By Tallan Elkington
A bombshell has rocked the AFL world in the past 24 hours, with highly successful coach Damien Hardwick quitting his position of coach of the Richmond Tigers.
The reason supposedly is because Hardwick knew that there would be no last dance at the Tigers, a club which has seen three premierships during his coaching tenure which began back in 2010. Hardwick also went on to say that he could no longer give the team one hundred percent.
Hardwick had a contract with the club which ended at the end of the 2024 season, but Richmond have had a slow start to the season currently sitting 14th on the table, with many backing them to make finals at the start of the season. Hardwick knew from this, the time was up.
Hardwick was vocal in his exit interview, referencing the iconic Netflix series “The Last Dance”, a series about Michael Jordan and his final season on the famous Chicago Bulls team of the 1990’s which included Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Steve Kerr and Aussie Luc Longley. Hardwick suggested that the docuseries gave him false hope that the same story could unfold at Richmond, before realising that “part of the equation had started to slip away” which made him question what it was like to coach Richmond.
Hardwick also stated that coaching in the AFL is a “tough gig” but is thankful for the support that he was given throughout his coaching tenure. He described Richmond as the love of his life.
Hardwick has not shut the door on coaching, as he went on to say that he needs a break and decompress. Clubs who will be without a coach come seasons end are expected to pursue Hardwick.
Hardwick coached 307 games for the Tigers, more than any coach in their history.
Hardwick turned down the opportunity to coach his final game this Sunday when Richmond take on Port Adelaide and current assistant, Andrew McQualter, will be the interim coach until the club finds a successor.