Damien Hardwick quits as Richmond coach: Follow all the latest news from Punt Road
Damien Hardwick is eager to recharge his batteries, but he is certain to entertain rival coaching offers. And a former coach believes he would be a perfect fit at a club outside Victoria.
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Former Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna says Damien Hardwick would be a perfect fit to help the Suns retain their talented list as the premiership coach recharges his batteries before a new coaching adventure.
Hardwick walked away from Punt Road after three premierships as he told chief executive Brendon Gale “the tank is empty” after 13 and a half seasons in charge.
The Tigers coach declined a farewell game or even a lap of honour as he was met with a hail of plaudits for his role changing the face of modern Richmond.
Hardwick is prepared to walk away from the remaining $1.5 million of his contract he would have received if he had coached through to the end of 2024.
The club and his management will hold talks over the remaining portion of his contract for the second half of this season and, while Hardwick is happy not to be paid, it is expected a sum will be negotiated.
While he was contracted for 2024, he had always told Gale he would know when it was time to walk away regardless of that deal.
Hardwick is certain to consider rival coaching opportunities although those close to him wonder whether he will take a full season out of the game before a new senior coaching opportunity.
But asked about his future plans Hardwick refused to look further than sitting on the couch with his kids watching Richmond this week but clearly will consider future opportunities.
“The biggest thing on my plate at the moment is just to decompress and let it all go,” he said.
“Speaking to some of the players Dustin (Martin) suggested I go to Ibiza and and Bakes (Liam Baker) suggested I go to Lake Grace so it’s somewhere in between,” he said.
“I’m just looking forward to a break. It’s been an incredible journey for 13 or 14 years, but it is very, very consuming. And, you know, the job of AFL coaches is very, very tough. Don’t get me wrong, I love it to death.
“But the fact of the matter is, I just need a break. At the moment. I’m looking forward to that.”
But Gold Coast shapes as a natural fit for Hardwick and partner Alex out of the Melbourne fishbowl, with the AFL potentially able to hand him a hefty ambassadorial bonus.
Alastair Clarkson was aware if he moved to the Suns last year they were the only club of his available options which could have had an AFL-paid figure outside of the football department cap.
Dew is contracted for 2025 but with the Suns an assisted club is understood to have a payout figure in his contract.
Gold Coast chief executive Mark Evans said on Tuesday “Stuey is our coach” as he urged the Suns to concentrate on finishing the season with a finals berth.
But McKenna told the Herald Sun if Dew did move on, Hardwick would be the ideal man to help a club that has lost so many stars with player retention even if he couldn’t guarantee success.
“He comes with credibility. He still needs a good list because look at Clarko this year with North Melbourne. But it certainly has to help. It would help their brand and it would help the off-field stuff, with getting coaches to work up there.
“He is a premiership coach and you are dealing with managers who want to take their players away and it helps if you have a coach who has had some success.
“To have a premiership coach come in and round them off would be attractive but he did say he is burnt out, so who knows how long it would take for him to fill up his tank.
“The biggest factor is keeping players there. If you throw up five things that would help having him there, that is 60 per cent of it.”
Evans declined on Tuesday to guarantee Dew’s tenure through to 2024 but the 4-6 Suns still have their finals destiny in their own hands.
“It’s been a strange time in footy to have the news on Alastair (Clarkson) and for Damien to conclude at Richmond this week,” Evans said.
“What I know is that we were in this same position last year, where the external commentary is that we will need to change a coach.
“What we were terrific at doing last year is focusing really hard on our performance.
“And my advice to every single person connected to the Suns is that it is shoulder to the wheel. Stuey is our coach and we are getting behind that and we are going to get those wins over the next month or two months and set up a really promising finish to the season.”
‘Dusty suggested I go to Ibiza’: Dimma explains bombshell call
An emotional Damien Hardwick has explained his decision to walk away from Richmond.
Hardwick told the playing group on Tuesday morning in what he revealed was one of the most difficult things he had ever had to do.
“It was tough before, it’s tougher now,” he said, choking up.
“I spoke to you before about how much I loved being your coach and how proud I am of you.
“(To the core four from the start) Jack (Riewoldt), Trent (Cotchin), Dylan (Grimes) and Dustin (Martin)... you all mean the world to me. I’ve enjoyed every aspect of being your coach ... to my family, it’s been a hell of a journey and my kids have had half their life as Richmond people.”
