Hawks great Dermott Brereton’s shocking reveal about coaching saga
Hawks great Dermott Brereton believed there was a last-minute change of heart in Alastair Clarkson’s future, and took a sly dig at a veteran reporter.
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Hawthorn legend Dermott Brereton believes someone from his former club had a change of heart over the last few days with regards to the future of outgoing coach Alastair Clarkson.
It emerged on Friday morning that the Hawks will part ways with Clarkson by season’s end one year earlier than planned from an arranged coaching succession plan with Sam Mitchell.
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The decision came despite previous emphatic insistence from the club that all parties were at peace with the move and committed to seeing it through until the end of 2022 against speculation otherwise.
Speaking on SEN radio on Friday afternoon, Brereton thinks there was a “seismic shift” within the club in recent days after it realised not everyone was on the same page.
“The goal posts have been moved sometime I would say in the last 48 to 72 hours,” the five-time premiership Hawks.
“Somebody has had a seismic shift, because everybody was on the same page up until this last 72 hours. Somebody has decided: ‘No this is not the way forward for me and/or the organisation.
“I can tell you right now as we went past last weekend, on Monday, everything was the way it had been set out.”
The Australian Football Hall of Famer further explained his point by highlighting how many different parties are involved in the situation.
“On one side you have Clarkson, on another side Mitchell, another side called the board, another side a strong president and the fifth party – which I don’t pay much credence to – is a players’ body that have had a say.”
“Someone has had a shift in the past 72 hours”
Brereton – who has been a critic of the constant conjecture around Clarkson’s future particularly around veteran journalist Caroline Wilson’s reporting – remained firm on his stance that the outside talk had no substance.
“If you fly enough kites, one of them is going to stay afloat,” he said.
He continued by hitting out at Wilson for claims of previous incorrect reporting.
“I do know of kite flying before. I was involved with Caroline (Wilson) and she never apologised for it and I know she flew the kite and I know she told a porky,” he said.
“I confronted her about it because I was in the room. There were three people in a meeting many years ago, she wrote a story. I said: ‘I actually took the minutes from that meeting, you’re wrong’. She said: ‘No, my source tells me that I’m right’.
“So I stand by that – (if) you fly enough kites you eventually get one right.”
Brereton conceded that he “disliked” the way the events played out, but remained hard on his stance that he believes there’s been a shift in thinking at Hawthorn in the last few days.
“I am convinced that somebody has in the last 48 to 72 hours decided to change their landscape. That’s what has happened now,” he said.
Asked if he thinks he know who it is, Brereton said: “I think I do. Having said that, I have no surety about it. So to do that would be completely unfair on all parties involved.”
Brereton said it would be tough for Clarkson to coach out the season under the current circumstances amid no word yet on whether or not he will.
“I think it would be very difficult for Alastair to coach out the season. A lot of fans are upset and that is understandable. I love the club and feel ordinary it has got to this,” he said.
Originally published as Hawks great Dermott Brereton’s shocking reveal about coaching saga
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