North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson to return ahead of round 21 clash against Demons

Alastair Clarkson’s return to the coaching box has been locked in, and the four-time premiership coach will return with an updated game plan to create a smoother transition into 2024.

Alastair Clarkson could delay his coaching return to next year. Picture: Jake

A refreshed Alastair Clarkson will return as North Melbourne coach next month with an updated game plan that will set up the Kangaroos for a smoother 2024.

Clarkson’s return to the coach’s box has been locked in – round 21 against Melbourne in Hobart – giving the four-time premiership coach one month back in the hot seat to close the season after a 10-week mental health absence.

Clarkson will shadow caretaker coach Brett Ratten next week to observe the slight changes made to the football department, but he will not fly to Perth for the round 20 game against West Coast.

That match will mark Ratten’s last in the senior chair, giving the former Carlton and St Kilda coach two more chances at a breakthrough victory in games against the Saints and Eagles.

But the events of the past three months could see Ratten pursue a full-time job in football again next year.

Ratten was only working part-time at Arden St before being thrust back into the spotlight when Clarkson stepped away. Ratten will return to that reduced role after next week’s clash against the Eagles.

Clarkson will return for the final four games of the regular season. Picture: Getty Images

Clarkson has spent recent weeks studying gamestyle trends and attempting to get a handle on how the Kangaroos — winless since round 2 — are tracking as part of his integration back into AFL ranks.

Football boss Todd Viney said Clarkson had been charged with that project, with learnings to be “slowly introduced to set us up for next year”.

Clarkson has also attended under-18 national carnival matches as the club’s list management team sifts through what attributes it must prioritise for the upcoming off-season.

Clarkson was reunited with his players on Wednesday and will touch base with staff at Arden St again on Thursday.

While the AFL’s independent investigation into allegations of racism at Hawthorn has closed, the saga is expected to drag on through the courts.

But Viney was confident that would not impact Clarkson going forward and he would not again require a leave of absence.

“His eyes are back in his head,” Viney said on Wednesday.

“He does look refreshed, his energy is back. It’s the old Alastair.”

Clarkson said on Tuesday he might not coach again this year and it would be “later rather than sooner”.

Clarkson will return to take over from Brett Ratten. (Photo by Steve Bell/Getty Images)

But Viney clarified that was Clarkson not wanting to “be seen to be bulldozing his way through” the planned comeback.

“I think he was just a little bit gun shy yesterday, we’ve had this not in ink, but in pencil for a period of time,” Viney said.

“The full context of that statement wasn’t reported or played out but it’s always been in pencil that this is the program.

“We caught up last night with the key stakeholders and this decision about 6.30 last night we put it in pen and here we are.”

Clarkson hasn’t coached since round nine. Viney said that he was never worried that a “refreshed” looking Clarkson wouldn’t return this season.

“He just needed to take time away to put everything in perspective, but I had a gut feeling that he was always coming back,” he said.