Clarko Reveals ‘Most Critical’ Aspect Of ‘Messy’ Hawks Departure Situation

Alastair Clarkson says maintaining his good relationship with Sam Mitchell and his family was key to the decision to bring forward his Hawthorn departure by a year.

The Hawks confirmed on Friday the legendary coach would end his tenure with the club at the conclusion of this season, handing over to Mitchell one year ahead of the initial plan.

Reports in recent weeks had suggested there was a growing tension at the club, and Clarkson confirmed there had been challenges and differences of opinion since the succession plan was announced.

The four-time premiership winner said, after a series of ongoing discussions, it was decided giving Mitchell clear air was the best way forward.

“There’s been a lot of discussions and perhaps the reason this has all been a little bit messy in terms of not being able to control it to outside football world is that we’ve had ongoing discussions for the best part of three or four weeks,” Clarkson said on Friday.

“We’ve come to the realisation that this footy club needed some fresh air from 2022 onwards.

“Our club hasn’t performed anywhere near to the level we would’ve liked for a whole heaps of reasons.”

Clarkson’s comments suggested he was never particularly keen on the idea of a succession plan, the likes of which have been used to only mixed results at other clubs.

“It’s my view the footy club needs to free itself from my shadow in a sense,” Clarkson said. 

“I’m of the firm belief that only one coach can steer the direction of a footy club and it’s playing group and I felt like I was not going to be able to control the environment well enough.

“We realised that the best thing to do was to get [Mitchell] into the chair and get going as soon as we possibly could.

“We didn’t want to be a footy club that was treading water for 12 months.”

Clarkson has had a working relationship with Mitchell for nearly 20 years, coaching him to four flags while employing him as an assistant in recent years.

The 53-year-old conceded there had been some tension since the handover plan was hatched and resolving that was a key factor in the decision to step away sooner.

“We’ve had some difficult conversations over the last little while, trying to work out how we could make this work,” Clarkson said.

“What it all came back to was making sure that my relationship with the Mitchell family and the Mitchell relationship with the Clarkson family- that first and foremost was the most critical thing that we wanted to retain out of all of this.”

It’s been reported Hawthorn will pay out almost the full amount of Clarkson’s 2022 contract – around $900,000 – a further sign of the haphazard nature of the operation.

As arguably the greatest coach of the modern era, Clarkson’s name is already being linked to other clubs in the competition, namely Collingwood and Carlton.

When asked about his plans for next season, Clarkson played a fairly straight bat, but didn’t rule anything out.

“I’m just going to take a breath,” he said.

“Right at the present time I want to give all my energy I possibly can for the last four weeks of our season.

“Right at the present time my commitment is to just have a spell and see where 2023 might take me.”

Hawks president Jeff Kennett, thought to the be the main driver behind the plan to get Mitchell into the hot seat, has copped plenty of criticism from the footy world for seemingly pushing a coach of Clarkson’s calibre out the door.

Clarkson however insisted the decision was a mutual one and made with the club’s best interests in mind.

“The great line would be that it was me that went to the club or the club that went to me,” he said.

“But by and large there’s been so many discussions that have taken place over the last two or three weeks that it’s we that have come to this decision, not any one party.

“Even though it different stages it looks like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing against each other, we both agree with the same thing, healthy tension is a good thing in a football club.

“We never allowed that to distract where we needed to go and what we needed to do as a club.

“In this particular case, the best thing for the club was that I moved aside and allow Mitch to take the baton and create the next chapter in the football club.”

Clarkson will lead the team in their round 20 clash with Brisbane, before coaching out the final three games of the season to bring an end to his 16-year tenure.