Damien Patrick Hardwick (born 18 August 1972) is an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

coach and former player. He is the senior coach of the

Richmond Football Club The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers, is an Australian rules football team playing in the Australian Football League (AFL). Between its inception in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond in 1885 and 1907, the club competed in the Victo ...

in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling ...

(AFL) since 2010, and has the longest continuous service of any current AFL coach. His playing career as a defender comprised 153 games for

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington *Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport *Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United King ...

(1994–2001) and 54 games for

Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide city centre, Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is t ...

(2002–2004). He won premierships with each club, in 2000 and 2004 respectively. Hardwick was appointed head coach of Richmond at the end of the 2009 season, in which the club had placed second-last. Richmond returned to the finals in 2013, Hardwick's fourth season in charge, and in 2017 defeated

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

in the grand final to claim their first premiership since 1980. Hardwick coached Richmond to the 2017, 2019 and 2020 premierships and is the longest tenured coach in Richmond club history.

Early life

He attended St Joseph's College in

Ferntree Gully Ferntree Gully is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, at the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges, 30 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Knox local government area. Ferntree Gully re ...

. Hardwick was a key player in the school's football side, which was highly competitive against other private schools in the EIS sports program. In football, Hardwick was usually on the field for most of the game and known to be a tough, hard working, and versatile player who kept stability in play for his side. Although he was often outclassed by others on field, his all round abilities were vital to the side.

AFL playing career

Essendon

Beginning his AFL career with the

Essendon Football Club The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed the Bombers, is a professional Australian rules football club. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the game's premier competition. The club was formed by the McCracken family in their A ...

in 1994, Hardwick was known as a tough, solid defender. His aggressive nature sometimes got him into trouble at the

AFL Tribunal The AFL Tribunal is the disciplinary tribunal of the Australian Football League (AFL), an Australian rules football competition. The Tribunal regulates the conduct of players, umpires, and other officials associated with the AFL and its clubs. ...

. He was a crucial part of Essendon's 2000 premiership side.

Port Adelaide

He was traded from Essendon to the

Port Adelaide Football Club Port Adelaide Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, Alberton, South Australia. The club's senior men's team plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), where they are nicknamed ...

at the end of the 2001 season, and played with the side from 2002 until his retirement at the end of the 2004 season. He was part of Port's premiership win in 2004. In the 2004 Grand Final he won three free kicks at crucial times, including a reversal against

Jason Akermanis Jason Dean Akermanis (born 24 February 1977) is a former professional Australian rules football player who played in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is a Brownlow Medallist and triple premiership player who played for the Brisbane Bears ...

which cost the

Brisbane Lions The Brisbane Lions is a professional Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that plays in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was formed in late 1996 via a merger of the Melbourne-based 1883 foundation VFL c ...

a shot at goal.

AFL coaching career

Hawthorn Football Club assistant coach

In 2005, Hardwick began working as an assistant coach under senior coach

Alastair Clarkson Alastair Thomas Clarkson (born 27 April 1968) is an Australian rules football coach and former player who is currently the head coach of the North Melbourne Football Club. He was previously the head coach of the Hawthorn Football Club in the ...

Hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...

. In 2007, Hardwick was shortlisted for the senior coaching job at

Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. It is based in Melbourne, Victoria, and plays its home g ...

, however he was unsuccessful, with the position going to

Dean Bailey Dean Bailey (18 January 1967 – 11 March 2014) was an Australian rules football player and coach. He played for the Essendon Football Club and was the senior coach of the Melbourne Football Club, as well as an assistant coach at Essendon and P ...

. Following this application he was also shortlisted for the senior coaching job at Essendon Football Club to replace the outgoing Kevin Sheedy however he was overlooked in favour of former Richmond captain

Matthew Knights Matthew Knights (born 5 October 1970) is an Australian rules football coach and former player who is currently serving as an assistant coach with the Geelong Football Club. Knights played in the midfield for the Richmond Football Club from 19 ...

