Damien Hardwick has opened up about the ‘challenging’ year he suffered both personally and professionally after his ex-wife slammed the AFL culture as ‘selfish’. 

The Richmond coach has revealed how he coped with fallout of his shock split with partner Danielle after the pair spent 25 years together and raised three children. 

The collapse of their Relationship made headlines late last year after it was revealed Hardwick had struck up a relationship with his own club’s staffer Alexandra Crow. 

The three-time premiership coach said the aftermath of the split had been particularly hard on his wife and their three kids. 

‘My personal life is my personal life and that was a challenge dealing with it, not so much for me but for Danielle and the kids,’ he told the Herald–Sun.

‘It was a challenge at times but you just try to ride the punches as best you can.’

The 49-year-old’s marriage breakdown coincided with a tough season for the Tigers, leading to speculation his new relationship had repercussions for the team. 

In 2021, the Richmond team missed out on the finals for the first time since 2016. 

The disappointing blow followed a series of Covid-19 breaches and a nightclub altercation that saw star player Shai Bolton fined $20,000. 

Hardwick at the time said he was comfortable with how his players behaved, prompting critics to call the coach and his team ‘arrogant’. 

Of sticking his neck out for his players, the coach said he was prepared to defend his team at any cost but admitted the scrutiny could get on his nerves. 

He said he felt excited for the Tigers to bounce back in 2022 with a promising young squad preparing to dominate the upcoming season. 

It comes after his ex-wife claimed she has moved on after the couple’s shock split in September last year despite keeping her former husband’s surname.  

‘I am Ms Hardwick now, I am not Mrs Hardwick anymore,’ Danielle told Melbourne ABC Radio last September.

‘I am doing my best to remain dignified, so how I am feeling is still a lot of mixed emotions for sure. There has been a serious grief process for myself and my gorgeous adult children and the grief is real.’

It was revealed that Danielle had separated from Hardwick in December 2020. One month later, their deteriorated relationship made headlines when it was revealed Hardwick had struck up a relationship with young staffer Alexandra Crow.

In her tell-all radio interview, Danielle admitted she was still coming to terms with the separation months on from the incident. 

‘I guess when you plan a life with your best friend, your partner who you’ve spent your whole adult life with … there’s a definite loss when that’s not there anymore. So I’m on my way to being, well, OK, for sure,’ she said.

‘There’s certainly been every raw emotion that comes with this situation, but we all have a choice about how we will respond to these and I wanted to respond with dignity and respect my children.’

While the pair were still married, Hardwick affectionately referred to Danielle as ‘Mrs Hardwick’ during his press conferences. 

Danielle said the pair were the ultimate team and that she would keep the last name as it had become a part of her.

‘It (the surname) felt a bit of a negative connotation for me over the last part but ultimately it’s my identity and it has been my whole adult life, so I tried to turn what felt like a negative into a positive.

‘I am Ms Hardwick now, I am not Mrs Hardwick anymore and it is a family name so we are going to continue to embrace it.’

Danielle said she believed Hardwick was working in a ‘selfish’ football environment. 

‘It is an old school environment, there is not really any way around it,’ she said.

‘Everyone is trying to evolve and that is wonderful, but it is male dominated and the life of a footballer and the life of a coach, for want of a better word, can become a very selfish existence, because it is a demanding role and you are watching over the welfare of many, many young men so it does feel very important.’ 

In January 2021, Danielle made an explicit social media post that read: ‘F**k every single person that took advantage of your kindness and mistook it for weakness.’

The message came as details of her husband’s new relationship became public.

Hardwick’s relationship with the young Richmond staffer Ms Crow allegedly developed while the pair were caged inside the Queensland hub.

The hub, introduced so the competition could continue during the pandemic, was blamed for putting pressure on families.