He was chastised by club officials in May, when he spoke out publicly against the effectiveness of the team's new short-kicking game-style. Hardwick jokingly explained to the media that the club had "moved (Riewoldt's) foot from his mouth and my foot from his arse". He publicly apologised via Twitter, and avoided the selection axe as a result. His on field response was significant, when he booted a career-high 11 goals in Richmond's 113 point win over the GWS Giants in Sydney.