New Richmond coach Damien Hardwick is a smart bloke, so he has probably paid heed to the famous words from the American philosopher George Santayana who once famously warned that those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it.

And while we're taking it that Hardwick has gone into the job with his eyes wide open, we at BPL are going to take a look at all those who sat in his chair before him, at least since Tony Jewell coached the club to its last flag in 1980:

Francis Bourke (1982-83): Champion player, very tough and ultra-serious about his footy, but had little patience for those who didn't approach their footy in the same manner, most notably Geoff Raines and David Cloke. Lesson for Hardwick: Different buttons push different players.

Mike Patterson (1984): Was previously knifed as coach of St Kilda by Alex Jesaulenko and Lindsay Fox. The team aged under Bourke and under Patterson only got older. Lesson for Hardwick: play the kids.

Paul Sproule (1985): A premiership player from the 70s who had won flags in Tasmania. Was in Graeme Richmond's sights from the day he reportedly addressed the team at three-quarter time one rainy day from beneath an umbrella. Lesson for Hardwick: footy is a winter sport.

Tony Jewell (1986-87): The Tigers hoped he could recreate the premiership magic his second time around. Never had the cattle. But there is that famous vision of him looking pained and anguished and tearing at his hair in the old MCG coaches box. Lesson for Hardwick: remain stoic.

Kevin Bartlett (1988-1991): Never had the cattle, either. Nor much hair, come to think of it. Lesson for Hardwick: you're an outsider. Use it to your advantage.

Allan Jeans (1992): Lured out of retirement by the Tigers, prompting Bartlett to boycott the club for nearly 20 years. Not sure Jeans' heart was ever in it, and not surprising when you compare the respective Hawthorn and Richmond playing lists of the time. Lesson: buy into the program.

John Northey (1993-1995): Played the kids, developed a good list and made the finals in 1995 for the first time in 12 years. Then quit the club over a contractual dispute. Only at Richmond! Lesson for Hardwick: there's a time and place for contractual discussions.

Robert Walls (1996-97): A Carlton spy. Never accepted at Punt Road. Lesson for Hardwick: if you've ever had an affiliation with Carlton, keep it quiet.

Jeff Gieschen (1997-1999): Fingerprints all over the Walls sacking. Shmoozed the board, cultivated sponsors and wooed the fans, but probably didn't spend enough time watching the x's and o's. Lesson for Hardwick: coaches coach, marketers market.

Danny Frawley (2000-04): Too good a bloke to succeed at a club like Richmond. Took the team to a preliminary final in 2001 then made the age-old mistake of over-rating the list. Lesson for Hardwick: List management is a weekly activity.

Terry Wallace (2005-09): A bit like ‘The Giesch', spent too much time in the marketing department and not enough time developing his list. Made some appalling list management decisions and never settled on a distinct gameplan. Lesson for Hardwick: It's OK to use early draft picks on quality talls.