Hardwick also said watching The Last Dance, a Netflix documentary that recounted Michael Jordan’s decision to walk away from basketball, had influenced his decision.
He thanked his ex-wife Danielle and new partner Alex “for the new journey” and her support.
“If I couldn’t give 100 per cent (I didn’t want to do it),” he said, telling players “I’m going to miss you”.
A relaxed-looking Hardwick joined president John O’Rourke and club chief executive Brendon Gale.
Hardwick, who is in his 14th season as Richmond coach, said “it’s been an incredible ride” but that he had lost the spark to coach.
He said “losses become harder” and that he had had an inkling that this could be his last season when he pondered his situation over summer.
He said a fortnight ago, it had become apparent.
“I’d rather leave too early than too late,” he said.
“I want to make sure I leave loving the game, not resenting the game.”
He said he came to the club seeking silverware, “but I walk away knowing how great the journey was”.
Gale said he had sensed the frustration within the coach as the season played out as it has.
He thanked the club for more than a decade of partnership.
“It’s coming to an end but I couldn’t have wished to have a better place to have my journey as a senior coach,” he said.
“It was one of the more tough conversations that I’ve had to do.
“The way this club supported me, gave me every resource possible, gave me the best people possible, it’s a testament to what we have created.
“(Gale) started a couple of days prior to me but he’s been enormous in my journey.”
Hardwick also thanked club presidents including Peggy O’Neal.
O’Rourke paid tribute to the club’s longest-serving coach.
“Our club was coming from a long way behind back in 2010 when he, along with (Gale) set about the restoration of Richmond as a powerhouse club, on and off the field,” the president said.
“History was created on his watch and for that we will be forever indebted.
“He’ll be remembered for premierships, but he has given our club so much more.
“He’s taught us about genuine care, connection, and the power of storytelling
“He loved his players, and his players loved him.”
O’Rourke said the decision had come as a surprise, but the board respected it.
“It really is a measure of the man that he’s made this decision in what he sees as the best thing for the football club,” he said.
“He will always be revered as a Richmond man.”
He said Dreamtime at the ‘G proved a fitting farewell with key players being on the field, albeit being a loss.
“It hasn’t soured my journey any more,” he said.
“It was just time. Time for a different voice. I’ve pushed every button I can.
“I’ve tried to cook the sausage 1000 different ways and I couldn’t find 1001.
“(The playing group is) still very, very capable of doing what they need to do.”
He was bullish on the team’s list as assistant Andrew McQualter prepares to take the reins as interim coach.
“Whichever coach takes over is going to be in a very, very good place,” Hardwick said.
As for what is next, he laughed that suggestions have been varied from the playing group.
“The biggest thing on my plate at the moment is to decompress,” Hardwick said.
“Speaking to some of the players, Dustin suggested I go to Ibiza, and Bakes (Liam Baker) suggested I go to Lake Grace. It’s somewhere in between where I’ll find myself. I am looking forward to a break.
“The job of an AFL senior coach is very, very tough. Don’t get me wrong - I loved it. But I’m looking forward to a break.”
Hardwick began contacting club staff and players on Monday afternoon to share the news with them, prompting a range of responses.
“I rang the great Jack Riewoldt and I said ‘mate are you available to catch up’,” he said.
“And of course Jack made it all about him (and his playing future).
“I said ‘no mate, this isn’t about you for once in your life’. He’ll be embarrassed about that, but it sums up Jack, to be fair.”
The 50-year-old also opened up on the taxing nature of the job.
“It’s incredibly hard. But it’s also rewarding at the same time.
“It’s like a grieving period, after every loss. I’ve gotten a lot better
“You go into this cave ... you’re trying to get out.
“Me and my great mate Alastair Clarkson would joke about it ... ‘are you out of that cave yet?’.
“There are times where you feel yourself going into that dark place where you don’t need to go.
“You learn more about yourself when things aren’t going well.
“That’s the one thing I’ll say about this club. The care, the love that John and Brendon have and the paying group have ... there’s not a better place to be when things aren’t going well than a footy club.”
Originally published as Damien Hardwick quits as Richmond coach: Follow all the latest news from Punt Road
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