At a media conference on Thursday, the Tigers coach threatened the journalist who asked the question with a "left hook" - albeit in jest - if his line of questioning continued.
"You can't say that," Hardwick said on Thursday.
"You play AFL footy mate, you've got to be tough. No doubt."
The suggestion came after his side surrendered a 35-point half-time lead against North Melbourne last Sunday, eventually going down to the Kangaroos by 28 points.
That loss followed a 50-point belting from Essendon.
A major area for concern was the contested ball count, with the Tigers copping a smashing in the second half on Sunday (48-74), as the Kangaroos piled on 13 goals to three after the main break.
Training on Thursday centered around winning the hard ball, with a tough session that included full-scale tackling and plenty of aggression.
Despite the doom and gloom that surrounds the Tigers' 3-8 start, Hardwick said if his team could produce a level of consistency across four quarters it could match it with flag fancy Fremantle.
The Dockers are coming off an impressive 40-point win against Adelaide last week and venture to the MCG on Saturday full of confidence.
"It (the first half against the Roos) was very similar to how we played last year. We've just got to make sure we continue to work on that," Hardwick said.
"Our consistency is what's letting us down over one quarter or a 20 minute period as we saw on the weekend."
Captain Trent Cotchin trained strongly and has been passed fit for the game against the Dockers, despite tweaking his ankle against the Roos, while midfielder Dan Jackson is in the selection mix after missing last week due to a hip issue.
Suspensions to Ty Vickery and Matt Thomas have also opened the door for veteran Chris Newman to make his return from an Achilles injury, while Dylan Grimes is also a chance to earn a recall.
Despite his team sitting 13th on the ladder and all but ruled out of finals contention, Hardwick said his focus was still on this year and not looking too far ahead.
"Our focus is still on winning games. We're a better side than 3-8. Our record will indicate otherwise, but we feel we're better than that."
Twitter: @AFL_BenGuthrie
