Hardwick conceded Richmond missed the presence of Daniel Jackson, who is serving a two-game suspension for rough conduct.
Jackson was also sidelined for rounds nine to 11 for headbutting, and the coach said the midfielder would have to change his approach when he returned in round 18.
"We were down 0-8 at half time from the centre-square [clearances], and I think we're the number one centre-bounce clearance team in the comp, differential-wise," Hardwick said.
"Our centre-bounce crew took far too long to adjust, and as harsh as it is, the loss of Dan Jackson was big for us.
"He's an important player to our club, but he's also very important leadership-wise in the middle, so that was a huge loss."
