Damien Hardwick hopes the parallels between Richmond's drought-breaking AFL premiership and the Hawthorn flag of 2008 have ended.
But he is brutally realistic about what lies ahead. Hardwick coached the Tigers to their 11th premiership on Saturday at the MCG. They ended a 37-year drought with the upset 16.12 (108) to 8.12 (60) win over Adelaide.
He said there were eerie similarities to the Hawks of 2008, when he was an assistant coach under Alastair Clarkson.
Just like the Hawks nine years ago, Richmond had a late-season loss and then stormed through the finals.
The two teams timed their runs to perfection. But Hawthorn dropped out of the top eight in 2009 and as much as Hardwick would want to avoid repeating that slump, it is also what happened to the Western Bulldogs this year after their historic premiership.