Danielle breaks silence after Damien Hardwick’s new love revealed as younger Richmond staffer Alexandra Crow
Danielle Hardwick has spoken out for the first time since husband Damien’s new romance was made public, in a very telling social media post.
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Richmond premiership coach Damien Hardwick’s new relationship with a younger colleague is causing tension within the club, and the toll of his marriage split from wife Danielle is starting to be revealed.
Danielle, the mother of three, posted a telling meme to her private Instagram account on Tuesday after details of his new relationship became public.
Danielle’s post read: “F... every single person that took advantage of your kindness and mistook it for weakness.”
There were many supportive comments left on the post.
It was revealed by the Herald Sun that Tigers coach Hardwick is in a relationship with Alexandra Crow, a member of the club’s commercial sales team. The pair has been seen on holiday in Queensland and recently around Melbourne.
Crow was previously in a relationship with a Carlton executive and she has recently removed her social media pages.
Richmond says it has no concerns about the relationship under the club’s policy but it is believed that senior figures have raised concerns after it was confirmed last month that Hardwick split from wife Danielle.
Danielle Hardwick, who was often referred to affectionately as “Mrs Hardwick”, is a much-loved figure in Tigerland and spent Christmas morning with the family of Tigers captain Trent Cotchin.
Cotchin’s wife Brooke posted a picture of the Hardwick girls and called them “second fam” on social media. She also posted in support of Danielle on Tuesday night, with the words strength, courage, dignity on a picture of her son Parker being held by Danielle.
Sources say it also raised eyebrows when Hardwick’s new love interest quarantined via Darwin and then stayed on the Gold Coast in the lead-up to the Grand Final.
Reitred AFL star Nick Dal Santo said he believes the situation could impact the playing group.
“The simple answer is yes it could,’’ Dal Santo said on SEN radio on Tuesday.
“Text messages are already coming through saying goodbye to the Tiges, they’re done, that’s the end of their run.
“Clearly some conversation will be had, but I don’t know how that dynamic goes when it needs to go the other way (with the coach).
“This is a challenge there’s no doubt about that but the really great clubs and Tiges are one of the great clubs, always seem to find a way to deal with it when you have to and then go out and play excellent football.”
Some senior members of the club are believed to have raised concerns Hardwick’s relationship with Crow was similar to the relationships AFL executives Simon Lethlean and Richard Simkiss had with younger colleagues in 2017.
Both resigned after acknowledging that the relationships were inappropriate.
But other senior figures at the club have defended Hardwick, saying he had not had direct authority over his partner.
The issue is even believed to have been raised among members of the board, but Hardwick’s position isn’t understood to be under threat.
Richmond told the Herald Sun: “The club is aware that coach Damien Hardwick is currently in a relationship with a member of the club’s administration staff.
“The club has no concerns with this under club policy. Beyond this, it is a private matter and we ask that privacy be respected.”
Hardwick, the Tigers’ three-time premiership coach, has been granted leave until February after an intense season.
“I’m going to take a bit of a longer break this year over summer,” Hardwick told 3AW in October.
“It’s been a pretty full on three to four years and we’ve done a hell of a lot of work and had a lot of success along the way but sometimes you need to step back.
But he could cut short his planned extended break and return to Punt Road in time for Richmond’s first post-Christmas training session.
The Tigers were set to resume on Thursday, but football boss Tim Livingstone has made the call to delay an official return until next Monday, so the full group can train together.
“I’m very lucky that I’ve got some terrific assistants, and a couple of those guys will move on, but the coaching group and the people I have around me do a large amount of work and the reality is I sit at the top and manage those guys.”
Hardwick won premierships with the Tigers in 2017, 2019 and 2020 and has coached 252 games with the club.
It was a year of turmoil for many in the AFL, and Richmond faced some off-field issues in the Queensland hub.
Hardwick had often discussed his wife Danielle and her influence. He credited her with the stunning selection of Marlion Pickett, who played his first game in the 2019 grand final.
“I must admit, she was pushing Marlion harder than anyone,’’ he said after the win.
“She goes, ‘You’ve just got to play him, he’s too good’. She was in the VFL coaches’ box watching me and she kept smiling at me looking at him as he was playing. She’s been a terrific supporter of mine and behind every man is a great woman and I’m very fortunate.”
Originally published as Danielle breaks silence after Damien Hardwick’s new love revealed as younger Richmond staffer Alexandra Crow
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