Tigers need to act early - not rashlyCaroline Wilson
The Age
February 14, 2012THAT Damien Hardwick will soon be offered a contract extension at Richmond is certain. That he has done enough to deserve some security beyond 2012 is beyond doubt. That he deserves a decent pay rise is indisputable.
Less convincing is the widely accepted expectation that the Tigers should secure Hardwick until the end of 2014 when he is only now embarking on 2012, his third season as senior coach. Surely there is an argument to be mounted that it would be wiser to offer Hardwick a one-year extension or wait until the middle of the year before pushing his tenure any further.
The topic of Hardwick's contract has become classified at Tigerland as the summer has progressed although the Richmond board will certainly debate the issue when it meets as scheduled tonight.
Club chief Brendon Gale hinted late last year that the club wanted to tie up the coach beyond this season before 2012 began and yet Gale has steadfastly refused to discuss the subject since.
President Gary March told the Richmond website last week: ''Damien still has one year of his existing contract to run. We have been pleased with what he has delivered in the first two years. The club won't be discussing his contract situation. We have a process in place and we will make an announcement when we are ready to do so.''
Whether or not the sensitivity involves the terms of the new deal is unclear. Hardwick, like any senior coach, would want a longer-term extension but too often clubs jump too early to secure their coaches for too long. Heaven knows Richmond has been guilty of it time and time again.
Its recent history is not pretty in this area. Former football boss Greg Miller convinced March's predecessor, Clinton Casey, to extend Danny Frawley's deal to relieve the mounting pressure on the club and Frawley but that ended badly. Then the same duo signed Terry Wallace for five years - a long-term deal which ended in even more bitter tears and is unlikely to be repeated.
None of the above has anything to do with Hardwick, who has delivered an honest, tougher brand of modern football as well as some innovative recruiting expertise and a refusal to compromise.
He is not a salesman and yet, to date, he has carried the Tiger army along with him. He is only 39 but they hope he coaches the Tigers well into his 40s.
Hardwick has taken Richmond from 15th to 12th in his first two seasons. He goes into season No. 3 with an improved and more experienced list although Kelvin Moore's ongoing issues would suggest the backline remains undermanned with David Astbury also not yet past his injury issues. The ruck situation looks improved but hardly dominant.
Off-field, Hardwick has been forced to wait longer than anticipated for an expanded, resurfaced and fully available Punt Road Oval.
Like all coaches he would love his own reserves team but that is years away.
Hardwick's club has received a financial fillip from the AFL but remains cash-strapped and in debt.
Still he has a significantly more competent and united administration than his recent predecessors.
Melbourne and Essendon, to name two, jumped the gun in recent years extending Matthew Knights and Dean Bailey respectively too early and for too long without a pressing reason. The Gold Coast is on the verge of announcing a two year extension for Guy McKenna before his final season has begun and yet the Suns are in a unique situation as a brand new club which must establish firmly unity and the building of relationships as a top priority.
Hardwick's close friend, Alastair Clarkson, had to wait until August last year - his last in the previous contract - to be offered a new deal.
He was a little frustrated at the potential distraction and became highly sought after but in the end he stayed, taking Hawthorn to a narrow preliminary final loss in the meantime.
Naturally, Hardwick deserves more time, especially given what he inherited and yet Richmond's on-field performance must improve again this year.
It seems unnecessary to hand the young coach what would, in reality, be a new three-year deal when a two-year security blanket looks more than acceptable.
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