโt get it down there because Ryder and Marshall dominated".
Rendell blamed Richmond's drop-off on a 'heavy reliance' on Dustin Martin, the absence of key players such as Tom Lynch and David Astbury, and the drop in form of role players such as Liam Baker and Jayden Short.
"Heavy reliance on Dusty to do stuff", he said further.
"[Trent] Cotchinโs tried his bum off, but they used to have a lot of role players who used to do their job week in, week out. Well, theyโve disappeared.
"Baker was going fantastic, heโs dropped off, as has Short. Bolton since he broke his wrist hasnโt been the same player.
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"The other thing is, Lynch is crucial and heโs been missing all that time. Astbury as well, but everyone gets a few injuries.
"They used to have a great little mosquito fleet around them.
"Rioliโs been off the boil since that (nightclub) incident. He hasnโt been super anyway through the year. Castagna has been off the boil, so theyโve lost those smalls who have been really good".
Richmond sits eighth on the ladder at 7-7, with the Gold Coast Suns upcoming at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night.
