Mick Malthouse: Alastair Clarkson presence has coaching carousel in full swing after Leon Cameron exit

The biggest name in the coaching game is looking for a new home. Where is his best fit? Mick Malthouse takes a close look at the options.

LAUNCESTON, AUSTRALIA – JULY 10: Hawks head coach Alastair Clarkson looks on before the round 17 AFL match between Hawthorn Hawks and Fremantle Dockers at University of Tasmania Stadium on July 10, 2021 in Launceston, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)

And the coaching merry-go-round begins.

Very few coaches resign. They are pushed, moved sideways, moved out. Sacked is sacked. Quite often it’s very ugly, but Leon Cameron and Greater Western Sydney handled his departure graciously.

Cameron’s shoulders have returned to their normal position, no longer slumped forward by the stress that weighed upon him. It is only when you step away from the game that the full impact of that immense pressure is revealed. The toll it has taken on you and your family.

Having said that, the role itself is a wonderful job, so you take the highs and the lows.

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There is a sneaking suspicion that the AFL hierarchy wants Alastair Clarkson to be Gold Coast’s next coach.

Coaching is an extension of your playing career, helping young people live-out their football dreams. The coach aids the clubs in giving their supporters what they’re after. There’s only one premiership each year, but there are many heroes along the way.

Some clubs are very capable of winning a premiership, some are only capable of holding ground.

Now that the first coach has fallen on his sword, the wheels have started turning early.

The sheer presence of Alastair Clarkson — re-emerging as a 2023 coaching contender — will no doubt have some coaches second guessing where they’ll be or if they’ll be.

It will put unnecessary pressure not only on vulnerable coaches, but the committee members who make up the boards. Who will hold their nerve? Who will panic?

There will be more scrutiny from the media, and the supporters. And players will start to question what is around the corner. Doubt in any player’s mind is like a cancer. It spreads to create a very unhealthy environment.

Stuart Dew is nearing his 100th game as coach of Gold Coast and seems to have the players on side. Will it be enough.

The media has established that Clarkson, with a win-loss average of 58 per cent from 390 games, and four premierships, is the principal candidate. He is a fine coach, make no mistake.

But by “prioritising the potential to win a premiership” he has taken many clubs out of the equation. Does that include the Tasmanian job, if there is a decision on that soon?

His last finals appearance with Hawthorn was in 2018. So, the question is, will his premiership cup aim be a short-term or long-term investment?

The Giants are proven finalists. They are a very good young side that is now maturing. Any team with Toby Greene, Lachie Whitfield, the emerging Tom Green, Tim Taranto, Nick Haynes, Sam Taylor, and Josh Kelly, will always be around the mark.

Injuries, suspensions, and free-agency raids have hampered them in the past, but they would be a terrific team to take on as coach.

It’s western Sydney, so, you coach it, you must live it. Embrace the crowd, embrace the area. It’s in rugby league heartland, and as much as Cameron and the club made great inroads, that code will always be a threat to AFL involvement and development.

How close is GWS to 12 on the premiership clock? I don’t think they’re far off it.

Clarkson says he won’t talk to the Giants. Yet.

Leon Cameron makes his way off the field in his final game as coach of GWS. Picture: Phil Hillyard

You rarely look at clubs that are going well on the ladder for a change of coach. That cancels out more options.

Perhaps under current contractual arrangements North Melbourne is looking at a change? I hope not. David Noble needs time.

The Kangaroos aren’t blessed with the best list, so it’s a constant uphill battle.

Maybe that rules Clarkson out of that one.

It can be argued that Port Adelaide is entering a period of change, with Ken Hinkley’s record of three preliminary finals and no premiership. Again, I hope not.

Hinkley holds his nerve and has demonstrated again this year to never underestimate him, powering Port from bottom to just outside the top eight with four consecutive wins.

Would Clarkson be a fit here? I think not, I can’t imagine him moving back to Adelaide. Travis Boak, Robbie Gray and Charlie Dixon have held Port together for a long time. Even with the young talent coming through in Connor Rozee, Xavier Duursma, Zak Butters and Mitch Georgiades it won’t be a quick fix, so it might not be the right fit for Clarkson.

West Coast won the premiership in 2018. It has an ageing list that’s been hit hard by Covid and injuries. Its current ladder position is not a true reflection of the team’s ability.

The Eagles are certainly in a rebuild, so by Clarkson’s admission would he be truly willing to move across the country for the long-haul?

By inference, that leaves two teams. Gold Coast or St Kilda.

Both clubs, while in different positions, are on the up. Cementing their credentials.

I take my hat off to both coaches.

The Saints’ have rallied around Brett Ratten’s methodologies. He is a rare, recycled coach who wears his heart on his sleeve, clearly happy to be back in the hot seat. And he is proving St Kilda to be worthy top-four contender this year.

Brett Ratten appears relatively safe down at Moorabin. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

As the self-belief grows and the best 22 are capable of being on the ground together regularly, the Saints have a legitimate claim to be a contender this season.

Why on earth a club would want to remotely think about changing that system is beyond me. But over the Saints’ 100-year journey, with only one premiership, there has been some strange decisions made.

Stuart Dew is nearing his 100th game as coach of Gold Coast. He has done a remarkable job with a young side that has transformed itself from being highly inconsistent into a team that is aggressive and hard to beat.

One must remember that the Suns lost their key forward in Ben King before the season started.

Wins over Sydney and Fremantle have boosted their confidence. The body language of the players shows that Dew has them onside.

But there is a sneaking suspicion that the AFL hierarchy wants Clarkson to be Gold Coast’s next coach.

The league may well support many clubs financially to keep them viable, but I can only hope that is where it ends. Any hint of interference in coaching contracts should never be tolerated. It can only end in disaster if the AFL has any impact on who coaches and who doesn’t coach a football side.

There is still a lot of water to flow under the bridge this season. It’s already looking choppy. As decisions are made it could become quite turbulent. Who will get the life-vests? We wait to see.