Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has decided to lengthen his break over the off-season after a taxing 2020 campaign.
The now three-time premiership coach has said that he needs to have some time to himself after a "tough" season which saw his side claim their 13th flag and go back-to-back.
“I’m going to take a bit of a longer break this year over summer" Hardwick said to 3AW.
“It’s been a pretty full on 3-4 years and we’ve done a hell of a lot of work and had a lot of success along the way but sometimes you need to step back."
2020 was rough for all AFL clubs, but in for particular Victorian sides, who had to spend well over three months in interstate hubs.
However, Hardwick says that some "breathing space" is required and that he has full faith in his coaching staff to look after the club while he is absent.
“I’m very lucky that I’ve got some terrific assistants, and a couple of those guys will move on, but the coaching group and the people I have around me do a large amount of work and the reality is I sit at the top and manage those guys.
“But I’m very confident those guys can step up and fill those roles because it’s been a tough year – professionally and personally – so I’ll step back for a little while and won’t come back until maybe February … just to give myself a little bit of a break and a bit of breathing room, because I need it at the moment.”
