Alastair Clarkson and Sam Mitchell.Credit:The Age
Clarkson,who has already strenuously denied a number of devastating claims detailed in the cultural safety review commissioned by Hawthorn,is alleged to have:
*Told Mitchell to hand in his mobile phone - along with the rest of the team - on the eve of an interstate game against Sydney during a period in which one of his twin babies was being frequently admitted to hospital.
*Expressed surprise before the twins’ birth that Mitchell was having children so close together (the Mitchell’s son Smith was 11 months old when the twins were born) and wondered at the effect this might have upon his playing career.
*Publicly announced Mitchell was missing a game against Richmond due to personal reasons relating to the twins’ health without the player’s knowledge or consent.
*Ultimately agreed to treat Mitchell with more respect when the pair resolved their differences at the end of the season but again questioned the wisdom of the timing of the twins’ birth.
Mitchell detailed some elements of his fall-out with Clarkson in his autobiographyRelentless,which was published after his playing retirement. He stated in the book that he came close to leaving Hawthorn for Collingwood so deep was his disappointment at the way he was treated by the senior coach.
However,more details surrounding Mitchell’s falling out with Clarkson emerged this week with former players and staff suggesting the allegations voiced by four Indigenous families relating to traumatic experiences during their time at the club had caused others to relive some experiences. One wife of a former player said Lyndall Mitchell was admonished by a club official (not Clarkson) for not showing enough emotion after the Hawks’ three-point preliminary final defeat in 2011.