The coaching tree of Damien Hardwick grew again in the off-season.
Adam Kingsley's appointment as the head coach of Greater Western Sydney meant he became the second Hardwick disciple to have won a top job in as many years, following the hiring of former Richmond assistant Craig McRae at Collingwood the season prior.
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Ask the experienced Hardwick as to who is next and he can rattle off the names easily, with the highly respected Andrew McQualter making it to Carlton's shortlist of coaching candidates in 2021 and Xavier Clarke another valued deeply at Punt Road.
But the 50-year-old wants two more names added to that list, those of ex-Carlton coach David Teague and former Essendon boss Ben Rutten. Both arrived at Punt Road shortly after losing senior positions, but Hardwick believes both have the capacity to do the job again.
Teague was sacked by Carlton following the side's 2021 campaign and finished with a 21-29 record in trying circumstances, while Rutten left Essendon at the end of last season after just two years in charge and with a 17-26 win-loss ratio.
Currently, only four of 18 senior AFL coaches have coached at multiple teams. However, Hardwick insists that number should be growing and offered a glowing endorsement of both Teague and Rutten's ability to coach again in the future.
"I look at David Teague and Ben Rutten and I sit there and think this is the most rubbish nature of our industry. We just don't go back to guys who have learnt lessons," Hardwick told AFL.com.au.
"I sit there and think about my first couple of years, and I look back and laugh about how poor I was as a coach. You look at the lessons that Ben and David have learnt. They could do my job easily. But for some unknown reason, our industry thinks they'll just get a shiny new toy. Well, that's a bit of an easy out for a lot of footy clubs I reckon.
"I look at the quality of coaches here and that's why I welcome those guys back. They've sat in the big seat, they know what it's all about, they know how they can help me, and they know they'll improve again. I think I've got a lot of talented coaches who could quite easily coach their own side."
Hardwick has been buoyed by a recent change in mindset among clubs. Carlton hired Michael Voss, albeit eight years after his departure from Brisbane, in 2021. Meanwhile, Essendon (Brad Scott), North Melbourne (Alastair Clarkson) and St Kilda (Ross Lyon) have also hired a second-time coach ahead of this season.
Brett Ratten was another to have spent just over three seasons in charge of St Kilda, before being sacked last October, having previously lost his position as Carlton's head coach back in 2012.
Although Hardwick preached patience in regard to first-time coaches – Kingsley, for example, had served 16 seasons as an assistant before landing the Giants job – he wants to make sure clubs don't lose sight of second-time options.
"I'd hope it's starting to change," Hardwick said.
"I was a little bit the same in that we're all in a hurry. I think I got the Richmond job when I was 35 … something like that. I'd only been an assistant coach for three or four years. I hadn't really learnt my craft that well at all. But, obviously, I was in a hurry to get a senior job.
"The sooner you're in a senior job, the sooner you're out of it as well. I think clubs are starting to get smarter. Good coaches are very, very hard to find. Guys are doing a lot more apprenticeships now, but they've also got a good understanding. Take your time, learn your craft, learn as much as you can from the coaches around you, and hopefully you're in it for a long time and not a short time."
Hardwick is currently the longest-serving senior coach in the AFL, set to enter his 14th season this year. But the motivation and energy levels are still high, bolstered by a summer trip to the United States.
The triple-premiership coach spent time working with NBA side the Dallas Mavericks and NFL team the Detroit Lions, leaving pre-season duties with his experienced batch of assistants before Christmas.
"It was great. It was some personal time, but also some personal development as well. That's really, really important. We consistently ask our players to improve, so we'd be negligent if we didn't improve as coaches and people as well," Hardwick said.
"I just did a bit of PD work over there, which is always good. You spend a lot of time over there and you come back with a few nuggets of gold, which is really important. There will be things from that which we think can help us moving forward.
"It was impressive. There's nothing ground-breaking, a lot of the things you look at. But some of it is just thinking, 'oh yeah we do that well' and it backs up the hard work you've put into certain spaces. Then there are other pieces where you think, 'gee we could really improve in that facet of what they do'. There were a couple of really interesting pieces that we'll look to implement this year."
As for whether Hardwick's enthusiasm is still as strong going into year 14 as it was heading into day one at Punt Road, there can be no doubt. With the Tigers likely to be among the premiership favourites again in 2023, he is raring to go.
"I think that's the challenge," Hardwick said.
"I always ask myself the question – I do a pretty good self-analysis at the end of every season – but as soon as you lose that drive to improve or that motivation level drops, that's when you really have to walk away. But I'm very fortunate. I love what I do, I love the club I work for, I love the people I work for, I love the playing group.
"I always say to the players that for people who work 9-5, the best night of the week is Friday night. My job, in this club, is to make sure every day you walk in here feels like a Friday night. I'm going to have good days and bad days, but if I have that philosophy then I think we're going to be OK."