Richmond Football Club

On August 25, 2009, Hardwick received his first senior coaching job when he was appointed as the senior coach of

for three years. Hardwick replaced Richmond Football Club caretaker senior coach

Jade Rawlings Jade Rawlings (born 9 October 1977) is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the AFL with the Hawthorn, Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne Football Clubs. He served as the caretaker coach of the Richmond Football Club for 11 gam ...

, who replaced

Terry Wallace Terry Wallace (born 13 December 1958) is a former professional Australian rules football player and coach. As a player, his career spanned three VFL/AFL clubs; most notably Hawthorn where he played in three premierships. After one season with ...

, after Wallace resigned during the middle of the 2009 season, when the Tigers were struggling. In March 2012, Hardwick agreed to a two-year contract extension. On 11 December 2013, club president, Peggy O'Neal, announced that Hardwick had accepted a two-year contract extension that tied him to the club at least until the end of the 2016 season. In 2016, Hardwick agreed to a two-year contract extension to the end of the 2018 season. In 2017, Hardwick coached Richmond to their first premiership since 1980 and their 11th overall with a 48-point victory over the

Adelaide Crows The Adelaide Crows (officially the Adelaide Football Club) are a professional Australian rules football team based in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1990. The Crows has fielded a men's team in the Australian Football League (AFL) since ...

. In 2019, Hardwick coached Richmond to another premiership and their 12th overall. Richmond beat

GWS Giants The Greater Western Sydney Giants (officially the Greater Western Sydney Football Club and colloquially known as the GWS Giants or simply GWS) are a professional Australian rules football team based in Sydney Olympic Park, which represents the ...

by 89 points. In 2020, Hardwick coached Richmond to their third premiership in four years, and 13th overall. He also coached the

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

State of Origin A State of Origin competition is a type of sporting event between players representing their state or territory. State of Origin began in Australian rules football on 8 October 1977 between Western Australia (WA) and Victoria, at Subiaco Ov ...

side in the one-off 2020 State of Origin match that was played on 28 February 2020 at

Marvel Stadium Docklands Stadium, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Marvel Stadium, is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment stadium in the Docklands area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Construction started in October 1997 and w ...

. Hardwick's first season at Richmond as senior coach in the 2010 season did not begin well, with nine straight losses to start the season as well as a few disciplinary issues arising at the club. However, in round 10 the Tigers had a breakthrough win; defeating Port Adelaide by 47 points in extremely wet conditions in Adelaide. They also set a new record for the most tackles ever made in an AFL match (142) since records began in 1987, and kept Port Adelaide to their lowest ever score. The club went on to win five more games making a total of six in Hardwick's first season. They finished the season in 15th position. Richmond under Hardwick over the next 2 seasons continue to show improvement winning 8 games and a draw in the 2011 season, improving that to 10 wins and a draw in the 2012 season. In the 2013 season, Hardwick coached Richmond to its first finals series since

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...

, and only its third since 1982. defeated Richmond by 20 points in the elimination final after the Tigers led by 26 points at half-time, eliminating Richmond from the finals series. In the 2014 season, Hardwick's team started the year very poorly, having a win–loss record of 3–10 at one stage. But remarkably, the Tigers went on to win their last nine matches of the home and away season to just make it into the finals. Richmond were however beaten convincingly by Port Adelaide by 57 points in the Elimination Final, finishing the season in eighth place. Hardwick began the 2015 season under pressure to make amends for their past two failed Elimination Finals. It didn't start well, losing 4 out of the first 6 before recovering to finish the season in 5th place with 15 wins, same ladder position and win–loss record as 2013. Richmond came up against North Melbourne in the Elimination Final, but once again failed and Hardwick's team suffered their third consecutive first week finals exit. The 2016 season was not a successful year for Hardwick as the Tigers finished the season with just 8 wins from 22 games. The highlight was the round 8 win against the Sydney Swans when Sam Lloyd kicked a goal after the siren. They finished 13th on the premiership ladder, their worst ladder position in four seasons. Damien Hardwick 2017

In the 2017 season, Hardwick coached Richmond to their eleventh VFL/AFL premiership, defeating the Adelaide Crows by 48 points. After becoming the first coach in 37 years to guide to a Grand Final win in the

2017 AFL Grand Final The 2017 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Adelaide Football Club and the Richmond Football Club at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 30 September 2017. It was the 122nd annual AFL Grand Final, grand fina ...

