How a 7pm text to Richmond staff rocked the footy world: Damien Hardwick bomb dropped just as Tigers star was on TV speaking of team’s chances of making final
- Damien Hardwick was on the verge of stepping down as Richmond head coach
- Three-time premiership winner said to be ‘burnt out’
- It is expected that Tigers players and staff will be notified on Tuesday
- Taken over in Punt Rd in 2010, famous for ‘kamikaze’ style
A text message at 7pm on Monday night shook Richmond staff when they learned that three-time Premiership winning coach Damien Hardwick would be leaving the club in one of the biggest shocks the football world has had in years.
The development unfolded on Monday night when Tigers defender Nathan Broad declared ‘our window is definitely open’ on Fox Footy’s On The Couch program and said he was confident his team would play finals this year.
Despite Broad’s pugnacious words, finishing in the top eight already looks unlikely, with Richmond sitting 14th on the AFL ladder after just three wins in 10 games.
A text message at 7pm on Monday night delivered a bombshell for Richmond staff when they learned that three-time premiership winning coach Damien Hardwick would be stepping down
The development unfolded on Monday night – at the same time Tigers defender Nathan Broad (pictured) declared on Fox Footy ‘our window is definitely open’
Hardwick is the longest-serving coach in Richmond history after taking over in 2010.
He was in charge of his 307th game on Saturday, a one-point loss to Essendon in the annual Dreamtime Game.
Hardwick was also famous for leading the once ‘basketcase’ club to flags in 2017, 2019 and 2020.
Collingwood coach Craig McRae offered some insight into the pressures of the track just after hearing the news.
‘I’m not going to lie to you. It’s brutal,” he said on Fox Footy.
‘You get tired. You have to find energy sources. You are constantly trying to find the right balance to find the right energy to get to your playgroup.
“You find the energy for your players and then you come home exhausted and your wife and family want you to find energy too.
‘This is a tough job, you have to find the balance. And he did it for a long time.’
Tigers assistant coach Andrew McQualter is expected to be announced as Richmond’s interim coach for the remainder of the season.