well said Dimma.
Not bad for someone who is apparently diverting attention away from a 5/1 start
Harwick doubles down on criticising Jacinta Allan
Damien Hardwick has doubled down on his attack on Victorian premier Jacinta Allan, and questioned whether magistrates are tough enough on crime, as he called for “less talk, more action” from community leaders.
The Gold Coast coach on Wednesday pressed Allan, following up an unprompted crack at her for questioning whether Richmond defender Noah Balta should have been allowed to play against his Suns on Saturday night as he awaited sentencing for assault.
The coach on Wednesday said he was “really hard on crime, and that’s exactly what I want our premiers, and our political parties to do”.
The comments came at the end of his weekly press conference and were removed from the video of the conference posted on the Gold Coast website.
Damien Hardwick during his side’s loss at Marvel Stadium on the weekend. Picture: Michael Klein
Hardwick coached Balta for his first 72 AFL games at Richmond, including the 2020 premiership win.
Balta played an important role for the Tigers in holding off the Suns on Saturday night, then on Tuesday he was hit with an 18-month community correction order, a $3000 fine and a 10pm-6am curfew that will rule him out of at least four games over the next three months.
The sentencing came after he plead guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm following an attack in Mulwala in December.
Suns coach Damien Hardwick has taken an extraordinary swipe at the Victorian Premier for her stance on the Noah Balta situation
Balta’s appearance against the Suns was his first of the year after a club-imposed suspension ruled him out of the first month, and he will not play on Thursday against Melbourne due to the curfew.
Hardwick provided a character reference for Balta before his sentencing.
Allan earlier this month questioned how the AFL and Richmond would explain to children that Balta was playing before his sentencing.
Hardwick surprised media on Saturday night after the shock loss to Richmond, when he said her comments were an “absolute mockery”.
“She should just concentrate on getting the state running well,” he said then.
It was not the first time Hardwick had gone after a Victorian premier.
As Richmond coach in 2022, he addressed then-premier Daniel Andrews’ Covid rules and said “If we could just get rid of the close contact rule Dan, that would be terrific”, after the rules meant Tiger Sydney Stack couldn’t play in the VFL.
Hardwick later claimed those comments were “tongue in cheek”.
On Wednesday, the Suns coach went at Allan and court judges, as well as the ABC for not questioning whether enough was being done about crime.
“It’s more just I want her (Allan) to be tough on crime,” he said.
“Noah got his fair whack, he made a really poor decision. He understood that and he knows that.
“What we need to do in society is be harsh on crime. I still stand by that and I always will. It’s accountability and its responsibility.
“I’m really hard on crime, and that’s exactly what I want our premiers, and our political parties to do.
“Less talk, more action … magistrates, premiers, less talking, less chest beating, more getting to work and getting it done.”
“We as taxpayers demand it, you as a taxpayers’ funded organisation, the ABC, should be demanding more of it – less questioning me, more questioning premiers.”
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/afl-now-latest-updates-injury-lists-tribunal-and-team-news-on-wednesday-ahead-of-round-7/live-coverage/25d1c210c2b3843b7720934e8f529645