, Hardwick was chosen as the AFLCA Coach of the Year. He joined a very small group to win three AFL premierships with three clubs as player and coach, ending Richmond's 37 Year drought in the process. In the 2018 season, Hardwick followed up his successful 2017 season by coaching Richmond to their first minor premiership since 1982 and to the finals. Richmond were however eliminated by eventual runners-up Collingwood by 39 points in the Preliminary Final. In the 2019 season, Hardwick became a two-time premiership coach, guiding Richmond to their second premiership in three years and twelfth overall with a resounding 89 point win over

in the

2019 AFL Grand Final The 2019 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Richmond Football Club and Greater Western Sydney Giants at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 28 September 2019. It was the 124th annual grand final of the Austra ...

. It was the third-highest margin of victory in a Grand Final. In the 2020 season, which was significantly affected by the

Covid-19 pandemic in Australia The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The first confirmed case in Australia was identified on 25 January ...

, Hardwick coached Richmond to their third premiership in four years and became a three-time premiership coach. Richmond finished third on the ladder at the end of the home-and-away season (with a record of 12 wins, 4 losses, and 1 draw). They lost to the

(10.9.69 to 8.6.54) in their qualifying final, defeated the

St Kilda Saints The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed the Saints, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier league. The club's name originates fr ...

(12.8.80 to 6.13.49) in their semi-final, and defeated

(6.10.46 to 6.4.40) in their preliminary final. They defeated the

Geelong Cats The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed the Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition, and are the 2022 ...

by 31 points (12.9.81 to 7.8.50) in the

Grand Final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. S ...

The Gabba The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as the Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. The nickname Gabba derives from the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located. Over the years, the Ga ...

– the first Grand Final to be played outside Victoria and the first night-time Grand Final. Hardwick was heavily featured in the

Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology ...

web-series Making Their Mark which documented the

2020 AFL season The 2020 AFL season was the 124th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior men's Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season feature ...

. Despite aiming to become the seventh team to win three consecutive premierships, the 2021 season was not a successful year for Hardwick as the Tigers finished the season with just 9 wins from 22 games. With a combination of multiple injured players and a lack of consistent form, Richmond finished 12th on the premiership ladder, their worst ladder position since 2016 and failed to make finals for the first time in five years.

