In a ‘Roar Vision’ exclusive, Justin Leppitsch opens up about recently rejoining Richmond as an assistant coach following his stint as Brisbane’s senior coach and discusses how the Tigers are shaping up for season 2017.
Returning to Punt Road
“It feels good. It was a big strange walking back into the reception on day one, there’s no doubt, but since then it’s been a bit like time just stood still for three years at the footy club.”
A different Tigerland
“There’ve been a lot of changes . . . probably half the staff is different. Footy moves pretty quickly. With the young players, I only know two of the current group of guys who are training now, so there’s a fair few names to get used to. And I guess just some of the building itself has changed. A bit of renovation’s gone on every year, which is good.”
Coaching and development structure
Lessons learned as a senior AFL coach
“It probably gave me a greater awareness of footy clubs and the footy industry, which is really important . . . I think I can use that to not only support ‘Dimma’ (senior coach Damien Hardwick) really well, but support the footy club and the players going through difficult situations. It’s a high-pressure environment, AFL . . . we’ve got to make sure that we keep a really calm, focus inside our walls, so our players can actually be nice and relaxed when they got out and play.”
New role at Richmond
“I’ll be coaching the forwards with Jack (Riewoldt) and co. There’s not many forwards – most of them are midfielders nowadays, or they all want to be midfielders. So I’ve got a group of 11 at the moment that I’ll be coaching. I’ll also be doing a little bit of development work with our defensive stuff . . . tackling and body positioning. So that’s my couple of focuses at the football club.”
Excited by the Tigers’ prospects
“I think our players don’t realise that this is a pretty good group . . . We’ve got a high ceiling. Only 12 months ago, we were in a finals campaign . . . three in-a-row. And the team hasn’t really changed a great deal. It’s got a little bit younger, and with inexperience sometimes comes inconsistency. But we understand that. The actual talent within the group is really good. The sky’s the limit for the team.”
Working alongside Craig McRae
“We share an office, which is a worry. We’re pretty close, obviously from our time playing together, and have always been really close mates. So sharing an office is going to be exciting. I’m sure it’s going to be a bit of the crazy office . . . He’s a terrific guy and a terrific coach. And he’s done some great things with the (Richmond) reserves this year.”
Forward plans
“I’m sure with our depth of midfield now, with (Josh) Caddy and (Dion) Prestia coming in, there’s going to be that extra mid down there, as part of our rotation going forward. Let’s hope it’s ‘Dusty’ (Dustin Martin) a bit more . . .”
