Hardwick's incredible pre-grand final speech revealed
Video has been released of the spine-tingling speech Damien Hardwick delivered to his Richmond players before they broke the club's 37-year premiership drought.
The Tigers' stunning grand final triumph last September was the centrepiece of the 2018 season launch on Wednesday night, and gave a unique insight into Richmond's pre-game preparations.
Hardwick's speech - part of a behind-the-scenes documentary about their 2017 success - used the metaphor of mountaineers trying to climb Mt Everest, looking to the summit too soon, as an example of how disaster can strike at any moment.
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Hardwick compared grand final day to the Hillary Step, the final challenge for Mt Everest climbers.
“You’re on the Hillary Step with 40 feet to go," Hardwick says in Peter Dickson’s documentary 'Break the Fall'.
"The summit is there but we know to do it we’ve got to walk each individual foot to get us up to the summit.
"We don’t ever take our eyes off our feet."
The Tigers coach also told his players how everyone had written them off all season long and said they couldn't win the flag.
“We know what’s made us a great football club this year, and it’s the ability to work for each other, it’s embracing the imperfection of who we are. I love what you’ve done, I’m so proud of you, we’ve got one big step to go.
“Everyone from pillar to post has said you can’t do it. You’re not tall enough, you’ve got no forward line, you’re too young.
"We’ve proven most of them wrong thus far. Our goal is silverware but our expectation is we embrace who we are. We are quick, we are powerful, we celebrate what we do and enjoy it.”
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan trumpeting the hope Richmond's success gives to every other club.
McLachlan said their improbable rise from 13th in 2016 to the flag was a case of "blowing the doors right off the building".
"The Tigers provided the 'you cannot make this up' ending (to last season) and delivered hope to all clubs that they can make it too," McLachlan added.
He said the Tigers had shown every other club what might be possible.
"Every club can see their path to the premiership," he said.
"Every fan has a right to hope."
Club captain Trent Cotchin told the season launch how the premiership winners stuck together a year ago when times were tough.
The Richmond star spoke of sitting in Hardwick's office last September on the eve of their qualifying final win over Geelong.
Regardless of what happened in the finals, Cotchin told Hardwick he felt they should celebrate the year because of the way the club had grown.
"It wasn't the achievement I wanted to celebrate, it was the little things we had learned along the way and that no-one ever sees, but led to our achievement," Cotchin said.
"What we learned essentially more than anything else in 2017 was perspective - in particular, that's what I wanted to celebrate."
Cotchin shone last year, ending the talk about whether he was the right man to captain the Tigers.
He thanked president Peggy O'Neal and chief executive Brendon Gale for their leadership after 2016, with Richmond holding off a board challenge and supporting Hardwick when he was under immense pressure to retain his job.*
"We learned as an entire club that our greatest growth and learning often comes from our darkest places and hardest times," Cotchin said.
"This was a big lesson for me personally and I want to thank Peggy, Brendon and the whole club for sticking together when things could have easily gone down a very different path."
with AAP