Richmond coach Adem Yze has revealed a number of his players spent time in hospital after getting sick during their footy trip to Thailand.
A group of Tigers players went to Thailand for their end-of-season celebrations in recent weeks, but an illness that spread appears to have soured them somewhat.
Yze himself wasn’t feeling 100 per cent at the club’s best and fairest presentation on Tuesday night, but said he wasn’t as bad as some of the players who went overseas.
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“Before I get started, I just wanted to highlight the fact that I’m not trying to put on a sexy voice — I’m a little bit crook at the moment,” Yze said as he opened his speech.
“But not as crook as I hear a few of our players got in Thailand — I’m looking at you, Ben Miller.
“A few of the boys have been in hospital and things like that.
“So, it’s been not only a tough season, but a tough off-season so far.
“But to their credit, they came back a little bit lighter. Nick Vlastuin was adamant he came back four or five kilos lighter, which is unusual when you come back from a footy trip, so well done.”
The Tigers finished last on the ladder with just two wins in Yze’s first year at the helm.
They battled constant and significant injury problems throughout the season, and appeared well off the pace in most games.
“It clearly wasn’t the season we hoped for,” Yze went on in his speech.
“Twelve months ago I walked into this room and I was so excited, and who could have thought the season that we were going to have?
“But when I do look back, I do understand how pivotal that can be to success, because growth comes from adversity, and that’s going to be the silver lining to the season that’s challenged us on so many levels.
“I know I’ve mentioned the silver lining a lot throughout the season, but I do firmly believe that.
“I want to acknowledge the resilience of the players and the broader club. We were seriously challenged on many levels this season, but we never lost a sense of belonging and being in it together.
“That is a wonderful foundation for us to build upon.”
But as bad as the Tigers’ season was, they may not have even hit rock bottom yet, with the club on the brink of a player exodus.
Liam Baker, Shai Bolton, and Jack Dyer medallist Daniel Rioli have all requested trades elsewhere, while Jack Graham is expected to leave via free agency.
All four are premiership players.
President John O’Rourke appeared to take a thinly-veiled swipe at the wantaway stars during his speech on Tuesday night.
O’Rourke juxtaposed the trade and free agency chaos that will ensue with the loyalty of players such as Nathan Broad, who was drafted from Western Australia.
“No matter what happens in the trade period immediately ahead, we know we’ve still got a very strong cohort of experience and leadership, with a group that still has so much to offer on-field, but can make an equally strong contribution in setting the standards and guiding our young players through this next phase of growth,” the president said.
“I could mention a dozen players that we have in this category, but just by way of example — and he probably won’t like me singling him out — but how fortunate are we to have players of the character of a Nathan Broad?
“He is a player who was drafted into an era of, well, immediate club success as a mature-age player.
“I know through this year, I’m sure he could have explored options to see out his career in his home state, or perhaps look for more lucrative options with other clubs, but he chose to extend for a further two years.”