RICHMOND has appointed Damien Hardwick as senior coach for the next three years.

Hardwick beat a field of contenders including Alan Richardson, interim coach Jade Rawlings and Geelong assistant Ken Hinkley.

The decision was made by the board on Sunday, but the announcement was held over until all parties involved had been informed and club president Gary March returned from New Zealand.

The Tigers have followed a strict process in the appointment of the new coach since former coach Terry Wallace was sacked at the beginning of June, refusing to be spooked along the way by fears that other clubs would snatch their first choice from under their nose.

North Melbourne appointed Brad Scott to their job last week, and although Scott applied for the Richmond job, he didn't make it through to the final round of interviews.

Hardwick flew to Adelaide last week to meet with the Power, where it was rumoured that he had been offered a job as the successor to Mark Williams however it is believed his preference was always to remain in Melbourne.

Hardwick had a decorated playing career after he began his journey playing under-19s football at North Melbourne under Denis Pagan.

He was axed by the Roos and picked up by Essendon, where he made his AFL debut in 1994.

An uncompromising and hard-nosed defender, Hardwick played 153 games with the Bombers, including the 2000 premiership before crossing to Port Adelaide at the end of 2001. He played a further 54 games with the Power, the last of which was the 2004 premiership.

 

He won the Essendon best and fairest in 1998 and was named All-Australian in 2000. He represented Australia in the International Rules in 2000 and 2001.

Hardwick began his assistant coaching career with Hawthorn in 2005 and was a key part of the club’s premiership success in 2008.

He was forward coach at Hawthorn from 2005 to 2007 and has been in charge of the midfield for the past two seasons.

He came close to securing the Essendon senior coaching job at the end of 2007 but was beaten by Matthew Knights.