While fully aware of the pitfalls of a premiership hangover, Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has flagged at least another finals campaign for his Tigers next season.  In a wide-ranging interview with the ‘Hen House’ podcast, Hardwick shares his experience of Grand Final day 2017, discloses his team’s ‘one wood’, which he believes was the catalyst for breaking Richmond’s 37-year premiership drought, provides a fascinating insight into Tiger superstar Dustin Martin, and talks about what the inclusion of a women’s side will bring to the Club.

On Grand Final day, before arriving at the Tigers’ Punt Road headquarters, Damien Hardwick felt like a caged animal waiting to go into battle.

Having won two premierships as a player, with Essendon and Port Adelaide, he had experienced this day before, but noted the feeling was vastly different this time as a coach.

“You really do hand it over to your talent,” Hardwick said on The Hen House podcast.

“As much as people think you’re like a puppeteer pulling strings, the fact of the matter is the game is so quick and the players really see things before the coaches do.”

The plan in place revolved around a well-documented defence, which Hardwick and his lieutenants believed would deliver the Club’s 11^th league football premiership. 

“Our one wood was really based on us – our intensity, our effort and our assistance . . . We felt if we got those three things right that would take away from their (Adelaide’s) game,” Hardwick said.

Having negated Adelaide star Rory Sloane’s early Grand Final influence through a pre-planned ‘what if’ meeting before the game, Hardwick revealed the Tigers mindset at half- time.

“We were nine or 10 points up at that stage and I knew our best footy was in front of us, and had been for the last eight weeks of the season.  So we were very confident we would win,” he said.

It wasn’t until small forward Dan Butler’s goal late in the last quarter, however, that the coach relaxed and allowed the enormity of the Tigers’ achievement sink in.

“About seven minutes to go, probably at the stage I thought, geez, we’ve won this and geez, ‘gotta’ make a speech at the end of the game.  What am I going to say?” Hardwick said.

Hardwick provided a rare insight into Dustin Martin and conceded that late in Richmond’s contract negotiations with the superstar midfielder, who was a restricted free agent at the end of season 2017, he felt he might on the way out of Tigerland.

“It was a nerve-racking period in the end, especially when Dustin flew to New Zealand to speak to his dad.  It’s probably the first time I thought, jeez, this is it.  He could go,” Hardwick said.

“To Dustin’s credit, he turned down a life-changing amount of money to stay at our footy club.  Don’t get me wrong he’s getting paid very well.  But he’s worth every cent.

“You put yourself in the same situation and it’s easy to say you’ll stay.  But if you’re talking about a life-changing amount of money, it’s pretty significant.”

As for the Dustin Martin we see on the field, Hardwick says he’s a lot different off it.

“People think he’s not this refined character because of the way he plays and the way he looks,” Hardwick said.

“I think Trent (Cotchin) sums it up best, ‘Dustin’s learnt a little bit off us, but we’ve learnt a hell of a lot off Dustin’.

“He’s a really intriguing character.  He loves fine foods, he loves watching documentaries on things I’ve got zero interest in, and he’s travelled to more places in his short period, than I have in my life.”

A well-known family man, with two daughters and a son, Hardwick believes the inclusion of a VFLW team for the upcoming season, with an AFLW licence awarded to Richmond for 2020, will only make the Club better.

“Diversity is such a big thing, not only in business, but also in sport,” he said. 

“The more people that we’ve got coming through with great ideas, different initiatives and different techniques, it can only help.  

“People will often say, ‘The women will learn from the men.’  But I can guarantee you I’m going to learn some things from the women as well.

“Coaching 101 is all about relationships.”

Listen to the entire interview on the Hen House podcast, hosted by Richmond’s Multimedia Executive, Tiffany Cherry.

https://omny.fm/shows/the-hen-house/the-hen-house-december-2017