DAMIEN Hardwick hasn't given up on Richmond's finals aspirations but he concedes the Tigers find themselves in "the biggest hole" of his tenure.
The Tigers slumped to a third loss from their first four games of 2014 with a 38-point loss to Collingwood on Friday night at the MCG.
Over the past five years, only two sides have recovered from a 1-3 start to the season.
Carlton did so last year after Essendon's suspension from the finals series following the Bombers' supplements scandal, while Hawthorn scraped into the top eight after a 1-6 start to the 2010 season.
"I think it's the biggest hole we've been in," Hardwick said after the match.
"I think the character of us as a football side will be on show for the next month. We've got a long way to go and it was a really disappointing effort tonight."
The next month is set to be season-defining for the Tigers, who have a six-day break before playing the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba next Friday night, and then face reigning premier Hawthorn and Geelong.
But Hardwick wasn't willing to concede his side's season could practically be over within a month.
"I'll just be worried about the four points versus Brisbane," he said.
"We're playing on their dunghill so the season's still alive, it's going to be a very close competition this year.
"It's probably the way we want it (a tough draw), to be honest. To get your best performance, you've got to the set the bar high and to play against the best is where we want to be.
"We've got to address few things, get better and move on."
Richmond captain Trent Cotchin had a tough night at the office, managing just 13 disposals after being well held by Collingwood tagger Brent Macaffer.
Macaffer drew some criticism for his close-checking tactics, which were described by former Carlton coach David Parkin on ABC radio as "illegal", but Hardwick refused to be drawn on the issue.
"It's probably your guys' job to look at that one," he said.
"He's a better man than I am, put it that way, Cotch. There are some people out there that do give the protection.
"At the end of the day, I'll be showing my players that's how you tag. [Macaffer] did an outstanding job.
"I thought [Cotchin] tried his backside off. We had players try and help but Macaffer … he did a very good job. He kept him to 13 touches, that doesn’t happen very often."
When asked if he was referring to Cotchin's teammates or the umpires when it came to the "people" supposed to be providing protection against taggers, Hardwick was once again coy.
"Don't get me in trouble," Hardwick warned.
"I'll leave that one to your imagination."
Richmond will fly to Brisbane on Wednesday leaving very little time on the training track for Hardwick to try and restore his team's confidence.
Midfielder Daniel Jackson could be in doubt after experiencing hip soreness but Hardwick was unsure of the full extent of his injury.
