A phone call last Sunday changed a football club forever and thrust a new AFL coaching candidate into the ring.
Damien Hardwick fights back tears as he farewells the ‘love of my life’ in emotional sign-off as AFL Richmond Tigers coach – and thanks his ex-wife and new partner while she sits in the front row.
McQualter said he had not “given a single thought” to the potential of throwing his hat in the ring to be Hardwick’s permanent replacement after the triple-premiership coach’s shock decision to end his 13 years in charge.
After what he called a “crazy 48 hours” which included a phone call from Hardwick, his mentor for nearly a decade, last Sunday and then another to inform him he’d be in the hot-seat, McQualter said he had no choice but to get to work ahead of Sunday’s clash with Port Adelaide.
“It was a crazy 48 hours; I really didn’t find anything out until late Sunday afternoon or evening,” McQualter said on Friday.
“He just called me to tell me that he was stepping down … It was pretty emotional phone call, to be honest. I’ve spent 10 years with him, so it was tough.
And like that he was goneâ¦. Dimma walks out of Punt Road as the players train without him under interim coach Andrew McQualter pic.twitter.com/gXXjj7Csto
— Jon Ralph (@RalphyHeraldSun) May 23, 2023
“That’s the best and worst things about footy clubs, they move on so quickly. So we spent all Monday just dealing with the sadness, in a way, and the emotion.
“Then on Tuesday we had to get to work; we have been able to move forward, quite quickly.”
McQualter said it was a “bittersweet” way to take over, but that the senior players had guided their teammates to a place where they could be focused on football again.
“I think the energy from the group has been outstanding,” he said.
“We’re really fortunate to have a great group of leaders and players and I guess in a way, I’ve had relationships with these guys, particularly the older ones, for 10 years.
“So they’ve been incredibly supportive of me and the program and we’re just looking forward to getting to work.”
Tim Taranto with new Richmond Tigers interim coach Andrew McQualter. Picture: Quinn Rooney / Getty Images
McQualter, who played with some of the players he’s now coaching, was adamant they all still shared a strong belief success was just around the corner, despite slipping to 14th on the ladder, with just three wins this season, after last Saturday’s one-point loss to Essendon.
It was a belief which he said was key in his reason for knocking back an offer to join Ross Lyon when he was appointed St Kilda coach late last year.
“I’ve just spent so much time at this footy club; I love the players and thought we still had a great chance of being really competitive, which I still believe,” he said.
“It’s pretty clear we still have belief in the way we play.”