Richmond coach Damien Hardwick hopes Alastair Clarkson isn’t lost to the game

As the AFL world continues to reel from Alastair Clarkson’s decision to step away, his colleagues have rallied around him.

Football will be “worse off” if Alastair Clarkson does not return to the game according to Richmond coach and long-time friend Damien Hardwick

Hardwick said Clarkson, who was his mentor during his five years as an assistant coach at Hawthorn, was struggling with the “cloud hanging over him” and called for his privacy to be respected while he was away from football.

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He said he thought the North Melbourne coach would return to the AFL in the future.

“It’s always sad when you see someone that you love walk away from the game,” Hardwick said.

“I don‘t think he’ll be lost to the game, the game will be worse off if he’s out of it.

“What I do hope is that, you know, this is the only thing I’ll say on it, everyone just gives him the privacy and the time that he needs.”

Damien Hardwick (left) and Alastair Clarkson as opposing coaches. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Hardwick said few people would be able to cope under the strain of coaching an AFL team while dealing with the serious allegations under investigation by the independent panel.

“The game is hard enough as it is, especially with this cloud hanging over him at the moment,” he said.

“And he unfortunately has been the face of it. I challenge any person to handle the workload and then the nature of that report and what is hanging over his head for eight months.

“It’s a challenging time, so let’s just step back, give him the time that he needs, and I and probably every other footy person in the industry want him back ASAP.”