Why not Hardwick?
Just my opinion but I think he is going to be a career assistant - very much the Harvey's about him.
Hardwick has been involved in too many premierships/success as both a player and in coaching to be a career assistant. Harvey may have been an assistant coach for Essendon's 2000 Premiership, but he'd only been out of the game for 2 years and hadn't ever left the club. Since 2001 he's had pretty mediocre results at both teams he's been involved with.
Hardwick left the game in 2004 winning a 2nd flag with Port, went straight to Hawthorn as an assistant coach in 2005 and won another flag as an assistant coach last year. Can't see the similarities, sorry. Not saying he's a guaranteed success, but he ticks all the boxes.
Not saying he is the same - just that he reminds me of Harvey - good hard player at a successful club under the same coach and spending extensive time as an assistant coach at a successful club. Sometimes the relationship can blur the reality - being an assistant at a successful club doesn't guarantee success as a senior coach but it can imply that. Personally I am of the school of thought that you shouldn't spend too much time as an assistant - I prefer a coach that comes in relatively unexposed to too many superior/subordinate coaching influences but hey, just my opinion.
And if I had to pick someone to replace Wallace? 1. Buckley 2. Buckley 3. Buckley
Hardwick didn't start his coaching career at a successful club, he started at Hawthorn in 2005 coming off 15th spot on the ladder just above us. During his time there they've been 14th, 11th, 6th, 1st.
I wouldn't consider 4 years as an assistant that long and I expect him to be a senior coach somewhere next year.
Harvey was an assistant for 10 years before he got the Freo spot and his history prior to the promotion was an assistant for teams that came, 15th, 11th, 3rd, 13th, which is not very good.[
Would be happy with Buckley as a candidate, but would he be happy with us and would he be just using us as a stepping stone back to Collingwood?