Richmond coach Damien Hardwick’s fiery reaction after journalist asks if Tigers are soft

WATCH: RICHMOND coach Damien Hardwick tells journalist “you were lucky you didn’t wear a left hook’’ for asking if Tigers are up for the contest. VOTE: ARE THE TIGERS SOFT?

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 08: Richmond coach Damien Hardwick looks at match ups during the round 12 AFL match between the North Melbourne Kangaroos and the Richmond Tigers at Etihad Stadium on June 8, 2014 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

RICHMOND coach Damien Hardwick has bristled at the suggestion some of his players don’t have an appetite for the contest, telling a television reporter “you were lucky you didn’t wear a left hook’’ for asking the question.

Channel 10 reporter Roger Oldridge asked: “I’m not saying your players are soft or anything like that, but are there players in your group who just don’t like the contest?’’

Hardwick replied: “You can’t say that, mate. I could say that about your journalism. If you’re a soft journalist, you’re a terrible journalist. You play AFL footy, mate, you’ve got to be tough.’’

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At the end of the media conference, Hardwick offered the terse aside to the journalist.

Nevertheless, during the media conference at the club’s Punt Road base he conceded that the team’s main problem over the past two weeks was not winning contested ball.

Hardwick said “the contested ball one is the big one for us. If we won’t win contested ball like most sides, you’re not going to win games.

“The fact is, if you can’t win the ball, you’ve got to defend for a long period of time,

“We’ve just got to continue to work on that contested ball part of our game. It was really disappointing in that second half (against North Melbourne last Sunday) to lose it like we did,’’ he said.

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After leading by 35 points at halftime the Tigers conceded 13 goals to three and lost the contested-possession count 143-120.

“We just couldn’t get our hands on the ball to get our offensive game going, which means you’re defending for a long period of time, and eventually the dam wall’s going to break, which was what we experienced in the third quarter,’’ Hardwick said.

Trent Cotchin wins a clearance against the Kangaroos. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

He suggested Richmond would throw its best inside midfielders into the centre square against Fremantle on Saturday afternoon, but the issue was that some players did not reproduce their best form “on a quarter-by-quarter basis, and then you’re looking at Plan B and Plan C’’.

“Unfortunately, when those to plans don’t work you go back to Plan A and start again.’’

Asked to elaborate on what the back-up plans were, he replied: “Plan B and Plan C, mate, that’s all we’ve got.’’

He said the Tigers would continue to fight and try to march up the ladder, because that was what AFL football was all about.

“We feel it will turn,’’ he said. “We’re getting better at stages, (but) our consistency is probably the thing that’s letting us down at the moment over the course of one quarter or a 20-minute period, as we saw on the weekend.’’

Hardwick said captain Trent Cotchin’s ankle was fine, former skipper Chris Newman had put his hand up for selection, and that he would consider using Brett Deledio more through the midfield.

He said the Tigers had not turned their attention to long-term development

“Our focus is still on winning footy games. We’re a better side than three and eight. Our record will indicate otherwise, but we feel we’re a better side than that.