AFL clubs Adelaide and Richmond have locked their coaches in for three more years.
Adelaide extended coach Brenton Sanderson’s contract for a further two years, tying him to the AFL club until the end of the 2016 season.
After taking the Crows to a preliminary final berth in his first season in charge, Sanderson battled through a difficult 2013 campaign following a tumultuous off-season in the wake of the Kurt Tippett salary cap affair.
But Sanderson’s continued development of the club’s younger players – highlighted by a club-record four Rising Star nominations – earned the 39-year-old a new deal, having already been under contract through to 2014.
“We’ve been heading in this direction with our discussions for quite some time but it’s good to have it all done and dusted well before the 2014 season,” Crows chief executive Steven Trigg said.
“Brenton has had a range of experiences in his two seasons as senior coach.
“We are very confident that he is continuing to grow as a coach and is very much the right person to build on all the work of the past two years.”
Damien Hardwick has signed a two-year extension to remain coach of Richmond.
Hardwick was already locked in until the end of the 2014 AFL season but with the extension will stay on through 2016.
“Having seen the impressive transformation our football team has made in the four years that Damien has been coach, the board had no hesitation in making the decision to extend his contract,” Richmond president Peggy O’Neal said in a club statement.
“We are convinced Damien has the right attributes to guide our playing group. He is totally driven in his quest to make Richmond the best team in the competition.
“The board and management will provide Damien every support to collectively give us the best chance of success.”
Hardwick took the reins in Richmond at the end of 2009 with the club second last on the ladder boasting just five wins for the season.
The Tigers have enjoyed something of a resurgence under the former Essendon and Port Adelaide premiership player.
The side broke a 12-year drought this season when they made the finals, eventually losing to Carlton.
