Smoking what did he say???
Link to presser.
Hardwick previews Fremantle
Damien Hardwick addresses the media ahead of the Round 15 match against Fremantle.
www.richmondfc.com.au
Link to 7news report.
Coach confirms Richmond skipper considered quitting hub after COVID drama
The emotional fallout from his wife's protocols breach led to serious discussions about Trent Cotchin's immediate future.
7news.com.au
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has backed Trent Cotchin to lead the Tigers into the finals without issue after the dual premiership captain and his family “stuck fat” in the hub.
Cotchin entertained the idea of leaving Queensland to return home to Victoria in the wake of heavy scrutiny on him and his wife Brooke in early August.
Richmond were fined by the AFL after Brooke attended a day spa, breaching the league’s COVID protocols
The emotional fallout - including social media abuse that rocked the couple - led to serious discussions about whether Cotchin would remain in the hub.
“There was a conversation at one stage,” Hardwick confirmed on Tuesday.
“Trent is a family man, (he) will always do what’s best for his family. We are very much a club that is aligned to those values.
“We won’t ask a person to put themselves above their family. You know, Trent had some decisions to make and he’s very supportive of his family as we are supportive of Trent.
“But the reality is you sort of look at the conditions we’re in. We are very fortunate to be in better conditions than most in Victoria but probably 90 per cent of the people up here at some stage have gone ‘look, it’s hard’.
“I probably would think about going home (in that situation). But the reality is Trent has stuck fat, his family has stuck fat, they’ve been incredible up here and we are incredibly supportive of both of them.”