Three-time premiership coach Damien Hardwick is set to be unveiled as the new Gold Coast Suns coach as early as next week, Fox Footy’s Jon Ralph has revealed.
Suns CEO Mark Evans had flown to Italy earlier this month to meet with Hardwick in the picturesque Cinque Terre in a bid to secure his signature.
Now Ralph says that five-year deal is done – it just needs to 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 said 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, as the AFL could pay at least $1 million of his contract in an ambassadorial capacity.
It wouldn’t be the first time the AFL has financially contributed to the Suns, after coughing up the big money to lure Karmichael Hunt from rugby league.
Former Collingwood coach and Couch panellist Nathan Buckley said he didn’t want to see any bad blood directed at Hardwick for his call to return, just months after stepping away from Richmond due to a lack of energy.
“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 fact it wasn’t just a new AFL environment but also a lifestyle change for Hardwick moving up to the Gold Coast for the Suns’ coaching 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 said.
“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 said there would be minimal staffing changes under Hardwick with current interim coach Steven King keen to stay on.
But he’ll need to make fast calls on his new list to snare the club’s Academy talent 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 published as ‘He’s no fool’: Secret bonus reason Hardwick joining Gold Coast Suns
