Damien Hardwick fires back at Tom Lynch critic David Schwarz with a sledge of his own
There’s no love lost between Damien Hardwick and David Schwarz, with the latter firing back at the Richmond coach after he delivered a stunning sledge, accusing Schwarz of crying during the 2000 Grand Final.
Richmond
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Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has delivered a brutal sledge to former Demon David Schwarz for “crying” in a Grand Final as he savaged critics of Tom Lynch.
But Schwarz has shrugged off the attack, dismissing Hardwick’s claims over the 2000 Grand Final while he doubled-down on his criticism of Lynch and his on-field antics.
Leaping to the defence of the Tigers’ key forward after he came under attack this week for his “cheap shots” against the Gold Coast Suns, Hardwick said the “carry-on” over Lynch’s actions had been “over-the-top” and had lacked “perspective”.
Hardwick said comments from Brisbane player Mitch Robinson had been disappointing, but saved a stinging rebuke to former Melbourne forward Schwarz.
Schwarz said during the week Lynch was “not tough” and said he needed to “stop being a knucklehead … and stop trying to be something you’re not”.
Hardwick said the pile-on Lynch had been unfair and Schwarz needed to have a “good look at himself”.
“I know Tom better than everyone on this screen, but I think if you ask the vast majority of people in the AFL, you could not meet a nicer person within AFL circles,” Hardwick said.
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“He is not overly proud of what he did to young (Alex) Witherden and on the weekend, but the reality is these things happen from time-to-time.
“Let’s not define a person’s character by that one event, let’s look at a period of work. This guy is incredibly brave on the field, he jumps into packs, he jumps back with courage so for people to sit there and say he lacks courage is completely irresponsible and lacks perspective in my point of view and they should really have a good hard look at themselves.
“There are a few players out there making comment – mainly I’m looking David Schwarz here – I played a Grand Final against that bloke (in 2000) and within 20 minutes he was crying, so have a look at himself at some stage.”
Schwarz told News Corp he would not “lose any sleep” over Hardwick’s comments, but stood by his assessment of Lynch, who he said needed to stop being a “goose”.
“We work in an industry where you have got to give and take and I gave a little bit and he’s given a little bit back,” Schwarz said.
“I don’t take it personally, it’s his opinion. My recollection of the 2000 Grand Final is different to that of his.
“I don’t remember it like that. That’s the way he sees it, no problem. We work in an industry where we have got to give it and we’ve got to take it, it’s my turn to take a bit.
“That’s OK. I won’t lose any sleep over it that’s for sure.
“But I stand by my comments. Tom Lynch has got to put the team first and not his own actions and that was the point of one of my comments. Stop being a goose and play the good footy that we know you can play.
“I expected Dimma to go into bat for his players, that’s what he does, he’s that sort of coach and I respect that … but I certainly don’t back away from the comments.”
Lynch was slapped with a fine by the MRO for striking Suns players Sam Collins and Jarrod Witts last round.
Hardwick said he loved Lynch’s aggression, but acknowledged there would be times, like other players, he overstepped the mark.
“I have spoken to Tom, I love his aggression, sometimes he is going to go over and he is going to (give away) free kicks and get a report,” Hardwick said.
“But I thought the carry-on was completely over-the-top to be fair. That sort of thing happens within the game 400 times but for some reason we all go after Tom Lynch.
“I found it disappointing, especially from some of the players that made comments – David Schwarz was completely over-the-top, (Mitch) Robinson as well.
“So I was incredibly disappointed with that. They are there to make comment, but let’s just make sure we spread the load and not just target Richmond players.”
Hardwick said Robinson’s comments on Twitch two weeks ago calling Lynch a “w***er” were “a bit out of whack for him” and expected Brisbane coach Chris Fagan to have dealt with the issue.
“I’ve got an enormous amount of respect for Mitch and I’m sure he probably looks back and it was probably not the ideal choice of words,” Hardwick said.
“All the players are up here trying to compete and trying to do the very best to get the game up and going. I don’t know if we need players lumping on players in my opinion, but I’m sure Brisbane will take care of that. Chris Fagan is a wonderful friend of mine, a fantastic coach and I’m sure he would have had a quiet word to Mitch along the way.
“I love Mitch Robinson as a player and I think it was probably a little bit out of whack for him and he probably regrets it, but you’ll have to ask Mitch.”
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Originally published as Damien Hardwick fires back at Tom Lynch critic David Schwarz with a sledge of his own