Analysis If Richmond win the premiership in 2023, will Damien Hardwick go down as the greatest coach of all time?

Will Damien Hardwick go down as the greatest coach of all time if he wins the 2023 premiership?


  • Total voters
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Dan26

Brownlow Medallist
Jan 23, 2000
25,040
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Werribee
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Essendon
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post count: 38,986
Not according to Dan26 . Essendon 2000 still ahead… mystique, x-factor, stars on every line, Lloyd kicking 109 goals, 116 team Brownlow votes, bigger margins, how good were Footscray that year!!!,…

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Jun 14, 2015
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In a house with a sausage dog Trevor
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Melbourne
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Port Adelaide Power
In all seriousness though, a 4th flag puts him at the forefront with Matthews and Clarkson AFL era
Bullshit.
All time GOAT in Dustin Martin, plus generational talents like Balta and Stack and Graham (... Jack Graham, that is!)...

Anything less than 2 or 3 more is an epic failure.
 
Feb 14, 2014
5,035
12,197
AFL Club
Richmond
One serious question I have for everyone, what makes a good coach?

It is genuinely agreed (by the other 17 teams) on Bigfooty that the Richmond Flag sides are the least skilled sides. If that is the case then does it not make Hardwick already a greater coach than say a Matthews? The Brisbane side is accepted as having a lot of star power so to borrow a phrase from Hafey "Micky mouse could of coached them to a premiership"
 

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Mr Meow

Brownlow Medallist
Aug 7, 2016
13,972
21,950
AFL Club
Geelong
One serious question I have for everyone, what makes a good coach?

It is genuinely agreed (by the other 17 teams) on Bigfooty that the Richmond Flag sides are the least skilled sides. If that is the case then does it not make Hardwick already a greater coach than say a Matthews? The Brisbane side is accepted as having a lot of star power so to borrow a phrase from Hafey "Micky mouse could of coached them to a premiership"
You could definitely argue that Hardwick delivered a bigger advantage from tactics compared to Matthews. The unknown is how much coaches (or the environment) unlocks various players potential. It's easy in hindsight to say Brisbane were a team of superstars. Geelong certainly didn't look like one before 2007. Maybe if Hardwick was in control of Brisbane in that era less of them would be recognised as hall of famers but he'd have eeked out flags more based on game plan/tactics anyway. Maybe a Geelong "down the highway" game plan from that 2007 era lets individuals express their flair and talent more than Richmond's 2017-2020 swarm, but it matters not if the end result is the same. The cream still rises to the top ala Martin, Cotchin, Riewoldt.
 
In all seriousness though, a 4th flag puts him at the forefront with Matthews and Clarkson AFL era
He’d still be a step behind both.

People underestimate how challenging getting to 4 consecutive GF’s is.
 
While that is a consideration, in the end it's flags that are the measure
It is, but 4 flags over 7 years with only 2 consecutive GF’s amongst them would put him behind Clarkson with 4 flags over 8 years, and 4 consecutive GF’s.
 
It is, but 4 flags over 7 years with only 2 consecutive GF’s amongst them would put him behind Clarkson with 4 flags over 8 years, and 4 consecutive GF’s.
Whilst I somewhat agree, Clarkson has a more talented list at his disposal.
 
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