WHEN Richmond forward Ty Vickery is out of form, the negativity flows from everywhere.
"It comes from the media, it comes from supporters, and the negativity comes from yourself," he says.
But when the key forward is on a roll – as he is going into his 100th game with 10.0 from his past two matches – those same groups can be slow to get behind him.
That was evident on Thursday, when coach Damien Hardwick was asked at his weekly press conference if Vickery felt he was "one week away from being [the Richmond] fans' whipping boy" or if he felt more comfortable in his place.
Vickery's recent form would suggest he is certainly more comfortable in his place, and the key has been to seek shelter from all external feedback, good and bad.
Get all the match day information for Saturday night's match against Essendon at the MCG
"They're really passionate fans, no one could argue with that, and they love it when we're performing well and we're winning," Vickery told AFL.com.au of the Tiger Army.
"(But) you try not to let anything negative or positive get to you really and just get the job done on game day.
"When you're out of form it comes from everywhere. It comes from the media, it comes from supporters, and the negativity comes from yourself as well.
"You need to block it out and bring it back to basics for yourself and what you do well to turn around your form."
The feedback for Vickery was brutal after round five when he was beaten by Geelong defender Jared Rivers and sent back to the VFL.
From that point there have been match-winning efforts, like his three goals against Collingwood in round seven, and low points, like his seven-possession effort against Adelaide in round 19.
But the past fortnight has raised hopes at Richmond that he’ll deliver consistently and could be a match-winner in September.
"The important thing for Ty is to listen to his coaches and understand how much we value his performance and what we rate that on," Hardwick said.
"It is hard with social media and all these forms of expression that people have, but all we worry about is what we say in these four walls.
"We've always known what an important player he is for our side and we're starting to see the consistency in his performance."
One of the keys to Vickery's form has been his goalkicking accuracy, with 24.7 from 12 games this season.
Vickery, who kicked 23.10 last season and 27.19 in 2013, said his improved goalkicking was as simple as lifting his load at training and practising under pressure.
"Confidence comes from a lot of shots and I work closely with 'Choco' Williams – he tries to put pressure on like a game by yelling at me," Vickery said.
"It seems to work if you follow the technique and there's been a big focus, particularly the last couple of years, from our club.
WATCH: Damien Hardwick’s press conference from the ME Centre on Thursday
"If you only get two opportunities it's a lot better to kick two goals than two points."
There has been added motivation for Vickery to perform this year from teammates Ben Griffiths and Liam McBean, who have been hustling to break into the Richmond forward line.
Hardwick was pleased with a three-tall structure earlier in the season when Griffiths was fit, but recent games without the injured big man have seen the Tigers flourish with Vickery and Jack Riewoldt as sole tall targets.
Motivation could also flow knowing he is entering the final year of his contract in 2016 and interest in the 25-year-old has ballooned following his 10-goal fortnight.
An extension, however, is not likely to be signed until after the upcoming trade period.
"I'm really happy at the club and I'm out of contract in a long time, so there's a lot of water to go under the bridge before that comes out," he said.
"[An extension] depends on a few things. It depends on myself and the club, where they're at as a well.
"I just want to finish the year off really well for myself and the team and see how far we can go.
"But as I said I'm really happy at the club and love playing here and winning."
