Damien Hardwick

Damien Patrick Hardwick (born 18 August 1972) is a current Australian rules football coach and former player who is the head coach of the Gold Coast Suns in the Australian Football League.

They also set a new record for the most tackles ever made in an AFL match (142) since records began in 1987, and kept Port Adelaide to their lowest ever score.

The club went on to win five more games making a total of six in Hardwick's first season.

Hardwick played 207 AFL games as a defender, comprising 153 games for Essendon (1993–2001) and 54 games for Port Adelaide (2002–2004).

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.

Hardwick played for Essendon from 1994 until 2001 for a total of 153 games and 13 goals.

He won premierships with each club, in 2000 and 2004 respectively.

He was a crucial part of Essendon's 2000 premiership side.

He was also a member of Essendon's 2000 premiership team.

He was traded from Essendon to the Port Adelaide Football Club at the end of the 2001 season,

and played with the side from 2002 until his retirement at the end of the 2004 season.

Hardwick played for Port Adelaide from 2002 until 2004 for a total of 54 games and one goal.

He was part of Port's premiership win in 2004.

In the 2004 Grand Final he won three free kicks at crucial times, including a reversal against Jason Akermanis which cost the Brisbane Lions a shot at goal.

He was also a member of Port Adelaide's 2004 premiership team.

In 2005, Hardwick began working as an assistant coach under senior coach 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.

Hardwick was appointed head coach of Richmond at the end of the 2009 season, in which the club had placed second-last.

On August 25, 2009, Hardwick received his first senior coaching job when he was appointed as the senior coach of Richmond Football Club for three years.

Hardwick replaced Richmond Football Club caretaker senior coach Jade Rawlings, who replaced Terry Wallace, after Wallace resigned during the middle of the 2009 season, when the Tigers were struggling.

He is the former senior coach of the Richmond Football Club, serving in the role between 2010 and mid-2023 inclusive and winning three premierships.

Hardwick's first season at Richmond as senior coach in the 2010 season 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; defeating Port Adelaide by 47 points in extremely wet conditions in Adelaide.

In March 2012, Hardwick agreed to a two-year contract extension.

In 2013, Hardwick's fourth season in charge, Richmond returned to the finals after an eleven-year absence, and in 2017 they defeated Adelaide in the Grand Final to claim their first premiership since 1980.

On 11 December 2013, club president, Peggy O'Neal, announced that Hardwick had accepted a two-year contract extension that tied him to the club at least until the end of the 2016 season.

They finished the season in 15th position.

In 2016, Hardwick agreed to a two-year contract extension to the end of the 2018 season.

In 2017, Hardwick coached Richmond to their first premiership since 1980 and their 11th overall with a 48-point victory over the Adelaide Crows.

Hardwick also coached Richmond to the 2019 and 2020 premierships and is the longest-tenured coach in the club's history.

He attended St Joseph's College in Ferntree Gully.

Hardwick was a key player in the school's football side, which was highly competitive against other private schools in the EIS sports program.

In football, Hardwick was usually on the field for most of the game and known to be a tough, hard working, and versatile player who kept stability in play for his side.

Although he was often outclassed by others on field, his all round abilities were vital to the side.

In 2019, Hardwick coached Richmond to another premiership and their 12th overall.

Richmond beat GWS Giants by 89 points.

In 2020, Hardwick coached Richmond to their third premiership in four years, and 13th overall.

He also coached the Victoria State of Origin side in the one-off 2020 State of Origin match that was played on 28 February 2020 at Marvel Stadium.