Jack Riewoldt expects Damien Hardwick to teach once more, saying it could be a disgrace if the Richmond nice doesn’t return to the AFL.
Hardwick, 50, has surprised the sport by abruptly ending his time on the Tigers and can take an prolonged break.
There is predictably rampant hypothesis about whether or not he can be again within the AFL, and in what capability.
“It would be a loss to the game if he didn’t coach again … I would be really disappointed if one of the great coaches of modern footy is not coaching,” Riewoldt instructed AFL360 on Tuesday night time.
“He still has plenty in the tank.”
Riewoldt was one in all Hardwick’s favorite gamers at Punt Rd they usually labored collectively for 289 video games – the second-highest whole for a coach and participant in VFL/AFL historical past.
They have been key figures within the 2017, ’19 and ’20 premiership groups that returned Richmond to powerhouse standing within the AFL after a long time of failure.
But as Riewoldt mentioned, it was not all molly-coddling – he famous Hardwick was all the time prepared with a stern phrase if wanted.
Riewoldt, 34, additionally mentioned his coach caught by him via the exhausting occasions in his excellent enjoying profession.
“At some of my lowest points, when I’ve been performing really poorly, he’s welcomed me into his house on a Tuesday/Wednesday night and said ‘right, let’s have three beers each and let’s just figure this out. What’s going on?'” he mentioned.
Assistant coach Andrew McQualter will now take over for the remainder of the season and the Tigers are upbeat about their future.
“There’s an exciting new chapter that starts now,” Riewoldt mentioned.
Asked if the overriding emotion was unhappiness or delight, Riewoldt mentioned there was a way of celebration at what that they had achieved below Hardwick.
There was additionally humour at Hardwick’s resignation media convention and a few of it was at Riewoldt’s expense.
“This isn’t about you, for once in your life … he’ll be deeply embarrassed about that but it just sums up Jack to be fair,” Hardwick mentioned with a broad grin.
The context was Hardwick contacting him after Riewoldt had struggled in Saturday night time’s Dreamtime At The ‘G match, which Richmond misplaced to Essendon by one level and proved to be the coach’s final AFL match with the Tigers.
“I’ve been thrown under the bus there,” Riewoldt, 34, mentioned that night.
“Getting to the end of your career and obviously I had one rough game on the weekend and I’m getting a bit older.
“I get a textual content from him, he goes ‘hey mate, are you free to catch up at the moment’ and I’ve simply gone ‘oh no, I’m getting wound up right here.’
“He called me and I said to him ‘maybe I was half-expecting this a little bit’ and then he goes ‘it’s not about you, mate, it’s about me’.”
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
