Richmond coaching race down to 2 - Hardwick and Hinkley [confirmed]

[gtig]

..

Just let the club do their job, since it's actually a solid process for a change.

so far so good, tigersalive.   

[the_boy_jake]

Just let the club do their job, since it's actually a solid process for a change.

Unfortunately that means me doing my job and getting some work done. I'd much rather pick the bones out of candidates I know very little about.

[cub]

Leaning more and more towards Hinkley the more I hear.

Bomber Thompson on SEN said he would keep him for the finals even if he got the gig, because he is valued so much. Would leave a big hole for them if he was to leave.

Hardwick seems to be a bit of a smarbehind perc

[one-eyed]

Well Wallace thinks Hinkley may get the gig as he's a calm person. Hopefully that doesn't turn people off Ken on here .

[tigersalive]

Well Wallace thinks Hinkley may get the gig as he's a calm person. Hopefully that doesn't turn people off Ken on here .

Right then.


HINKLEY



 

[one-eyed]

Hinkley, Hardwick last two for Tigers
Greg Denham | August 22, 2009

RICHMOND'S senior coaching short list was narrowed to two candidates yesterday with Hawthorn assistant Damien Hardwick and Geelong assistant Ken Hinkley set to front the Tigers board next week.

Essendon assistant Alan Richardson, who had support from several within the Richmond sub-committee to appoint the new coach, missed out, as did caretaker coach Jade Rawlings.

Rawlings, like North Melbourne's Darren Crocker, will coach out the final two rounds this season in the knowledge he will not be the Tigers full-time senior coach replacement for Terry Wallace, who resigned in June after 4 1/2 years. Rawlings, who is under contract at Richmond next year, is expected to remain as an assistant coach.

After a four-hour meeting with Hinkley on Thursday night, the Tigers' eight-man coaching panel slept on their decisions before voting yesterday morning on their final candidates. It is believed that the low-profile Hinkley surprised several on the panel with his presentation, but Hardwick remains firmly in the mix.

As one senior Richmond source commented yesterday: "There's not a lot in it. We believe we have two excellent candidates to separate."

During the second-interview stage with the four candidates, Richmond's panel consisted of general manager of football operations Craig Cameron, club psychologist Jeff Bond, former players Greg Stafford and Emmett Dunne, president Gary March and directors Tony Free, Rob Dalton and Don Lord.

New chief executive Brendon Gale, who starts with the club on Monday, was an observer at all four interviews.

Hinkley and Hardwick will each front the Tigers nine-member board for about an hour next week for assessment, before all directors will receive the recommendation from the coaching sub-committee.

It will be the fourth time Hardwick has won his way to the final two candidates at clubs, having missed the senior job at Essendon (Matthew Knights) and Melbourne (Dean Bailey) almost two years ago, before being piped by Brad Scott at North Melbourne last week.

Should Hinkley get the job, at his first serious attempt, he has told Geelong he would be willing to stay on during the Cats' finals campaign, a position which has also been agreed on by coach Mark Thompson.

It is known that Hardwick's preference is to be given the Richmond position over a role at Port Adelaide, which has presented him with a succession plan to replace long-standing coach Mark Williams. The Power first interviewed its 2004 premiership player two weeks ago about the proposition, but this week upped the ante considerably.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25962868-5013406,00.html

[one-eyed]

Two left for job at Tigers
Caroline Wilson | August 22, 2009

RICHMOND'S caretaker coach Jade Rawlings will go into tonight's clash with Hawthorn knowing he is coaching the Tigers for the second-last time.

Rawlings, along with Essendon assistant Alan Richardson, were told yesterday that they were no longer candidates for the Richmond senior position with Damien Hardwick and Ken Hinkley expected to make their final pitches to the Tigers board next Wednesday.

Hinkley, whom the Cats want to retain until the end of their finals campaign should he win the Richmond coaching job, presented on Thursday night to a panel headed by Tigers president Gary March, football boss Craig Cameron and former players Emmett Dunne and Greg Stafford.

Hardwick has indicated he will not make a final decision about his unusual offer from Port Adelaide until he has completed his final presentation at Richmond.

The bizarre situation at Alberton continued to unfold yesterday with senior coach Mark Williams only adding to the intrigue regarding his security at that club when he said that any succession plan ''is for the club to announce or proclaim, it has got nothing to do with me''.

