RICHMOND midfielder Brett Deledio says he's not due any pats on the back from Tigers supporters.
Deledio is the club's reigning Jack Dyer medallist as best and fairest, but this year his form has been as inconsistent as that of the team.
Fronting the media at Punt Rd on Tuesday ahead of his 100th match, Deledio admitted both he and the team needed to improve considerably.
"Oh mate, I'm still inconsistent, I know that," he said.
"I don't expect to get any pats on the back, I haven't done anything this year.
"Like I said, the side's been a bit inconsistent as well – or very inconsistent – so that's something we're improving on, and I'm trying to improve on myself."
The 22-year-old said the club had high hopes heading into the season, with finals football on the agenda after a positive pre-season.
“You think ‘how good are we going? We’re all fit and healthy and who’s going to stop us’,” he said.
“But things didn’t turn out the way we wanted them to ... What are we sitting on – three wins and 12 losses, so it’s not going as well as we would have liked.”
Deledio did look uncomfortable when asked about the changes since Jade Rawlings took over from the departed Terry Wallace.
“It’s a hard question to answer, mate – I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes.
“We’ve put a lot of things in place and everyone knows what their role is, week in, week out. You know that you can’t just play your own game, you’ve got to be mindful of your opponent as well.
“I guess the main thing is that it’s been a really clear message, and everyone knows exactly where they stand.
“We’re happy playing under Jade, and he’s doing a fantastic job.”
The Tigers’ next assignment is North Melbourne – who played in atrocious conditions in Tasmania and got overrun late by the Hawks – and Deledio agreed that it would be a tough game for both bottom-four teams.
“They’ve lost their coach as well, so it will be interesting.
“We play similar one-on-one-type games, and they’re very hard-nosed in their attack on the footy, so we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
