Richmond v Sydney: Damien Hardwick’s comments on Sydney’s gamestyle came back to bite him a year later

Coach Damien Hardwick slammed Sydney’s game style after a slugfest between the two sides last year, but John Longmire ended up having the last laugh.

Glenn McFarlane and James Mottershead

9 min read

April 4, 2021 - 8:26AM

News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom

Damien Hardwick looks on with concern on the bench. Picture: Getty Images

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The footy gods have an uncanny knack of coming back to bite you when you least expect it.

Just ask Richmond coach Damien Hardwick.

Just 265 days ago, Hardwick accused Sydney coach John Longmire and the Swans coaching staff of stacking their backline with “75,000 people” and not placing a massive emphasis on trying to score in their Round 6 clash at a waterlogged Gabba last year.

Hardwick ended up apologising, but his comments stung Longmire, even if the Sydney coach was trying to play them - and the Swans’ 45-point win on Saturday at the MCG - down as best as he could.

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Damien Hardwick criticised the defensive tactics of the Swans in their clash last year. Picture: Getty Images

You won’t be catching the Swans coaching staff talking about karma, particularly against a team that has won three of the past four flags.

But they had every reason to feel extremely satisfied by what transpired as the unbeaten Swans piled on another 100-plus score to ambush the reigning premiers.

This has been a massive turnaround for Sydney, who - even without Buddy Franklin on Saturday - still booted 17.15 (117) to go with scores of 125 and 121 from the first two rounds.

Contrast that to the 3.8 (26) they kicked against the Tigers last year.

Hardwick as his side went down to an attacking Swans outfit. Picture: Getty Images

Then factor in that the team that took to the MCG on Saturday contained no fewer than nine players who had played 50 games or less, and it shows why Longmire’s faith in this group has never once wavered.

Neither coach wanted to go over old ground regarding what happened last year, with Longmire trying to temper the excitement and Hardwick speaking in glowing terms about the Swans’ speedy revival.

“I think the talent they have added (with draftees Logan McDonald, Braeden Campbell and Errol Gulden) and their ability to get from contest to contest has really improved,” Hardwick said of the Swans.

“In fairness to the game last year, it was very wet. This year is different obviously.

“I just thought they played a really good brand of (attacking) footy. I thought they moved the ball incredibly well.

Errol Gulden and Luke Parker post-game. Picture: Michael Klein

“Some of their stuff was Richmond-like, if that makes sense.

“Their forward turnover game was very strong. They made us make some mistake we don’t normally make. That’s what good sides do, they punish you.”

Longmire wasn’t buying into the debate about 2020 either.

“Dimma (Hardwick) and I spoke at the end of last year … (so you just) get on with it,” he said.

“He is a very good coach and they are a great team.

“We were trying hard to keep evolving how we wanted to play (last year). But we didn’t execute it that well and we had a stack of injuries.

“The positive was, it meant a lot of players were able to play and get exposure and were able to learn from it.

“The last four or five games of last year we got to a point where we thought we were starting to evolve pretty well.

“Pykey (assistant coach Don Pyke) came in and has been a great help for us and we need to keep moving in that aspect.

The Swans had 26 more inside 50s in Saturday’s game compared to last year (with 62 overall).

The Tigers had six fewer than their clash in 2020.

RISING THREE-PEAT

Sydney could make AFL history this week by becoming the first club to have three successive Rising Star weekly nominations.

Already with Gulden and Braeden Campbell selected in the opening two weeks, they could easily have a third after the efforts of some of their younger players against the Tigers.

The question is, who gets it?

Logan McDonald kicked multiple goals for a third straight week and looked at home on the MCG with another polished display.

Chad Warner would also have to be close, given his 20-disposal two-goal game, and his exceptional composure against good opposition.

Sam Wicks narrowly missed out on 2021 Rising Star eligibility, having turned 21 last September, four months before the January 1 cut-off date. But he looks to be getting better and better as well.

