Senior Coach 


An uncompromising and hard-nosed defender, Hardwick played 153 games with Essendon, 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 Bombers’ Best and Fairest in 1998 and was named All-Australian in 2000. He represented Australia in the International Rules series in 2000 and 2001.

Hardwick started his assistant coaching career with Hawthorn in 2005 and played a significant role in the club’s 2008 premiership success. He was the Hawks’ forward coach from 2005-07, and was in charge of their midfield for two seasons.

Hardwick steered Richmond to the finals for three consecutive seasons, in 2013, 2014 and 2015, and was then the inspiration behind Richmond's drought-breaking 2017 premiership.

Hardwick was named the 2017 AFL Coaches Association coach of the year and got consistent performances out of his role players on the way to a stunning triumph in 2017, and preliminary final appearance in 2018.

Hardwick's remarkable group brushed aside GWS on its way to an emphatic 89-point win in the 2019 Grand Final to make it two triumphs in three years.

Hardwick is scheduled to break Club ‘Immortal’ Tommy Hafey’s record for the most games coached in Tigerland’s history in Round 18 of the 2020 season.