Is Damien Hardwick the coach of the year?By SEN
23 Aug 2018Two-time Adelaide premiership coach Malcolm Blight believes Damien Hardwick should be awarded the coach of the year for 2018.
Hardwick has guided Richmond to the minor premiership this year after breaking a 37-year flag drought for the yellow and black in 2017.
For his efforts, the 46-year-old was awarded the AFLCA Coach of the Year last year and according to Blight, Hardwick has seen his team maintain an even higher level as the hunted, which should result in another individual accolade.
“Damien Hardwick is still top of the pile as far as I’m concerned,” Blight said on SEN Mornings.
“They always get underrated, premiership coaches.
“Adam Simpson has done a marvellous job and Nathan Buckley would be third.
“Simon Goodwin in fourth, Alastair Clarkson has done a marvellous job again with Hawthorn.
“The other one is Brad Scott at North Melbourne.
“The coach of the year is the premiership coach, which I agree with."
Asked if Hardwick has produced an even better job in 2018, even after guiding the Tigers to the flag, Blight said: “I think so, because they’ve performed better.
“They’ve been the target and that’s one of the real reasons why.
“Their injury run hasn’t been too bad, they’ve been lucky there, but you are targeted.
“The biggest scalp you can get the following year is to take the premiers so I reckon every team comes a fraction harder at you because it is a scalp.
“It’s great for your fans, it’s great for your players, it’s great for all the staff inside.
“If you beat the premiers from last year, that is a notch on the belt, so it’s actually even harder to stay there.
“All the other guys have done a great job but my vote would be for Damien Hardwick.”
Richmond will round off their successful home-and-away season when they tackle the Western Bulldogs at MCG on Saturday afternoon.
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2018/08/23/is-damien-hardwick-the-coach-of-the-year/
