Damien Hardwick: Gold Coast chief executive Mark Evans leaves Italy without coach signed

Gold Coast chiefs have left Italy — without a signed contract from Damien Hardwick. MARK ROBINSON takes you inside the talks and provides the latest update on the triple premiership coach’s future.

Jack Riewoldt and Damien Hardwick share a laugh.

Gold Coast’s top officials have returned from Italy without Damien Hardwick’s signature, but confidence is supreme the triple premiership coach will be at the helm in 2024.

Suns chief executive Mark Evans and chairman Bob East met Hardwick across 48 hours.

They flew out Monday night and arrived home Friday.

It’s believed a contract offer wasn’t put to the former Richmond coach despite speculation the Suns had a five-year agreement in their luggage ready to be signed.

Talks will now ramp up with Hardwick’s manager Paul Connors.

Evans told the Herald Sun on Friday night: “It’s obviously an important decision for us and we thought it best to meet him in person.

“The board has endorsed a set of criteria for candidate assessment and we will need to go back to the board before we progress any further.”

Damien Hardwick is yet to sign to become Gold Coast coach. Picture: Michael Dodge/Getty Images.

He chose not to comment when asked if there were any other candidates for the position.

The Hardwick development comes on the day Tigers chief executive Brendon Gale confirmed he would not be joining the AFL in 2024.

Gale was earmarked for a senior position at headquarters under new chief executive Andrew Dillon, but now looms as potential boss of the new Tasmanian franchise.

Gale’s decision to knock back the role as the league’s second-in-charge will leave the league scrambling for replacements to support Dillon.

Gale had been the preferred candidate for a new AFL super portfolio but confirmed on Friday he would remain at Richmond on a day when fixture boss Travis Auld left the league for his new role at the Australian Grand Prix.

The league had been hopeful Gale would take up a role as Dillon’s effective deputy, taking on a key role that could have included the implementation of Tasmania’s new side.

Sydney’s Tom Harley is another potential candidate but Fremantle chief executive Simon Garlick has repeatedly stated he will remain with the Dockers for the long term.

The league will have lost CEO Gill McLachlan, Auld and AFL administrator Sam Graham within months as Dillon vacates his own role as legal counsel and executive general manager of football.

Laura Kane is the acting executive general manager of footy and could retain that role but the league also needs to fill Brad Scott’s vacant general manager of football role.

Originally published as Damien Hardwick: Gold Coast chief executive Mark Evans leaves Italy without coach signed