Long wait to the top Michelangelo Rucci
Herald Sun
May 09, 2010 DAMIEN Hardwick has never seemed the type to shirk any challenge. His reputation as a hard nut at Essendon and Port Adelaide was built on never flinching, never taking the easy option.
But it's Richmond, the self-devouring Tigers who have not won a flag since their 10th in 1980 when the AFL was still the VFL. The so-called basket case of Victorian football.
For all his present troubles, Adelaide coach Neil Craig can look to his left on Sunday as custody of the wooden spoon is decided at AAMI Stadium and think: "At least I'm not coaching Richmond."
Hardwick, 37, will read the above preface as proof that perception taints the Tigers. He does not fight it.
"Be it me, (chief executive) Brendon Gale, (president) Gary March, (football chief) Craig Cameron we, as a club, accept responsibility for where we are at," says Hardwick, who is the ninth Richmond coach since the league was badged as the AFL in 1990.
"There is no finger pointing. There is no blame game. We accept where we are. We take on the responsibility to make 2010 a starting point.
"And regardless of the outside perceptions, inside the walls of the Richmond Football Club we can track how we have moved forwards in the first six rounds. That's important. It might not be on the scoreboard - and that was a speed bump we hit last week (in losing by 108 points) to Geelong - but we're not the only ones to do that."
While many can seek out former coach Terry Wallace, former football chief Greg Miller and former administrators to explain the bizarre recruiting decisions, Hardwick is moving forward rather than looking back.
"That will take time, and patience has not been a good point of Richmond at stages," Hardwick said. "Benny Gale has his plan," adds Hardwick referring to the grand vision his chief executive offered at the start of the season.
The "Winning Together" strategy lines up the Tigers to have a flag built from three finals appearances, including one top-four finish, zero debt and 75,000 members by 2014.
"We will stick to that plan. I'm the same - on plan with no short cuts, no instant remedy and no aversion to accepting full accountability of where we are at."
Richmond. Why Richmond?
"My perception of Richmond was probably similar to everyone's - there always seems to be a crisis looming at Richmond. It is a very volatile environment; the club has a passionate supporter base. And it wants to recapture that enormously successful era it had from the late '60s to the early '80s started by Tom Hafey.
"I was from Melbourne," adds Hardwick who spilled to Alberton in 2002 with the salary cap squeeze at Essendon.
"I knew what Richmond stood for. And I knew we had to have a plan for where we were headed if Richmond was to get back to the top where it belongs.
"This is about building a club from the ground up - and we've started with 14 new players this year.
"This is one of the last AFL clubs to get new facilities and have a home base to train on. Without them, you are four goals behind in every game.
"We're halfway through building our new facilities. We will have the cricketers off the ground now. There are no more excuses."
While outsiders suggest Richmond requires the AFL Commission to reconsider its stance on abandoning priority draft picks before the draft is compromised by the advent of expansion franchises Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney, Hardwick says the inside view is vastly different.
The Tigers have boosted their recruiting staff by two to now have three full-timers; and the same in the development office.
But the question lingers as to whether Hardwick, like so many other first-up coaches, is simply doing the dirty work that will not be recognised nor appreciated from the outside and will then watch someone else gather success from the new foundation he is building at Punt Rd.
"I'm starting this; if I don't finish it, I'll still have been part of it," Hardwick said.
"That's our message - team first. It is easy to say, but hard to live."
Hardwick completed his playing career witha premiership, a first for Port Adelaide in the AFL in 2004.
At that point he was ready to make something of his tertiary education in commerce.
"Accountancy or something in finance - wasn't I lucky to jump when I did?" said Hardwick who was called to Alastair Clarkson's emerging team at Hawthorn as a development coach in 2005.
"I guess it started with coaching the kids in basketball, and thoroughly enjoying it.
"And I still enjoy living football now - of going to work every day trying to get some improvement in the players.
"I enjoyed my playing days, but I tell you there is a smile on my face in the coach's box when I see something we have been working on for six months with the players come to fruition."
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/long-wait-to-the-top/story-e6frf9jf-1225863811937
