Damien Hardwick is set to quit Richmond.
The triple premiership coach has decided to leave Punt Road with burnout a major factor, initially reported by SEN’s Tom Morris and since confirmed by multiple outlets.
The Tigers had a day off on Monday with the playing group expected to be told on Tuesday. A press conference is expected to be held afterwards.
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It’s unclear whether Hardwick will leave immediately or lead the Tigers into Sunday’s game at the MCG against his old club Port Adelaide.
“A text message was sent to all staff about 7pm calling them to a mandatory meeting tomorrow morning … that story is correct,” Gerard Whateley said on AFL 360.
Former Essendon coach Ben Rutten and former Carlton coach David Teague are part of the Tigers coaching panel and would be contenders to take the interim job.
After a narrow loss to Essendon on Saturday night Richmond sits 14th on the ladder with a 3-6-1 record.
Hardwick is Richmond’s longest-serving coach and the longest-serving active coach in the AFL, joining the club in 2010, a year before John Longmire (Sydney) and Chris Scott (Geelong).
The Tigers attempted to bolster their list across the off-season with big trades for midfielders Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper.
It was hoped their inclusions, combined with the existing list that got them into the finals in 2022, would allow the 2017, 2019 and 2020 premiers to contend for another premiership.
However after a series of close losses and amid big injury issues the Tigers are languishing near the bottom of the ladder, and while an upset of Geelong a week ago showed their promise, they face a mammoth climb to make the eight.
Richmond Tigers Press Conference | 03:47
Melbourne great Garry Lyon asked earlier this month whether Hardwick would consider leaving the Tigers early.
“Should he be looking at the experiences of his old mate Alastair Clarkson at the Hawthorn Football Club and the similarities between the two clubs at this particular state in time after having enormously successful periods?” he said on Fox Footy’s On the Couch three weeks ago.
“No one is sacking Damien Hardwick, no one was sacking Alastair Clarkson after this period either.
“Is it right for him to go ‘OK, can I go back to the well? Can I look at this side without those stars and rebuild?’
“They’ve got no first round draft pick this year, so does Damien Hardwick sit back now and go, ‘yep this is what I need, I need this to go again?’ … we saw it with Leon Cameron as the classic case, your good self Bucks (to panellist Nathan Buckley).
“No one’s given more to Richmond than Damien Hardwick. He’s got the right to call time whenever he wants.”
