Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick claims the foundation of his stunning post-match swipe at Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen was around “less talk, more action” and a determination to see less crime in the community.
Richmond’s selection of Noah Balta — just days before his sentencing for an assault charge he pleaded guilty to — was a strong talking point both before and after its Round 6 win over the Suns.
A week prior, Premier Allen had questioned what sort of message picking Balta to face Fremantle – he ultimately returned via Richmond’s VFL team in Round 5 before an AFL re-call against the Suns – would send to the community.
FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer.
After Balta — who Hardwick coached at Richmond — played a key role in the Tigers’ win over his Suns, Hardwick on Saturday night spoke briefly on the Tigers’ decision – either side of a strong message for the Premier Allen.
“At the end of the day, he got a suspension through Richmond, through the AFL (and) a four-week penalty,” Hardwick said on Saturday night.
“You’ve got a Premier that put her nose in someone else’s business. She should just concentrate on getting the state running well … it’s an absolute mockery of her making comments in regards to that.”
Hardwick’s comments received criticism from some AFL commentators, with veteran journalist Caroline Wilson on Channel 7 suggesting the coach was “out of line” considering that “law and order was in the remit of every State Premier, particularly one whose Government has committed $15 million to the Punt Road rebuild in the name of community”.
How Tigers made Balta situation worse | 04:08
Asked four days later if he stood by his comments, Hardwick told reporters on Wednesday: “It’s more I just want to be tough on crime.
“Noah got his fair whack, he made a really poor decision, he understood that and he knows that. I think what we need to do as a society is be harsher on crime – I still stand by that and I always will.
“At the end of the day … it’s accountability and responsibility.”
It was then put to Hardwick by a journalist that as the Victorian government helps fund the AFL that Premier Allen had a right to comment on the Balta situation and the example it sets for young footy fans.
Hardwick replied: “All I want to be is really hard on crime – and that’s exactly what I want our Premiers and our political parties to do.
“Less talk, more action. Magistrates, Premiers – less talking, less chest-beating, more getting to work and getting it done. We as taxpayers demand it, you as a taxpayer-funded organisation ABC should be demanding more of it. Less questioning me, more questioning Premiers.”
Hardwick’s Suns are intent on avoiding back-to-back defeats when they host Sydney on Sunday at People First Stadium.
“They’ve got a number of players that are capable match-winners. The thing they do well is they’ve got a great system of play that they’ve had a for a long time,” said Hardwick, who added the first-year Swans head coach Dean Cox was trying to add his “individual flair” to that system.
“There’s a couple of things they do differently, but what we do know is that they’re very capable of playing some good, scintillating footy if we allow them to play the way they want to play.
“It’s going to be a challenge but we’ll look to negate that the best we can.”
Hardwick also said he wanted star defender Mac Andrew to continue to “push the boundaries” with his aggression, fearing a drop in his combativeness would lead to lesser performances.
“We love Mac as a player and we love the aggression that he brings,” the Suns coach said on Wednesday.
Is Balta coming back to AFL too soon? | 03:43
“I love bringing players back. I hate having to wind players up.
“Mac’s one of those players. He’s very passionate about the game of AFL footy. He’s abrasive, he’s aggressive, and that’s why I think he’s one of the best players in the modern game.
“I was a real hothead when I played, to start my career.
“He’ll grow out of it. We’ve had a conversation this week, but I’ll always fully support our boys.
“They’re going to make mistakes, they’re not perfect. Every now and then they’re going to get antagonised … every now and then we are going to overstep the mark, but you know what the very best sides do? They press and push the boundaries.”
— with NCA NewsWire
Discussion about this post