AFLW Grand Final: The remarkably unremarkable life with the Clarkes

When mum is a breakfast radio host and dad’s an AFL coach, life as a family of five is always going to be busy. Throw in an AFLW Grand Final on Sunday — and the hectic barometer rises further.

AFLW coach Matthew Clarke with ABC radio presenter Ali Clarke, and family, Elouise, Sam, and Madeleine Picture: Dean Martin

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When mum is a breakfast radio host and dad’s an AFL coach, life as a family of five is always going to be busy: Throw in kids’ taekwondo, netball, soccer and music lessons — and a hometown grand final, to boot — and the hectic barometer rises further.

But, the Clarkes make it all seem remarkably unremarkable, thanks to a healthy dose of humour and a refreshingly down-to-earth attitude, take for example the family’s go-to dinners of “spag bol” and “frozen dumplings from a Chinese store”.

Crows’ women’s senior coach — and men’s assistant coach — Matthew Clarke is back in Adelaide hoping to steer his team to a premiership, after flying home on Saturday from the men’s round two clash with Sydney on Friday night.

Since touching down, he’s attended a captain’s run with his AFLW side, hosted a players’ team brunch at his family’s North Adelaide home and tried to catch a few moments with ABC radio presenter wife, Ali, and children Eloise, 9, Samuel, 7 and Madeline, 3.

“It is challenging, communication is the big thing — there has been a lot of notes getting written to each other … I am a routine person, my husband is absolutely not,” laughs Ali.

“Because the women (players) all have jobs, they have to train at night, so when I leave the house at 4am, it means we don’t see each other from Monday night through to Wednesday night, and then from Wednesday through to Friday.

“It was Sam’s birthday the other day and that fell on at training night, so we took down a cake and all the (Crows) girls sang happy birthday to him and he got his bike there — I wasn’t there in the morning, Matt wasn’t there in the afternoon.

“But you know, busy is always relative, I think people always feel their life, no matter the job they have, no matter how many kids they have, is busy, it is just the way you manage it.”

From her husband coach’s perspective, family is all-important and this season he’s made a point of trying to incorporate player’s families as much as possible, including holding a family training session, where all players and coaches invited their loved ones to attend — and encouraging families along post-game.

“I was very conscious of us, trying to make sure that wherever possible, we include those people in what we do, because they are massively important in terms of that support network and if we win or if we lose, you want to share it with somebody,” says the 45-year-old former Crows ruckman.

Ali says while the kids love interacting with the players — co-captain Chelsea Randall and her dog Koda have lived with the Clarke family this AFLW season — they are largely nonplussed by their dad’s former footy prowess.

“The kids came along after Matt had finished playing footy, so they’ve no concept of dad playing … up until now, they haven’t really been interested in footy, they’re only starting to get a bit more interested now because there friends at school are into it,” laughs the 41-year-old.

“They gave (footy) a go, but for football players they did a lot of handstands and a lot of the flossing (dance).”

For now, taekwondo and netball are the sports of choice for eldest daughter, Eloise — Ali has coached the school side with “mixed success” for the past three years — while it’s taekwondo and soccer for Samuel.

When asked if her husband’s background as an elite sportsperson makes him strict when it comes to the family’s diet, Ali lets out a laugh.

“When Matt started with the Crows, he had the lowest skin fold they’ve ever seen ... he has never had to worry about his weight, so he just doesn’t get it,” she says.

Both Ali and Matthew’s family live interstate — the couple met at Brisbane’s University of Queensland in 1999 (Matthew, who has the nickname “Doc” is a qualified vet) — and Ali admits the lack of family support living nearby has, at times, been tough but it’s “school mum” friends who’ve largely filled this void.

Far from being a stereotypical WAG, Ali says the reality of her life is very different to what some may think.

“Make no mistake, we understand how fortunate we are to be in the positions we are in but is it glamorous, no … I am not walking down the red carpet, look at me, please, I’m flat out getting a brush pulled through my hair on the way to work,” she says.

“(The other) morning Sam came in a 2.45am, just to tell me he was thirsty, and I am looking at him thinking, my alarm is going off in an hour’s time and you’ve two legs, you could walk yourself down to the fridge … but that is also what being a parent is about, it is never going to be smooth.”

And win or lose, when the family finally get some downtime, how will they spend it?

“For us, it is just sitting still on the couch, completing vegging-out and when we’ve the ability to get away, we love going away to the Fleurieu Peninsula … that time is just everything,” Ali says.

Originally published as AFLW Grand Final: The remarkably unremarkable life with the Clarkes