“It’s just a crock”: The ex-coach’s testimony that proves Yze is saying all the right things

Richmond coach Adem Yze has refused to declare his side is in a rebuild – a move praised by Nathan Buckley.

Collingwood champion and ex-coach Buckley says the word ‘rebuild’ in football is “nonsense”, explaining there is a disconnect between the media and footy circles on that prospect.

The Tigers will have barely 26 players fit when they take on Essendon this Saturday in the annual Dreamtime at the ‘G clash and are coming off a 119-point to Brisbane last week.

Yze told reporters post-game that the Tigers can rebound quickly when the troops return.

“We're just struggling with personnel right now, with some talent out of the team, but that will hold us in good stead,” he said.

“Some of our younger players are getting opportunities, so when we do get some troops back, that'll be the silver lining.

“It wasn't too long ago this footy club lost by 120 points in 2016 in the last game, then bounced back to win a flag in 2017.

“There are some hard times we're going to have to deal with, and right now we're going through them, but we're going to work hard and try to bounce back as quick as we can and get back to where we know we should be.”

Kane Cornes has led the criticism of that press conference, labelling Yze “delusional” for thinking his entire list can be competitive.

But Buckley came to the defence of the first-year coach, detailing how and why Yze is saying all the right things.

“It’s just a crock,” Buckley told SEN’s Whateley on the concepts of rebuilds.

“And what do you do when you declare a rebuild, what is the next step when someone says we’re rebuilding?

“Say you’re in Round 10, what do you do in the next 10 months? It’s a nonsense, and it’s something the media is absolutely caught up on, that they want someone from an organization to say that word, rebuild.

“Philosophically, I think there is a disconnect between the media and maybe people around the football environment that pick up media narratives around a club admitting they need to rebuild.

“Every club in some form or some shape is rebuilding, regenerating, rewiring, restumping… sometimes a tree falls on the top of the house and you realise you’ve got termites and you realise you’ve got more work to do than you thought you needed to four or five rounds earlier, and that’s what injury could do.

“When you look at Richmond’s injury list and you consider they’ve played 39 players through the first 10 rounds and only have had five players play every game, it is difficult to assess their list.”

Yze’s Tigers have won just one of their opening 10 games, ironically against ladder leaders Sydney in Round 3.

The Bombers won the last edition of Dreamtime in a dramatic thriller, in the process breaking a Richmond stranglehold on the annual contest that stretched back to 2014.