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The Gold Coast Suns have handed a promotion to Damien Hardwick's partner, Alexandra Crow.
Crow followed Hardwick to the Queensland outfit in 2024 when she was employed in a part-time consultancy role as the club's membership and marketing departments.
However, the move didn't come without some controversy.
Some AFL clubs reportedly fumed at the move, with footy journalist Damien Barrett revealing to Channel Nine, that some clubs had expressed concerns that this was another way for Gold Coast to effectively pay the premiership-winning coach more money and sidestep the league's soft cap.
'Some clubs believe this should be in the soft cap 'realm', which is the term AFL CEO Andrew Dillon used when addressing the Chris Scott situation,' the reporter told Footy Classified, with the soft cap for the 2025 season sitting at $7.7million.
Only 20 per cent of a coach's salary can be paid outside of a club's salary cap.
Alexandra Crow - the partner of coach Hardwick - has taken up a full-time role as the Gold Coast Suns' head of consumer growth
Several AFL clubs have reportedly raised concerns about Damien Hardwick's girlfriend initially getting a part-time role with the Suns
Barrett added: 'The employment of a partner of a person who is either on a playing list or coaching panel is the domain of the AFL integrity unit. There was either no knowledge, or communications have been sent sparingly to the AFL when it came to this.'
The AFL would later green-light Crow's new role with the Suns, with Suns CEO Mark Evans having revealed that her role was 'small' and that they would be using her experience around commercial strategies.
But according to The Herald Sun, Crow is now set to go full-time with the Suns and is set to be appointed as their new head of consumer growth in September.
It is understood that the AFL has again approved the appointment with Crow having updated her LinkedIn to reflect her new position.
Crow had previously been employed by Richmond's commercial sales team, which is where she and Hardwick first met.
They were first spotted together in January 2021. It came after Hardwick's split with his wife Danielle became public knowledge in December 2021.
His highly publicised break-up from Danielle allegedly caused some issues with the Tigers camp back in 2023, according to the team's former captain Trent Cotchin.
'Was it a distraction for the group? In my view, at times it was,' Cotchin wrote in his book.
Hardwick and his ex-wife Danielle (pictured) have three children together - Isabelle, Imogen and Ben - after 25 years of marriage
Hardwick met Crow (pictured together) while she was working for Richmond's commercial sales team in 2020
'Did it impact my relationship with Dimma? I would say yes, at that point, 100 per cent.
'We had built this culture on a platform of family, connection and love – and Dimma and Danielle's relationship had played a big part in all this – so it was only natural to be worried about the potential fallout'.
He added: 'We didn't lose the plot in 2021 but if I reflect properly, there just wasn't the same insane connection between the playing group that had been our suit of armour from 2017 to 2020.'
Danielle, meanwhile, had taken a swipe at Hardwick after their split.
'It is an old school environment, there is not really any way around it,' she said.
'Everyone is trying to evolve and that is wonderful, but it is male dominated and the life of a footballer and the life of a coach, for want of a better word, can become a very selfish existence.
'Because it is a demanding role and you are watching over the welfare of many, many young men so it does feel very important.'
