LAUNCESTON, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 17: Ty Vickery of the Hawks gestures during the AFL 2017 JLT Community Series match between the Hawthorn Hawks and the Geelong Cats at the University of Tasmania Stadium on February 17, 2017 in Launceston, Australia. (Photo by Adam Trafford/AFL Media/Getty Images)
Richmond great Matthew Richardson has leapt to the defence of under-fire Hawthorn forward Tyrone Vickery, saying the criticism the former Tiger is copping has gone too far.
Richardson joined Gerard Healy and Dwayne Russell on Sportsday Radio on Wednesday night, and was staunch in his defence of Vickery, believing the 26-year-old has been on the receiving end of some harsh criticism for too long.
"I reckon they're going a little bit too far with the Tyrone Vickery ones at the moment," Richardson said.
"I know Ty quite well, and I've known his dad for years, but he is being smashed on social media with all these memes, and they're totally over the top.
"Ty Vickery is copping them at the moment, and gee he would have to have thick skin. He's gone to a new club, he's injured, he'd love to be out there trying to show his wares in that forward line, Hawthorn are hardly playing great footy I mean Jack Gunston is struggling to get a kick.
"I just reckon the memes about Ty Vickery at the moment are too harsh, and I don't think people realise the effect they can have on an individual."
Vickery was drafted with the eighth pick in the 2008 national draft, and went on top play 119 games for Richmond and kick 158 goals across his eight seasons at the club.
The forward made the switch to Hawthorn at the end of last season, signing a two-year deal with the Hawks after Richmond declined to match the offer.
A caller rang up to Sportsday Radio and argued that Vickery brought this upon himself after the way in which his career panned out at the Tigers, but Richardson disagreed, suggesting Vickery's numbers weren't that bad at all.
"It's pretty harsh though, he was maligned at Richmond, he was good for 1.5 goals a game over his career, and if you're the second or third key tall down there, that's about average (across the league)," responded Richardson.
"He hasn't even had a chance to prove himself with Hawthorn, my point was, he's gone to Hawthorn, they've lost the first three games that he played in, the Gold Coast one he got absolutely savaged and smashed, and then he's injured and people are smashing him to pieces on social media, I just think it's a bit harsh."