Chad Warner might claim a Round 3 Rising Star nomination. Picture: Michael Klein

TURNOVER TIGERS

Hardwick has a theory that as good as the all-conquering Tigers have been over the past four seasons, they still throw in at least one shocker per season.

He is hoping this weekend might have been it.

It was only the club’s seventh loss at the MCG from their past 52 matches, and their biggest losing margin there since Round 12, 2019, against Geelong

“Thank God, it’s Easter tomorrow … something to look forward to,” a frustrated Hardwick opened up with at his press conference.

“I reckon we have one of them (a big loss) a year. Once again we look at everything as a gift, it teaches us lessons.

“The game is evolving … There is no doubt about that and we have known it.

“We have just got to tinker with a few things in our game plan to make sure we challenge ourselves to get better.”

The turnover game - one of their greatest strengths - came back to hurt them the other way as the clinical, efficient Swans made them pay.

Sydney’s points from turnover differential was + 60, their highest since 2017, so it was little wonder that Hardwick said Longmire’s team had been “Richmond-like.”

Dustin Martin had best afield performances in the first two weeks of the season, but was not as effective against the Swans, having 20 disposals.

The Swans used a number of different opponents on him throughout the day. Champion Data recorded George Hewitt (42 minutes), Callum Mills (19), Luke Parker (16), Josh Kennedy (11) and Warner (eight) as the players who spent time on the Tigers’ superstar.

The battered Tigers, who lost Dion Prestia and Kamdyn McIntosh during the game, will have to regroup against Port Adelaide on Friday night, while the Swans look to keep their unbeaten record running when they take on Essendon at the SCG on Thursday.

TIGERS STUNNED AS EXTENT OF INJURY TOLL REVEALED

A battered and ego-bruised Richmond could be forced to take on premiership contenders Port Adelaide on Friday night without four key players after shock MCG loss to Sydney that coach Damien Hardwick said felt like “a 10-goal” defeat.

The back-to-back premiers looked uncharacteristically vulnerable and flat throughout the MCG contest against the plucky young Swans, eventually going down by 45 points

But it was the high number of casualties out of this game – as well as more bad news on Nick Vlastuin’s knee – that will test the Tigers on a six-day back-up to play the Power at Adelaide Oval.

Kamdyn McIntosh was concussed in a collision and didn’t return. Picture: Michael Klein

It comes as Hardwick lavished praise on the Swans and conceded the Tigers will have to tinker with aspects of their game plan – the AFL benchmark across the four seasons – to make the most of the changes to football in 2021.

Prime midfielder Dion Prestia suffered a hamstring injury – his second this year – and was subbed out before quarter-time.

He now faces up to a month on the sidelines.

Trent Cotchin spent periods of the game on the bench and was heavily iced after the game, with Hardwick saying he was touch and go to make the trip after successive six-day breaks.

Kamdyn McIntosh looked to be concussed after an accidental collision with Dane Rampe and is almost certain to miss at least 12 days until the new AFL protocols.

Dion Prestia was on ice in the first quarter. Picture: Getty Images

Dion Prestia has been subbed out for Richmond.

Dan Rioli has taken his place.#AFLTigersSwans
— AFL (@AFL) April 3, 2021

Richmond's Kamdyn McIntosh was taken off the ground with the help of the trainers after this incident.#AFLTigersSwans pic.twitter.com/V41RxkALso
— AFL (@AFL) April 3, 2021

Vlastuin will now miss a month of football – and possibly longer – after secondary scans showed damage to the knee he hurt in the opening round against Carlton.

“Dion obviously did a hamstring early, so that’s disappointing,” Hardwick said. “He will miss a number of weeks.”

“I am not sure … (about) Kamdyn. I haven’t got the medical (report) with that. He is lucky really. It looked horrible. I am glad he is walking around OK.”

Hardwick said the club would assess Cotchin this week before making a decision on if he will be ready to take on Port Adelaide.

