Damien Hardwick

Damien Hardwick
Personal information
Full name	Damien Patrick Hardwick
Date of birth	18 August 1972 (1972-08-18) (age 39)
Original team	Springvale
Draft	87th overall, 1992
Height/Weight	180 cm / 82 kg
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1994 – 2001 2002 – 2004	Essendon Port Adelaide Total:	153 (13) 054 0(1) 207 (14)
Coaching career3
Years	Club	Games (W–L–D)
2010 –	Richmond	44 (14-29-1)
1 Playing statistics to end of 2004 season . 3 Coaching statistics correct as of 2011.

Damien Patrick Hardwick (born 18 August 1972) is a former Australian rules footballer and the coach of the Richmond Football Club.

Early life

He attended St Joseph's College in Ferntree Gully.

AFL playing career

Beginning his AFL career with the Essendon Football Club in 1994, Hardwick was known as a tough, solid defender. His aggressive nature sometimes got him into trouble at the AFL Tribunal. He was a crucial part of Essendon's 2000 premiership side.^[1]

He was traded from Essendon to the Port Adelaide Football Club and played with the side in the twilight of his career, until his retirement in 2004.^[1]

He played a big part in Port's premiership win of 2004, his niggly role in the Grand Final invaluable as he won three free kicks at crucial times, including a reversal against Jason Akermanis which cost the incensed Lion a shot at goal.

AFL coaching career

In 2005 Hardwick began working as an assistant coach under Alastair Clarkson at Hawthorn.

In 2007 Hardwick was shortlisted for the senior coaching job at Melbourne Football Club, however he was unsuccessful, with the position going to Dean Bailey. Following this application he was also shortlisted for the senior coaching job at Essendon Football Club to replace the outgoing Kevin Sheedy however he was overlooked in favour of former Richmond captain Matthew Knights.

On August 25, 2009 Hardwick was successful, in being appointed as the new senior coach of the Richmond Football Club.

2010 Season

Hardwick's first season at Richmond did not begin well, with nine straight losses to start the season as well as a few disciplinary issues arising at the club. However, in Round 10 the Tigers had a breakthrough win; smashing Port Adelaide in extremely wet conditions in Adelaide by 47 points. They also set a new record for the most tackles ever made in an AFL match since records have been kept since 1999^{[citation needed]}, and kept Port Adelaide to their lowest ever score.^[2]

Two more wins followed, a 49 point thrashing of 2006 Premiers the West Coast Eagles and a 13 point victory over the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba, a venue Richmond have now not lost at since 2004.

Their best win so far, was a nailbiting 4 point victory over the Swans at the MCG, despite trailing by 33 points midway through the 3rd quarter. It also ended an eight-match losing streak against the Swans, which started with a 118-point hammering in round 7, 2006 and ended with a 55-point hammering in round 3, 2010.

Two further wins followed against Fremantle and Adelaide, keeping the Tigers away from wooden spoon contention.

Honours and achievements

• North Melbourne Under-19s premiership side 1990, 1991
• Essendon Best and Fairest 1998
• Essendon premiership side 2000
• All-Australian 2000
• International rules series 2000, 2001
• Port Adelaide premiership side 2004
• Hawthorn assistant coach premiership side 2008

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2003). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (5th ed.). Melbourne, Victoria: Crown Content. p. 293–294. ISBN 1-74095-032-1.
2. ^ Tigers maul Power

External links

• Damien Hardwick's statistics from AFL Tables

Sporting positions
Preceded by Jade Rawlings (caretaker)	Richmond Football Club coach 2010–present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Awards
Preceded by Sean Denham	W.S. Crichton Medal 1998	Succeeded by Mark Mercuri

Persondata
Name	Hardwick, Damien
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	18 August 1972
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death