Hardwick leads the race for top jobJake Niall | August 13, 2009 ... Darren Crocker is down to the last three [at North], but his best hope seems to be that Richmond jumps in and offers the job to Damian Hardwick, who can be all but pencilled in for one of the positions, North or Richmond.
''Dimmer'' was beaten for the Essendon coaching job by Matthew Knights, in part due to his lack of computer files in the final interview.
It will take an even greater calamity - the dog eating his PowerPoint presentation perhaps - to deprive him of a senior coaching gig now.
What we have now are six or seven primary candidates for the two remaining jobs. Richmond is a contest between Hardwick, Geelong's Ken Hinkley and Essendon's Alan Richardson, the betting probably in that order.
Dean Laidley is the outsider, and North folk must be hoping that he will somehow emerge from the shadows and win the Richmond job, giving the Roos a clear run at Hardwick.
Some observers believe Jade Rawlings remains in contention at Tigerland, but I'd be very surprised if they handed the job to a caretaker who was seemingly chosen, in part, because he wouldn't prejudice the process - as Wayne Campbell would have had he taken the reins and won some games.
Rawlings is 31, and clubs don't hire coaches who are younger than their senior players, not that the Tigers will have too many in that category next year.
http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/rfnews/hardwick-next-in-line/2009/08/12/1249756351704.html