RICHMOND coach Damien Hardwick has given an honest appraisal of his 2016 season, saying he "was the problem" for the Tigers' underwhelming year.

With expectations high to challenge for another finals berth, Richmond endured a poor 2016, winning just eight games and finishing in 13th position on the ladder.

An honest Hardwick spoke about his struggle to cope with the demands last year and failing to strike a healthy work-life balance.

"I felt I segregated myself from players, I was working harder than I had to, I was trying to find the solution myself but in effect I was the problem," Hardwick told Fox Footy on Monday night.

"I was looking for things and creating things that weren't actually there half the time.

"I ended up being too worried about the micro and not the macro, so I had a really poor year (and) I rectified that.

"(My workload) was out of control. And you're at your worst, you're locking yourself away – I wasn't in a good spot at that stage, there’s no doubt about it."

The Tigers were handed their third successive elimination final defeat in 2015 and are yet to win a final under Hardwick since he assumed the reigns in 2010.

Hardwick acknowledged he reached a low point about a month prior to the end of last season, perhaps given a fourth consecutive finals appearance was now out of reach.

He detailed the emotional toll of his 2016 campaign.

"I went off the path I normally was (on)," Hardwick said.

"I'm usually a happy, vibrant personality around the club and I like to think I still portrayed that but deep down I wasn’t happy in myself and the way I was going.

"I just needed that endpoint for the season to end before I could finally unpack it, put it to bed and then move on."

After 13 rounds this season, the Tigers are 7-5 and sit sixth on the ladder.