Richmond coach Adem Yze spoke to the media on Saturday ahead of the Tigers’ Round 14 clash against the Brisbane Lions.
The coach discussed a range of topics, including the excitement surrounding Kye Annand’s debut, the challenge the Lions present and more.
Yze on Richmond’s Tasmanian home game…
“It's obviously a huge weekend for our footy Club. Our first home game down here, against last year's premiers. Our boys are really excited to get going, post bye. We've had a really good and strong week on the track and we've got to rectify our last performance. We weren't happy with our last performance, so we get a chance to go and rectify that with a really strong performance against a really strong team.”
Yze on bouncing back from the Sydney loss…
“We weren't happy with our performance. Sydney's a terrific team and on the road, they taught us a lesson. We needed to refresh and the boys got away and had a four-day break and then we had a really solid session last weekend and we've hit the ground running [this week]. It's good to have [Maurice Rioli] back and Tom Brown back in, and a really exciting day for our footy Club with another debut in Kye. We needed some energy for the second half of the year and hopefully the boys that come in provide that but there's a responsibility for all the boys that go out there tomorrow…we need to put on a strong performance.”
Yze on Richmond’s Tasmanian connection…
“There's obviously a nice flavour through our footy Club and through our history. For Seth [Campbell] and [Sam Banks] to get out there and run around, they know the ground. Sam Lonergan, one of our midfield coaches, played a bit of footy here as well. They've got some ideas on the wind and where it's easy to bring the ball inside-50 and where to score from. Those little insights are awesome for us.”
Yze on Kye Annand’s debut…
“He's settled in nicely, he's a great kid, a really strong character. He's got a real high work ethic, he was a plumber by trade three weeks ago, now he's a full-time athlete and just lapping everything up. His form in the VFL last week was really strong, he's deserved his opportunity, and we can't wait for him to slot in down back and gel with our back six.”
Yze on the Brisbane challenge…
“They're number one for clearance, stoppage scores, centre bounce scores. Their DNA has always been that, they're strong around the contest, they win territory, and on the back of that, they're really hard to get through. We understand what they want to do with the ball, but we've got to match them inside. Lachie Neale and their midfield crew got to work last week, and it set the tone, and we've got to initiate around that part of the game and give our forwards a chance.”
