Page 13: Damien Hardwick scoop eludes footy reporter Tom Browne

Tom Browne sensed he was on to something when he got a tip about Damien Hardwick. So imagine how he felt when his rival Tom Morris broke the story.

Tom Browne got the tip Damien Hardwick was meeting his manager. Picture: Getty

The untold story of Damien Hardwick’s shock decision to walk away from Richmond is about the journo who almost had the biggest scoop of the year.

Tom Browne is one of the best in the business and last Wednesday — days before Richmond’s last minute loss to Essendon — Seven’s main football man sensed he was onto something.

He’d been tipped off that Hardwick was meeting with his manager, Melbourne’s Jerry Maguire, Paul Connors, at his favourite local cafe Miss Alex&Co in Elwood, so Browne quickly got a camera crew down there to get some shots.

Obviously a manager meeting his client happens regularly but Browne’s newshound nose sensed something was up.

Unfortunately he didn’t have enough meat on the bone to go to air with anything significant about Hardwick’s future.

Tom Browne (right) with father and Collingwood president Jeff Browne. Picture: Luis Enrique Ascui

So you can imagine how poor old Browne felt at 7pm on Monday night when Tom Morris went with the story on SEN.

There is nothing worse for a journo than when you have a sniff but don’t have enough to go with.

While Connors and Hardwick understandably denied to Browne they were talking about him quitting, what we’ve since learnt makes it more than likely it might have popped up in their deep discussions.

The Tigers coach revealed on Tuesday that he’d been thinking about walking away for a month, almost did it a couple of weeks ago after the Geelong victory but wanted to wait until after Saturday night’s Dreamtime Game against Essendon.

He didn’t officially notify anyone of his final decision until Sunday which was when Connors got a call and Tigers CEO Brendon Gale was invited around to his house for a couple of beers where he broke the news.

All of this would make Browne more and more frustrated but he was putting on a brave face at Hardwick’s farewell press conference, edging out his rival Tony Jones to ask the all important first question.