Damien Hardwick, the head coach of the Gold Coast Suns, was recently in the media spotlight. When he made comments using LGBTQI slurs to attack Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen, he courted controversy. As sports journalist Caroline Wilson reports, Hardwick’s comments have created such animosity with club leaders that they were offensive. At times, they haven’t just been criticized, but accused of “going rogue.” Things got more complicated ever since Hardwick admitted that Allen should stay out of the football business.
After a former player in his mouth, Balta, was given a community corrections order and a 6pm curfew for a brutal attack on an aggravated assault, Hardwick didn’t mince traffic. At the time, his office publicly lambasted Allen for her role in the incident. He urged her to stop “putting her nose in somebody else’s business,” a statement that did not sit well with either fans or his current club.
Wilson and her program, “Caro’s Call” — in this report by Wilson. During her interview, she revealed how fast Gold Coast Suns bosses jumped on Hardwick’s comments when made. In an interview last week, Hardwick escalated his attacks on Allen. This overt action to appease his boss and his club’s fan base only alienated him more from the club.
Wilson said that as commissioner, he had the whip hand over sacked senior AFL executives at the new Gold Coast Suns. That hint implies that Hardwick’s sway inside the organization is more than what a coach would normally have. She elaborated, saying, “Look, at some clubs, coaches hold (the balance of power). I think Ross Lyon has it at St Kilda, and Damien Hardwick at the moment has it at the Gold Coast.”
Wilson pointed to the outrage local Gold Coast Suns executives showed in response to Hardwick’s comments. She noted his follow-up comments were only days after their conversation. Those comments garnered a serious reaction and outcry from industry leaders.
If it’s suggested to him that it wasn’t maybe the smartest thing to say, and then he does it again…Wilson added, underscoring that Hardwick’s ongoing public denunciations would have resulted in severe punishment from the club.
Hardwick heard the outcry and did not hesitate to move from words to action. He stated, “Less talk, more action … magistrates, premiers — less talking, less chest-beating, more getting to work and getting it done.”
The unfolding drama has raised questions about Hardwick’s future with the Gold Coast Suns and how his comments may impact team dynamics and public perception. He is steering a challenging course, and all eyes are on him. They are trying to see how Hardwick & the club continues to react to the ever-growing fallout from his outrageous comments.
