Damien Hardwick seen as the man who can end Richmond's premiership drought Glenn McFarlane
From: Herald Sun
April 20, 2013 ONE former Richmond Football Club staffer was only half-joking this week when he suggested a special reward be set aside for the Tigers' next premiership coach.
When asked about what a drought-breaking flag might mean, the person, who preferred to remain nameless, said: "They'll reserve a place for a statue of him right next to Jack Dyer's statue . . . when Richmond finally wins a flag it will be like Collingwood in 1990."
The Magpies, who meet the Tigers in a blockbuster game at the MCG today, had an embarrassing drought that stretched back 32 years when they secured a flag in 1990 before winning another in 2010.
Incredibly, this year marks 33 years since Richmond's last flag.
The difference being that for all of Collingwood's Grand Final losses during its drought, the Tigers have made only three finals series since 1980.
There have been so many hard years and rebuilds since and 12 coaches have tried and failed to secure the club's 11th premiership cup.
Damien Hardwick, who turned eight the month before the Tigers' last flag, could be the lucky 13th.
That's the last thing on his mind; he's only worried about today.
But the Tigers are building in his fourth season. The graph has gone from six wins in 2010, eight wins and a draw in 2011, 10 wins and a draw last year to 3-0 this year.
Hardwick's credentials are exceptional as a two-time premiership player with Essendon (2000) and Port Adelaide (2004), one flag as an assistant coach with Hawthorn (2008) and links as a player to three premiership coaches -- Kevin Sheedy, Mark Williams and Denis Pagan (his North Melbourne under-19s coach and Essendon reserves coach).
"He is poised at the moment," Pagan said of the kid from Upwey who refused to accept his AFL career was over when North Melbourne dumped him after Pagan had left the club the first time.
"But he knows they (flags) are hard to win.
"I remember Kevin Sheedy saying: 'It was hard winning premierships in the VFL, but I can tell you it is 10 times harder in the AFL."
Hardwick's CV reads like an old-style coaching template with a very modern feel to it.
Tough, uncompromising backman -- tick. Overcame adversity -- tick. Great footy brain -- tick. Desperate to succeed -- double tick.
"He is another backman to become a coach," Pagan recalled of the kid who followed him to Essendon reserves in 1992.
Eight years later he was a Bombers' premiership player.
Another flag followed in 2004 with Port Adelaide after Hardwick was squeezed out of Essendon by salary cap pressures.
"That blew our side apart," Sheedy said of losing Hardwick and three other key Bombers in 2002-03.
"It was the toughest period of my life.
"But he's come a long way. He was a bank teller with the Commonwealth Bank and now he's Richmond coach."
"He has a baby face, but played like a killer.
"The little old ladies in the bank were happy handing over their money to him, but if they had known what he was doing out on the ground, they would have been shocked."
Sheedy and Pagan could not be more proud of what their former player now.
Williams, now development coach at Richmond, is the same.
All point to the attributes Hardwick had as a player and exudes as coach.
Some are the same reason the Tigers' coaching selection panel chose him in late 2009, including patience, loyalty, resilience, coaching smarts and a good work-life balance.
It's fair to say that not all of those have been cornerstones of life at Punt Rd since 1980.
But a combination -- as well as the support of those around him -- has the club primed for a shot at the finals this season.
Hardwick and the club agreed this rebuild had to have a concrete footing rather than the quicksand some in the past had been constructed on.
The Tigers demanded it be about process -- not one man.
One former insider said: "The club wasn't chasing a messiah."
"In the past it had chased Robert Walls, 'unleashed the Giesch (Jeff Gieschen), then it was 'Get Terry Wallace'. No disrespect to those people, but everything fell back on to them.
"No one personally fixes a football club."
The players, sensing his loyalty, have backed Hardwick wholeheartedly.
But, importantly, it is not a blind loyalty.
Hardwick has no fear of delivering "tough love" when required.
Pagan said: "He's no a shrinking violet."
Hardwick's loyalty extends to his relationship with Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson, for whom he was an assistant coach from 2005-09.
The pair still speak on a regular basis, although there is a separation on some football topics.
Hardwick's understated approach has seen the club prefer actions over words.
Words were to be used sparingly in public. Goals and ambitions were kept in-house.
The mindset was that there would be two years of pain and inconsistency in building the playing list and devising the game plan.
If, as folklore has it, Hardwick's PowerPoint presentation had a minor malfunction as he chased the Essendon coaching position in late 2007, he had ironed them out by the time he came to his four interviews with the Tigers two years later.
Hardwick and his football department argued for and received extra funding for more coaches, the recruitment of list analyser Blair Hartley, employing Williams as development coach and greater footy resources.
Richmond wanted a coach with a strong support structure outside of Punt Rd to deal with the early hard yards, and the courage of his convictions to stand firm under pressure. Hardwick and his wife, Danielle, have three children -- a son and two daughters.
As committed as he is to his job, he insists on quality family time. He has even coached one of his daughter's basketball teams.
"He is one of the most decent blokes that I have ever met in footy," one former colleague said.
Hardwick won't stand for statues if he is the man to lead the Tigers out of the wilderness.
The chance to reward the Richmond faithful, which has learnt his art of patience the hard way, would be enough.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/teams/damien-hardwick-seen-as-the-man-who-can-end-richmonds-premiership-drought/story-e6frf9mx-1226624753615
