Not only has Clarkson’s authority been undermined but the Hawk bosses who sat alongside him as theyannounced his departure don’t really appear to want him there. Nor does Sam Mitchell,who seems to have known for some time – and certainly longer than Clarkson – that the senior job was to be his.
This is not the way succession plans work. In fact the only time they have worked in elite Australian rules football is when they happen at Sydney or when Paul Roos is involved and even then it’s not always smooth sailing as the Swans found out when Roos’ post-coaching QBE Academy role was cut back.
So whether or not you agree with the decision to remove Clarkson the claims that this is a carefully planned handover with all players on board simply do not wash.
This fact became even more obvious by both Mitchell’s and Clarkson’s flimsy attempts to articulate their first unofficial 2022 planning session,which sounded more like a 20-minute conversation that went nowhere.
Complicating matters even further is that the Hawks are embarking on a major list renovation that would make Clarkson’s role even more impossible to navigate. How can Mitchell be Clarkson’s boss?
And the only reason the club has even put forward the succession plan is because Clarkson has a watertight contract and it can neither afford nor is inclined to pay him out. This works the other way also. Clarkson might be free to test the market but he too has to be careful not to break his contract and publicly entertain offers while he is still the coach at Hawthorn.