Damien Hardwick thanks ex-wife Danielle and new partner Alex Crow as he quits Richmond Tigers

It is official. Through a veil of tears and a flurry of “I love you,” Damien Hardwick has officially ended his highly successful tenure as coach of the Richmond Tigers footy club.

Hardwick will be remembered as a modern day champion coach in the AFL, a three-time premiership winner and the architect who transformed Richmond from the joke of the league to the benchmark.

But eventually he admits that it all became a bit too much to handle.

With the Tigers languishing in 13th place on the AFL ladder and the decision to step down next season already made, Hardwick said it was time to tie the knot to give the club every chance to lift itself up. for a bright future.

Flanked by club officials, he swallowed back tears and thanked all players, fans and stakeholders at the club.

He reserved a special mention for his family, which includes ex-wife Danielle – and his new love, Alexandra Crow, with both women present for the announcement.

“Daniel and the kids, I’m eternally grateful for what you’ve given me, the support you’ve given me,” he said.

“And Alex, thank you for the new journey, and of course your support has been phenomenal over the past few months.”

Hardwick was full of love and appreciation for the people who had been part of his journey with the Richmond Tigers

“It’s a tough job as an AFL senior coach, but the support I’ve received from the majority of people has been absolutely outstanding and will forever go down in the books as one of the great things I’ve ever been in,” he said .

“I’ve been lucky enough to have been in a lot of football clubs, but Richmond football club has been by far the love of my life.

‘I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

“For the AFL, it’s an excellent industry we’re in. The game itself is in great shape, it’s so even, it’s so challenging and I think that’s how we want it to be.

“It all got a bit too much. I kind of made the decision that I wouldn’t coach Richmond next year.”

The Tigers’ Hardwick and Trent Cotchin pose with the 2019 premiership trophy, one of three trophies they would win in a golden era for the club

Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the Chicago Bulls all but convinced Hardwick to stay on, but his decision was made

Hardwick has nurtured a championship team and a team of champions, including all-time greats such as Dustin Martin

Michael Jordan almost had a part to play in keeping Hardwick with the Tigers, with the documentary series about the great Chicago Bulls side The Last Dance almost motivating the Tigers coach to fight on.

But he said once the doubt set in, it was time to give it away.

“I made the fatal mistake of watching The Last Dance on Fox at one point and thinking what could have been.

“But once I decided that part of the equation had slipped away, I started questioning myself.

“As soon as I started asking the question more, I started to understand what the answer would be.

“The best thing for myself was to step aside. If I couldn’t give 100 percent, I could never coach this football club.

It gives the club the best chance of finding the next coach and I wish Andrew and the assistants all the best.

“But if I couldn’t give this playing group, this club, these people besides me the very best of Damien Hardwick, I wasn’t willing to find out.

“It was a difficult decision, but I am eternally grateful for it.

“From the bottom of my heart guys I wish you all the best, I’m going to miss you guys, as always I love you to death and all the people who have supported me and been a part of my journey, I thank you guys, I cheer you on and I wish you all the best.

“I’ll manage.”

Hardwick is the longest-serving coach in Richmond history and will go down in history alongside Tom Hafey as one of the club’s all-time greatests, having led the Tigers to the premiership in 2017, 2019 and 2020.

There will be speculation over Hardwick’s future and whether – and when – he could coach at another club again next year or beyond.

Richmond will also move quickly to assess the coaching market, with assistant coach Andrew McQualter likely to take the reins on an interim basis.

Port Adelaide’s Ken Hinkley is out of contract at the end of this season, West Coast’s Adam Simpson is under mounting pressure after a horror run and Stuart Dew can barely afford another year without action in September at Gold Coast.

There is also a cloud over North Melbourne, with Alastair Clarkson on indefinite leave from the club.

Hinkley, who rejected overtures from Essendon the previous year, was runner-up to Hardwick for the Richmond track at the end of 2009 before winning the Power role ahead of the 2013 season.

Hinkley and Port Adelaide have repeatedly stated that they have postponed contract talks until at least August, although that could now change.

The Power are keen to sign the 56-year-old after seven successive victories that have seen the club rocket into the fight for the premiership.

There could be a coaching roundabout in 2024 with Ken Hinkley out of contract with the Port Adelaide Power

Adam Simpson is also out of contract with the embattled West Coast Eagles and they could decide to go in a different direction

Alastair Clarkson is on indefinite leave from the North Melbourne Kangaroos and cannot guarantee his return

McQualter is tipped to lead for Richmond’s clash with Port Adelaide on Sunday at the MCG.

Former senior coaches David Teague and Ben Rutten are also part of the Tigers’ panel of assistants and could take over if needed.

Collingwood coach Craig McRae said he was ‘appalled’ by Hardwick’s decision to quit when the news broke on Monday evening.

McRae worked as an assistant under Hardwick during the 2017-2020 glory years and said his former mentor coached with “courage” in a job that crushes people.

‘You get tired. You have to find energy sources,” McRae told Fox Footy.

“You are constantly looking for the right balance to find the right energy for your playgroup.

“You find the energy for your players and then you come home exhausted. Your wife and family want you to find energy too.’

Former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley, who resigned midway through the 2021 season, questioned whether Hardwick had lost the appetite to continue as Richmond slipped out of contention for the premiership.

The Tigers have won three and drawn one of ten games this season, having not won a final since the 2020 premiership.

“This could be a sign that he doesn’t feel like he has the energy to put in, that he’s not that hungry,” Buckley told Fox Footy.

“Maybe it’s just a one or two percent off. Only he would know exactly what it is. He’s the only one who knows how he feels inside.’