Richmond president John O’Rourke and his fellow board directors face a difficult decision at the end of the AFL season. Who is the man to lead the Tigers after the Damien Hardwick era?
On the field, the Tigers have experienced a strange season. Sitting in 15th position, they remarkably are only a game and a half outside of the top eight. The Tigers face the Eagles, Swans and Hawks in their next three games and look likely to make a late push for finals contention.
Off field, Andrew McQualter has been at the helm of the Tigers in an interim capacity since Hardwick’s shock resignation in mid-May. The noise out of Richmond has been positive regarding McQualter’s interim appointment. McQualter is respected and well liked at Tigerland. Having worked as an assistant coach at Richmond since 2014, he has been pivotal in the development of their 2017, 2018 and 2020 premiership players.
Softly spoken and calm, McQualter has provided Punt Road with a steady hand during a period of transition for the Tigers. Impressive wins against St Kilda, Fremantle and GWS have been counteracted by losses against premiership fancies Port Adelaide and Brisbane.
McQualter has enacted subtle changes in Richmond’s modus operandi throughout his five-game tenure. Under Hardwick, the Tigers thrived on chaos and played on at all opportunities. Under McQualter, the Tigers are more controlled with the ball, leading to greater time in their forward half and increased uncontested possessions.
Richmond’s board will decide on Hardwick’s permanent replacement at the end of this season. The conundrum is philosophical in nature. Do they look to continue with Hardwick’s “Richmond way” philosophy and appoint one of his most trusted lieutenants, or do they look to refresh the club with the appointment of an individual from outside the club’s circle?
McQualter’s permanent appointment may appeal to the Tigers hierarchy’s preference for stability and continuity. Since the public backing of Hardwick in 2016, the Tigers have demonstrated their desire to stay the course in their football department. McQualter’s understanding of Richmond’s current playing list is better than anyone and Richmond’s players clearly play for him.
The Tigers powerbrokers may feel there is no reason to completely change paths in search for another premiership. With the likes of Dustin Martin, Jack Riewoldt and Tom Lynch still playing, the Tigers do not need to entirely adjust their coaching philosophy to contend in the short to medium term.
The concern for McQualter (37 years of age) is his coaching inexperience and lack of coaching involvement at other AFL clubs. After a career spanning 94 games at St. Kilda and the Gold Coast Suns, McQualter’s entire AFL coaching career has been completed at Punt Road under Hardwick.
Richmond interim coach Andrew McQualter. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)
Other recent AFL senior coaching appointments, such as Hawthorn’s Sam Mitchell and the Giants’ Adam Kingsley, had been assistant coaches at more than one AFL club prior to becoming senior coaches. These cross-club experiences make potential senior coaches more rounded and give them exposure to different performance cultures.
Alternatively, Richmond may seek to appoint an experienced assistant from another AFL club. The Richmond coaching job is an attractive job that will interest numerous high-quality applicants. The Tigers possess an excellent administration (run by CEO Brendon Gale), a huge membership base, excellent facilities, financial stability, and a playing list stacked with All-Australians and premiership players.
External coaching options for the Tigers may include current North Melbourne interim coach Brett Ratten, Melbourne midfield coach Adam Yze, current Collingwood assistant coach Justin Leppitsch (formerly a Richmond assistant coach) or current Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley.
A fresh voice may provide the tonic to regenerate an ageing list and provide the spark needed to push Richmond towards another premiership tilt.