“It was precautionary,” he said of Cotchin spending the last part of the game on the bench.

“He has had an injury history over the course of the last couple of years, so we iced him and off he went. We will assess that during the week, (it is) back-to-back six-day breaks, so we will make a decision on whether he goes to Adelaide.”

Hardwick said the club sent Vlastuin in for more scans after he was recovering slower than anticipated.

Nick Vlastuin has had an injury setback. Picture: Getty Images

“He will probably miss another month. The initial scan didn’t show it, but Nick wasn’t recovering quite as well as we would have liked.

“He won’t be back for four plus weeks.”

Bachar Houli is ready to return after getting through three quarters of the VFL practice match earlier on Saturday, while Hardwick said Jack Ross and Will Martyn are both in the mix to play on Friday.

Hardwick heaped praise on the Swans for the way they control almost every aspect of this clash, but said the Tigers were up for the challenge of slightly modifying their game style.

“They comprehensively beat us, I thought the score flattered us,” he said. “I thought it felt like a 10-goal loss.”

“We didn’t play our game, but that’s something because the opposition did things so well.”

“I thought they were incredible.”

UPSET SPARKED BY WARNER’S BREAKOUT DISPLAY

Sydney blitzed its way to a 45-point win against the Tigers, announcing themselves as the real deal and picking up a sure-thing Rising Star nomination on the way.

The Swans’ new-found fast, bold, and attacking footy was too much for Richmond to handle and a 19-year-old midfielder was at the heart of it all.

Chad Warner found himself in the middle of the MCG in his fifth game of footy going head-to-head with Dustin Martin and Trent Cotchin.

Most hardened pros of the competition leave that having been taught a football lesson, but not the fearless Warner.

Tom Papley had a day out at the MCG. Picture: Michael Klein

He ripped the game apart in the second quarter, setting the Swans on their way with two goals and was ably assisted by 21-year-old forward Sam Wicks who also nailed two crucial goals.

It looked for much of the early going like the Swans had blown their chances to put Richmond away.

After Nick Blakey hit the post to have the Swans sitting at 4.7 the Tiger machine started to roll with goals from Riewoldt and Castagna to cut the margin to nine points halfway through the second.

But from there Sydney piled on six goals to one to end the quarter, including a Wicks goal after the halftime siren.

It was more of the same in the second half as Sydney ran away to its most memorable win in seasons.

Jason Castagna makes it two goals in rapid succession for the Tigers!#AFLTigersSwans pic.twitter.com/8xkPX5nQ1M
— AFL (@AFL) April 3, 2021

THE GOOD

You could count the number of times Toby Nankervis has been beaten since he arrived at Richmond on one hand.

But he was soundly beaten by Sydney’s journeyman ruck Tom Hickey who was one of the best on ground.

Early in the game Nankervis swallowed up the Swans’ forays forward as he stationed himself 25 metres from the Sydney goal.

But as the Swans’ players lowered their eyes going inside 50 they were able to find Hickey who used the space between the 50-metre arc and 30 metres from goal.

The 30-year-old kicked two goals and provided a crucial link going forward for the Swans, finishing with five score involvements.

THE CHAD

Best on ground with 13 touches, two goals and two clearances to halftime.

They’re Dusty numbers, but it wasn’t the Richmond champion who tore the game to shreds early.

It was 19-year-old Chad Warner in his fifth game of AFL.

After acclimatising to the vaunted Tiger midfield in the first term on his way to six touches, Warner didn’t take long to make his intention clear in the second.

A quick snap when the Swans were crying out for some polish around goal to put them up by 14-points was just an entree for what was to come.

As the Swans built into a time-on frenzy it was Warner who kicked the pick of the Sydney goals.

Bursting out of the centre after pushing off Martin, Warner took Jack Graham on in a foot race, broke the Tiger’s attempted tackle and launched a goal from 45 metres.

The second-round pick in the 2019 draft finished with 20 disposals and two goals.