Hardingham was selected by Essendon with the seventh pick in the 2010 AFL Pre-Season Draft.
[2] The following Friday night, he kicked two goals in a win against St Kilda.
He and his teammates were initially found not guilty in March 2015 by the AFL Anti-Doping Tribunal,[5] but a guilty verdict was returned in January 2016 after an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
He was suspended for two years which, with backdating, ended in November 2016; as a result, he served approximately fourteen months of his suspension and missed the entire 2016 season.
[6] Following his suspension, Hardingham signed as a playing coach at Pascoe Vale in the Essendon District Football League (EDFL).