Statistics

Playing statistics

: , - , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nels ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 39 , , 17 , , 6 , , 4 , , 176 , , 107 , , 283 , , 62 , , 29 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 10.4 , , 6.3 , , 16.6 , , 3.6 , , 1.7 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 39 , , 16 , , 2 , , 1 , , 123 , , 97 , , 220 , , 38 , , 31 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 7.7 , , 6.1 , , 13.8 , , 2.4 , , 1.9 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone o ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 39 , , 17 , , 1 , , 1 , , 170 , , 102 , , 272 , , 60 , , 22 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 10.0 , , 6.0 , , 16.0 , , 3.5 , , 1.3 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 39 , , 15 , , 3 , , 2 , , 177 , , 87 , , 264 , , 55 , , 26 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 11.8 , , 5.8 , , 17.6 , , 3.7 , , 1.7 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 11 , , 23 , , 0 , , 1 , , 325 , , 117 , , 442 , , 87 , , 43 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 14.1 , , 5.1 , , 19.2 , , 3.8 , , 1.9 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 11 , , 20 , , 0 , , 0 , , 246 , , 108 , , 354 , , 51 , , 32 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 12.3 , , 5.4 , , 17.7 , , 2.6 , , 1.6 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 11 , , 24 , , 0 , , 1 , , 270 , , 172 , , 442 , , 71 , , 55 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 11.3 , , 7.2 , , 18.4 , , 3.0 , , 2.3 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, style="text-align:center;", , 11 , , 21 , , 1 , , 0 , , 203 , , 155 , , 358 , , 72 , , 41 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 9.7 , , 7.4 , , 17.0 , , 3.4 , , 2.0 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 11 , , 20 , , 0 , , 1 , , 182 , , 121 , , 303 , , 58 , , 50 , , 0.0 , , 0.1 , , 9.1 , , 6.1 , , 15.2 , , 2.9 , , 2.5 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 11 , , 20 , , 0 , , 2 , , 154 , , 111 , , 265 , , 57 , , 42 , , 0.0 , , 0.1 , , 7.7 , , 5.6 , , 13.3 , , 2.9 , , 2.1 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 11 , , 14 , , 1 , , 0 , , 80 , , 86 , , 166 , , 34 , , 27 , , 0.1 , , 0.0 , , 5.7 , , 6.1 , , 11.9 , , 2.4 , , 1.9 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 207 ! 14 ! 13 ! 2106 ! 1263 ! 3369 ! 645 ! 398 ! 0.1 ! 0.1 ! 10.2 ! 6.1 ! 16.3 ! 3.1 ! 1.9

Coaching statistics

:''Statistics are correct to the end of the 2020 season'' , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal", 2010 , , 22 , , 6 , , 16 , , 0 , , 27.3% , , 15 , , 16 , - ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal", 2011 , , 22 , , 8 , , 13 , , 1 , , 38.6% , , 12 , , 17 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal", 2012 , , 22 , , 10 , , 11 , , 1 , , 47.7% , , 12 , , 18 , - ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal",

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, , 23 , , 15 , , 8 , , 0 , , 65.2% , , 5 , , 18 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal", 2014 , , 23 , , 12 , , 11 , , 0 , , 52.2% , , 8 , , 18 , - ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal", 2015 , , 23 , , 15 , , 8 , , 0 , , 65.2% , , 5 , , 18 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal", 2016 , , 22 , , 8 , , 14 , , 0 , , 36.4% , , 13 , , 18 , - ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal", 2017 , , 25 , , 18 , , 7 , , 0 , , 72.0% , , 3 , , 18 , - ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal", 2018 , , 24 , , 19 , , 5 , , 0 , , 79.2% , , 1 , , 18 , - ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal", 2019 , , 25 , , 19 , , 6 , , 0 , , 76.0% , , 3 , , 18 , - ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal",

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

, , 21 , , 15 , , 5 , , 1 , , 73.8% , , 3 , , 18 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=2, Career totals ! 252 ! 145 ! 104 ! 3 ! 58.1% ! colspan=2,

Honours and achievements

North Melbourne North Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne local government area. North Melbourne recorded a population of 14,953 at ...

Under-19s premiership player: 1990, 1991 *

best and fairest 1998 *

premiership player 2000 *

All-Australian The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-performed players during the season, led b ...

2000 *

International rules International rules football ( ga, Peil na rialacha idirnáisiunta; also known as international rules in Australia and compromise rules or Aussie rules in Ireland) is a team sport consisting of a hybrid of football codes, which was developed ...

series: 2000, 2001 *

premiership player 2004 *

premiership assistant coach 2008 * premiership coach: 2017, 2019, 2020 * Jock McHale Medal: 2017, 2019, 2020 *AFLCA Coach of the Year 2017

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hardwick, Damien 1972 births Living people Essendon Football Club players Essendon Football Club Premiership players Richmond Football Club coaches Richmond Football Club Premiership coaches Port Adelaide Football Club players Port Adelaide Football Club Premiership players Port Adelaide Football Club players (all competitions) All-Australians (AFL) Crichton Medal winners Australian rules footballers from Victoria (Australia) Australia international rules football team players All-Australian coaches Two-time VFL/AFL Premiership players Three-time VFL/AFL Premiership coaches