Asked whether he liked the idea of a succession plan for the Power, Williams said the idea ''has merit'', adding he believed he had the support of the Port hierarchy.Williams confirmed he had spoken with Hardwick on Tuesday.

The 37-year-old Hawthorn assistant is understood to have been virtually guaranteed the Port Adelaide senior coaching position for three years from 2012 and has been offered the role of senior assistant from next year in an offer extending the next five years.

Richmond's new CEO Brendon Gale was an observer at the two-and-a-half-hour Hinkley session two nights ago as he has been at all four second-stage interviews.

At a 90-minute meeting after Hinkley's presentation, the former Cat and Hardwick were chosen as the final two candidates. The successful applicant of those two looks certain to be offered a three-year contract with a decision to follow closely after the board presentations.

Cameron, who has overseen the coaching search, is expected to make his recommendation to the board after the presentations.

The 31-year-old Rawlings was told yesterday he had been culled from the list of four who had made it through to the second stage of the Tigers' lengthy procedure launched in June following Terry Wallace's departure.

He remains contracted to the club until the end of 2010 and the Tigers remained hopeful Rawlings would remain next season. He had been coaching Coburg until Wallace's sacking.

Like Richardson, he was a first-time senior coaching applicant and was encouraged to continue his ambition by the Tigers' hierarchy.

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/rfnews/two-left-for-rawlings-at-tigers/2009/08/21/1250362215210.html

[one-eyed]

Anthony Hudson on SEN reckons March favours Hardwick because of his record - twice premiership player and then another flag at the Hawks under Clarkson. Dermie thinks Hardwick would be favourite because Richmond would want to build a side that resembles the hard tough successful footy sides of days gone by. Hardwick has that aura about him that Hinkley doesn't even though Dermie said he could listen for hours to Hinkley talk about footy.

[Gigantor]

Got to hand it to march and co...got this one right....no bloody leaks

[Stripes]

I'm impressed by the process which has left us with two excellent potential coaches. No leaks and kept the media guessing from the start. We have stuck by our timeline and have come away from it all looking vey professional. Now I just hope we get a coach who can make a difference to our future.

Stripes

[WA Tiger]

Yep great stuff Tigers bloody professional job for a change, either candidate will do me fine, I am leaning towards Hardwick but not too fussed.

Lets see all the knockers bag us now for sticking to the process without faltering. Gee I wonder if pricks like Shaw will congratulate us for sticking to our guns........ yeah right....

[Ramps]

History proves that Defence wins Premierships and because of that Im tipping that Hardwick will be able to better introduce a game plan which incorporates hard tough defensive footy, controlled aggression, improvement in 1%ers, and a team first orientation - Its a system where you dont need name players but players who can do a job- ala St Kilda, Collingwood, Hawthorn.

Tonight Hawthorn flogged us with half a side because they play this type of footy.

[one-eyed]

Hardwick tipped for Richmond job
Cameron Noakes | August 23, 2009

RICHMOND Football Club is expected to offer Hawthorn assistant Damien Hardwick its senior coaching job this week, according to former club great and radio host Kevin Bartlett.

Hardwick is now the bookies' favourite to be offered the position, despite rumours last week that Geelong assistant Ken Hinkley was in the box seat. Hinkley was backed into favouritism with bookmaker Sportingbet Australia, but Richmond officials were apparently bemused by the speculation and unsure why or what punters had heard to presume Hinkley would secure the job.

Bartlett said yesterday he understood Hardwick was currently the favourite to take the reins at Tigerland in 2010.

"I understand it is a photo finish … and Damien Hardwick's head has just bobbed up into the frame," Bartlett said.

He said there were rumours that the Richmond committee had already voted and Hardwick was the unanimous choice, but "it is not as clearcut as that". "It's a bob of the head and Hardwick is in the picture," he said.

Betstar's Alan Eskander, who has been running a market on the position, said he understood the successful candidate would be revealed tomorrow, however Richmond president Gary March said that was not likely and would not indicate when the decision would be announced.

The Betstar market was taken down over the weekend, but prior to that Hardwick was at $2.55 and the "any other person option" [Hinkley is in this market] was at $1.70.

"We took the market down because we were worried some people might already know the result," Eskander said.

