‘Step back in’: Damien Hardwick makes big call on coaching return
Former Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has hinted at what his future in the AFL might look like amid rabid contract speculation.
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It may only have been a few weeks, but it’s been long enough for Damien Hardwick.
The former Richmond coach has declared he “misses” coaching, and would “be lying if I said I couldn’t see myself doing it (again)”.
Hardwick has kept a relatively low profile since quitting the Richmond job in a shock resignation earlier this year, but has publicly kept in touch with the game.
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Now the triple-premiership coach has made a big call on his future in the game, telling Dylan Buckley on the Dyl and Friends podcast that it has been “challenging” without the routine of professional football.
“It’s been a little bit challenging learning how to relax, umm, and I think it’s something I’ve become better at, but also I need to find out what my next purpose is about moving forward and getting my teeth to stuck into something, otherwise I will drive myself insane,” Hardwick said.
Asked about where he was at personally in terms of a return to coaching, Hardwick said he missed the game and needed time before he returned.
“I’d be lying if I said I couldn’t see myself doing it,” he said.
“I love it. I miss it. I’ve been out for two weeks and I wanted to miss it.
“I need a bit of time but I just love the game … Like everyone, I’ve known it for a long time.
“At some stage I will probably step back in, when that is, I’m not too sure.”
It comes amid rabid speculation as to Hardwick’s next move, with the champion coach linked to various clubs, in particular Port Adelaide, who have failed to convert five finals appearances and a minor premiership into a Grand Final appearance under Ken Hinkley.
Earlier this year, Fox Footy’s David King said he thought Hardwick would be coaching Port Adelaide next year, the club he won a premiership with in 2004 as a player.
“I think he’ll be coaching Port Adelaide next year, personally,” King told SEN Breakfast last month.
“I think that’s a good thing for footy because the way he coaches is what we want to see.
“It’s highlights, it’s free-flowing footy, it’s aggression.
“He needs a break and they (Richmond) have been great for him.”
Port Adelaide chairman David Koch has refused to quell speculation that Hinkley is under pressure to deliver a flag or lose his job, with remarks in October last year that the organisation need to “turn it around or watch out”.
Hinkley himself applied for the Richmond role in 2009 after the departure of Terry Wallace in 2009, and lost out to Hardwick.
With Richmond again under a caretaker coach in Andrew McQualter, 7 News football reporter Tom Brown suggested to Koch on-air that Richmond were “duty-bound” to contact the out-of-contract Hinkley as one of the most experienced coaches in the league.
Koch explained Port Adelaide’s decision to delay contract negotiations with Hinkley as a deliberate one to allow both parties to focus on the 2023 season.
“Don’t forget this. He agreed to it because we wanted no distractions this year for our football group achieving the most success they possibly can,” Koch said.
“I’m pretty happy with how that strategy is going.
“Ken and I both agreed before the start of the season started so we stick to the plan.”
Port Adelaide would not necessarily be the only suitors for a potentially returning Hardwick, with possible vacancies also cropping up at West Coast, Gold Coast, North Melbourne, Brisbane and Carlton.
Originally published as ‘Step back in’: Damien Hardwick makes big call on coaching return
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