Stevo's Sting - Richmond must accept reality and begin rebuild

THE "Prickly Mick" press conferences of 2014, as Carlton slipped into irrelevance, are well-known to most footy fans.

But around the same time, Damien Hardwick was providing some interesting live TV in front of the the sponsors' backdrop.

One Friday night presser, on June 20 2014, still resonates.

The Tigers had fought hard at the G, but had fallen short against Fremantle. They were 3-10.

The current win/loss record of 1-5 is bad, but 3-10 is a whole different world of pain.

In an 18 team comp, it has become more likely that you will need 13 wins to qualify for finals.

As the media and Hardwick sat there that night, the Tigers needed to win nine of nine just to get to 12 wins with a sniff of hope.

It was all over. And I asked Hardwick an inevitable question in the circumstances: "It now looks gone, will you start looking at kids or perhaps booking players in for surgery early?".

It wouldn't have been a major surprise if Hardwick had declared it was now time choose youth over experience when it was a lineball call, throwing forward to 2015. He could have been excused for saying the list needed a slight refurbish, and perhaps development was more important than the scoreboard for the remainder of the campaign.

The strength of his reply was surprising ... winning would continue to be EVERYTHING.

"We've got to make sure we start winning some games to get people back," Hardwick said.

"We like to think we play an exciting brand of footy. Tonight was probably a war of attrition more so than anything else, but we've got to make sure we do ourselves a favour and win some games.

"We'll still be out to win games," he said. "We're a better side than 3-10. The record would say otherwise, but we're playing some footy at the moment that's going to knock some sides off.

"So we'll just get the best sides to play. We won't be packing up anyone (for early surgery)."

Richmond did win games. Nine in a row in fact! The Tigers played finals.

On the night, Hardwick seemed in denial, his answers too simplistic and in "the now".

But in hindsight, he was spot on.

Six weeks in, we are not having that 3-10 "play the kids" discussion, but it will come soon enough.

Richmond can't beat Hawthorn without Alex Rance and Trent Cotchin and would need a miracle right now against Sydney with Cotchin still missing.

Fremantle will be favourites in Perth the following week, too.

It is highly probable Richmond will be 1-9. How will Hardwick answer the same question this time?

Given the constant theme of his pressers, he will probably offer something like "We don't give away games at this club, they will be earned, we will play our best side, our members deserve some wins".

This time, though, that is the wrong answer.

Richmond's current list hasn't been capable of winning a final in the past three attempts and has no hope of suddenly sprouting into a premiership contender.

You could mount a strong argument that Richmond's crop of players 21 and under are the least exciting in the competition.

Daniel Rioli looks great and it's super to see the Tigers back him in, but there's not enough of that obvious talent and pizazz.

Given the problems in the middle age demographic, the Tigers are just so far away from winning a premiership.

Melbourne is closer with the kids coming through. The Saints are closer, again on the back of youth and a fresh wave of talent.

Essendon, when it gets its guns back next year, will be closer to a flag given the fresh flush of young talent being exposed right now.

Richmond's top end remains better than both those clubs, but where is the next generation?

All that means that Hardwick, when the inevitable 1-9 question comes, must draw a line in the sand.

The Tigers must find a way to have a look at just about every player on their list and choose youth over experience when in doubt. That mid-tier experience is not going to win the club a flag.

The pro scout Blair Hartley, the man who brought in Bachar Houli, Ivan Maric, Shaun Grigg and Co, has done a wonderful job at cherry picking other teams' lists. It allowed the Tigers a shot at September success, and Grigg played with a desperation on Saturday night that was lacking in some.

But the Richmond board should tell Hartley to take the rest of the year off and play golf.

Forget about mature age players this post season. It should be a strict kids only approach.

The Tigers need to get cracking on a rebuild and just accept it as reality.