Why an Alastair Clarkson-Essendon union would be ‘irresistible’ as North Melbourne holds its breath

Essendon appears to have activated operation ‘Get Clarko’.

And of the options now in front of Alastair Clarkson, the Bombers loom as arguably the best and most appropriate landing spot for him — a stunning prospect for the Kangaroos, who days ago thought they had their No. 1 candidate all to themselves.

Put your finger in the air to judge the breeze and it seems the Bombers have entered the race for the four-time premiership coach, with the club poised to brutally part ways with Ben Rutten after just under two full seasons into the highly-publicised handover.

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Now-former Essendon president Paul Brasher is a Rutten man. But the Bombers board’s determination for an external review of the club’s football department led to Brasher stepping down, with sections of the board unhappy about the results of the internal review that was conducted, led by Sean Wellman and helped by Simon Madden and Kevin Sheedy.

One of those Bombers board members that pushed for an external review was long-time respected TV executive David Barham, who on Monday replaced Brasher as club president.

And Barham, it seems, is a Clarkson man. And, as pointed out by Herald Sun reporter Jon Ralph, Barham is close with Clarkson’s manager James Henderson after hiring his client Ricky Ponting for Channel 7’s cricket coverage.

Alastair Clarkson is a man in-demand. Picture: Brendan BeckettSource: News Corp Australia

Reports indicated two months ago that Clarkson would entertain the Bombers gig. Now that Brasher is gone, the club it seems is making a serious play for him.

No doubt, as the losses have piled up during a disappointing 2022 campaign, the Essendon hierarchy have been keeping tabs on the intriguing, rollercoaster narrative surrounding Clarkson, who’s poised to return to an AFL coaching role next year after having 2022 off.

Reports on Friday indicated Clarkson would make a call on his footy future as early as the end of this week. The Giants, who’ve had a coaching vacancy the longest after they and Leon Cameron parted ways in May, have met with him several times but, intriguingly, not tabled an official offer. North Melbourne has come later — and stronger — with a juicy bid to lure the former Roos player home, reportedly offering him a five-year deal — a contract Clarkson has been seriously considering signing.

But in the wake of Essendon’s horror loss to Port Adelaide on Sunday and North’s aggressive move to offer Clarkson a long-term deal — and his clear interest in that contract — the Bombers have moved quickly. Dismissing Rutten would give them a guilt-free opportunity to pursue the greatest coach of the modern AFL era, but reports indicate they’ve already made an 11th hour play for Clarkson before moving on Rutten. That leaves the latter’s position at Essendon “almost untenable”, according to ex-Demons skipper Garry Lyon, even if Clarkson ultimately knocked the Bombers back.

“North Melbourne have been down and I reckon the sense of optimism around them for a week now has been great … but the fit of Clarkson and Essendon might be irresistible,” Lyon told Fox Footy’s On The Couch.

Rutten not safe by any means! | 04:04

“I think now they’re going all chips in and I think they’re going to go hard.

“That external review might start and stop with one man: Alastair Clarkson. If it’s not happening right now then there’ll be the biggest search party for Alastair Clarkson and the most impassioned plea to get that man to come and coach the Essendon Football Club next year.”

“This is a big, massive football club that have been sitting in the dark for too long and they see Alastair Clarkson. I think it’s been a late realisation that he has to be the man.”

A Clarkson-Essendon partnership would make sense on many levels.

He wouldn’t have to move interstate, while he’d be taking over a big Victorian club with big resources that’s been starved off success for two decades. The ‘Messiah’ vibe he’d bring to Essendon would surely appeal to both him and the club, too.

Clarkson would also be taking over a team that has the potential to return to September in 2023 and beyond.

Speaking on Fox Footy’s AFL 360 Extra in May, Clarkson said his prime motivation for returning to the cut-throat coaching world would be the prospect of adding another premiership to the four he’s already won at Hawthorn.

Essendon has a young, developing list — yet one that’s well into its build and journey and one that made finals last year. In terms of the premiership race, it’s a list clearly ahead of North Melbourne’s and, arguably, the Giants’, for the latter could be about to lose several players to rival clubs during the trade period.

The Bombers, who sit 15th on the ladder with a 7-14 record, have had a tougher fixture this year compared to 2021 when they snuck into the finals series. But it’s the way the Bombers have lost many of their games this season, punctuated by their lack of defensive accountability, that has left AFL pundits and Dons fans frustrated.

Bombers fans ‘are sick of it’ | 03:12

They were thumped by the Cats (66 points), Dockers (48), Swans (58) and Power (84), while losses to the Bulldogs (32) and Giants (27) felt worse than what the final margins reflected. Overall, they’re ranked 16th for points conceded this season and 18th for tackles applied.

“Right now they lack system, they lack motivation and they lack standards as a footy club and I reckon the Essendon faithful are sick of it,” dual premiership Kangaroo David King told Fox Footy’s First Crack.

“Why are they gambling on a coach that is still developing when the absolute finished product (Clarkson) is there?”

Lyon added: “People will say ‘we’re worried about him, there’s baggage, he’s got too much control’ — but this is a club that needs someone to take control of their football club.”

There’s also a few reasons why Clarkson wouldn’t join Essendon.

The Bombers are the “mortal enemy”, as dubbed by AFL 360 co-host Gerard Whateley, of Hawthorn — and right up until the end of his 17-year tenure, Clarkson was fiercely loyal to the Hawks. So the prospect of Clarkson donning an Essendon polo shirt would be a painful prospect for Hawthorn supporters.

It would also be painful for North Melbourne, which has put a month of work into luring Clarkson to Arden St following David Noble’s departure.

Club president Dr Sonja Hood has driven the negotiations between Clarkson and North, leading to the five-year offer.

Former Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson. Picture: Nikki Davis-JonesSource: News Corp Australia

AFL 360 co-host Mark Robinson said Clarkson would reject Essendon if he had “a tremendous soft spot” for North Melbourne and developed a “real strong rapport” with Hood to the point where he would say “I can’t let you down now”.

“North Melbourne will be telling Alastair they want an answer by Wednesday to Thursday this week. Because if it‘s not Clarkson, they’ve got to get a move on,” Robinson told Fox Footy’s AFL 360.

“They’ve got a plan B – the place isn‘t going to fall down because Alastair Clarkson has said no. But they’ll want an answer and I think Sonja Hood and the North Melbourne officials will be sleeping a little uneasy tonight.”

Monday was huge, but Tuesday could be bigger.