Three-time premiership coach Damien Hardwick is ready to be unveiled as the brand new Gold Coast Suns coach as early as subsequent week, Fox Footy’s Jon Ralph has revealed.
Suns CEO Mark Evans had flown to Italy earlier this month to fulfill with Hardwick within the picturesque Cinque Terre in a bid to safe his signature.
Now Ralph says that five-year deal is finished – it simply must be delivered when Hardwick returns from his European getaway.
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“He’s signed and sealed by the Gold Coast – all it is is the means of delivery,” he mentioned On the Couch.
“The five-year deal is done.
“The Suns want to reveal it when Hardwick is back in town.
“They want the sponsors, they want the Burleigh Pavilion backdrop, all the things you should do rather than delivering him on Zoom.
“He gets back from Europe next week, so it’s either late next week or early the week after – of course that would be the grand final bye and it would be the perfect time to do it.”
It was reported Evans went with a five-year deal in hand for Hardwick, because the AFL might pay at the very least $1 million of his contract in an ambassadorial capability.
It wouldn’t be the primary time the AFL has financially contributed to the Suns, after coughing up the massive cash to lure Karmichael Hunt from rugby league.
Former Collingwood coach and Couch panellist Nathan Buckley mentioned he didn’t wish to see any unhealthy blood directed at Hardwick for his name to return, simply months after stepping away from Richmond on account of a scarcity of vitality.
“He goes for a spell, (says) ‘I’ve had enough, a bit stale’. All of a sudden he’s back before the end of the season – do you trust the fact mentally and physically he’s had enough of a spell to come back in?” Couch host Ben Dixon questioned.
“(He was) stale in that environment and you go to a new environment and you’re absolutely not stale because you’ve got a new challenge and something new to achieve,” Buckley replied.
“He did it three times over at Richmond (win the flag) – once you’ve had it with that group and you’ve come off … he would have thought, ‘I’ve given everything here. I’ve got everything out of this group. I’ve got to let someone else do it’ and I reckon that’s exactly the decision he made.
“Now it’s his chance to come in with the new.”
Jonathan Brown added the actual fact it wasn’t only a new AFL setting but in addition a life-style change for Hardwick transferring as much as the Gold Coast for the Suns’ teaching gig.
“All coaches want the factory line – the ongoing factory line of players and that’s what the Gold Coast Suns have got in their Academy,” Brown mentioned.
“Five boys were All Australian in Under 16s this year. Dimma would be looking closely at that.
“He’s no fool.
“He’d be looking closely to say – ‘I want ongoing talent coming through’.”
Ralph mentioned there can be minimal staffing modifications below Hardwick with present interim coach Steven King eager to remain on.
But he’ll must make quick calls on his new listing to snare the membership’s Academy expertise come draft time.
“The club’s interim coach Steven King is contracted and really keen to stay and coach under Dimma,” he revealed.
“The club’s footy boss Wayne Campbell will stay in that role.
“King, Rowell, Anderson, Mac Andrew, Humphrey, Ballard – recruiters tell me today a lot of them would take the Academy kid Jed Walter over Harley Reid.
“195cm power forward, got two more Academy kids as well now.
“They’ll try and listen to offers for their number seven draft pick in Elijah Hollands. They’re going to have to amass some points for these young draftees.
“They are absolutely locked and loaded and he (Hardwick) gets the free kick to get them in the finals.”
Originally revealed as ‘He’s no idiot’: Secret bonus cause Hardwick becoming a member of Gold Coast Suns
Source: www.news.com.au