Meanwhile, North Melbourne president James Brayshaw denied suggestions Hardwick was not given a fair hearing when he was interviewed for his club's senior coaching position.

Brayshaw confirmed that he did not meet with Hardwick, but said he had never intended to and it was the job of the selection panel to conduct the interview.

"The fact that I didn't meet with him is totally and utterly irrelevant," Brayshaw said.

The Sunday Age understands that Hardwick - who was overlooked for the job - was not entirely happy with the interview, which went for only an hour.

It is believed Hardwick was surprised that the process was not more in-depth and that the selection panel did not ask him to present a game plan.

Brayshaw, speaking on Triple M, said he was not privy to what was discussed at the interview, but believed the panel considered Hardwick "an extraordinarily good" candidate.

"I don't know how long the interview went for, [but] it was definitely more than an hour," Brayshaw said.

"I understand [the interview] was comprehensive [and] I understand Hardwick's presentation was extraordinarily good.

"I don't know how his personality came across [during the interview because] … I was not privy to it. But Brad Scott was by far and away the best fit for our club at the moment."

Since then, Hardwick has spoken to Port Adelaide about an assistant coaching position that is expected to lead to a senior coaching role when current coach Mark Williams' contact expires at the end of 2011.

March congratulated caretaker coach Jade Rawlings at last night's pre-match function, saying he had made an outstanding presentation to the selection committee.

''It was a really hard decision to say to Jade he wasn't successful, but I've got no doubt Jade Rawlings, at age 31, will be a senior coach of AFL football.''

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/rfnews/hardwick-tipped-for-richmond-job/2009/08/22/1250362259761.html

[one-eyed]

Richmond job is down to two
Glenn McFarlane and Craig Hutchison | August 23, 2009

JADE Rawlings admitted he is unlikely to be at Punt Rd as an assistant coach next season despite being contracted after being overlooked for the Richmond coaching job.

Rawlings joked that he felt like he wanted to "kill" football director Craig Cameron when he delivered the bad news that the Tigers job was officially down to two candidates, Damien Hardwick and Ken Hinkley.

"I am contracted with the club, there is a fair bit of water to go under the bridge in terms of who gets appointed," Rawlings said after the Tigers' 42-point loss to Hawthorn.

"I personally think it will be hard for whoever gets appointed to have me around because of my passion for the job and my attachment to this group.

''Someone may think I have some sort of worth but that will work itself out I'm sure.

''I wanted to kill him (Cameron) when he first told me. Have a look at him, he thinks it's funny.

"I was genuinely disappointed, and Craig and I have a terrific relationship and he has supported me right throughout his time at the club and in particular this period but after the initial disappointment there was a bit of anger but the positives to come out of the opportunity have no end."

Rawlings said he still harboured ambitions to become a senior coach, saying the experience of coaching Richmond for 11 games would be invaluable.

The Tigers have asked both Hardwick and Hinkley to front the board as the coaching battle moves to its last stage.

The two will need to jump through one more hoop before a decision is made later this week.

Insiders say there is little between the two.

The Tigers told Rawlings and Bomber assistant Alan Richardson of the move late on Friday.

Hardwick has a contingency plan with Port offering him the right to succeed Mark Williams. He flew to Adelaide to meet Port Adelaide officials last week. But his preferred option is to coach now.

The Tigers have asked both to front the board as the coaching battle moves to its last stage.

The two will need to jump through one more hoop before a decision is made later this week.

Insiders say there is little between the two.

The Tigers told caretaker coach Jade Rawlings and Bomber assistant Alan Richardson of the move late on Friday.

Richardson told the Sunday Herald Sun yesterday from Perth: "It's disappointing that I have missed on this opportunity but I'm very fortunate how bright the position and situation is as Essendon.

"I would like to thank the Tigers for the opportunity to present my thoughts and ideals.

"I just thought it was an incredibly professional process and very impressive."

Hardwick has a contingency plan with Port offering him the right to succeed Mark Williams.

He flew to Adelaide to meet Port Adelaide officials last week. But his preferred option is to coach now.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25968027-19742,00.html

[Jackstar is back]

Can confirm this.
Ken Hinkley has told Brian Cook at Geelong  yesterday that RFC is going to offer the position to Hardwick.
Its up to Hardwick to accept the position it seems.