‘Club must win back respect’

Tigers work to restore image

RICHMOND coach Damien Hardwick concedes last week’s protocol-breaking night on the Gold Coast has tarnished the club’s reputation but says the incident is not reflective of his team and does not expect it to affect on-field performances.

Sydney Stack and Callum Coleman-Jones were suspended for 10 games and booted from the Queensland hub after taking an Uber to Hollywood Showgirls strip club then getting into a fight outside a kebab shop in Surfers Paradise about 3.30am last Friday morning.

Two-time premiership coach Hardwick said he was incredibly disappointed the club had lost respect and the club’s image meant a lot to him. But he stressed that “98 per cent of our players know and respect” the AFL’s COVID-19 protocols.

“We speak about the Richmond family and what our jumper represents and who we are as men and an organisation, and it reflects poorly on us, we understand that,” Hardwick said. “Respect is very hard to earn but it’s easy to lose and we’ve probably lost a bit at the moment.

“The important thing for us is we’ve got to continue to rebuild our reputation.

“It’s been tarnished, there’s no doubt about that.

“It’s been an intense 48 to 72 hours but we’ll grow from it, we’ll learn from it, the players are disappointed and accept the responsibility.”

Hardwick said the AFL allowed Richmond to hold birthday drinks for Jack Ross and Ben Miller, but Stack and Coleman-Jones “took it upon themselves after the admitted finish to have an hour’s sleep then go out”.

The coach learnt of their indiscretions the next morning.

He said he had emphasised to the players the ramifications of another breach, which would result in the loss of draft picks and/or premiership points, but called the club’s messaging “consistent”, even before last week’s incident.

“We can only tell them so many times as an organisation as a coaching fraternity as an administration of what the protocols are,” Hardwick said.

“Two players stepped outside the boundaries and it’s cost us and them dearly, so we’ll continue to educate and grow.”

West Australian Stack has played nine games this season, most recently in Round 13 against Essendon.

Coleman-Jones, a South Australian, has featured once for the club.