AFL 2025: North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson confident he can steer through Roos’ ‘growing pains’

Alastair Clarkson says questions over his development of North’s youngsters are part of the job – and he’s not backing away.

North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson insists he is up for the challenge of leading the Kangaroos through their “growing pains”.

The Kangaroos suffered their worst loss for the season to Geelong last Saturday, succumbing to the Cats by 101 points, and are facing a sixth straight bottom-two finish.

Despite collecting more wins than last year, the heat has risen on Clarkson and whether he is developing the raft of first-round picks to compete at AFL level.

Clarkson referenced young defender Wil Dawson and how the Roos would persist with him in important roles, like the one he had on Jeremy Cameron for parts last week.

The four-time premiership coach said “it’s all terrific learning” for players of Dawson’s experience as they pushed through “growing pains”.

“Three or four weeks ago when (Dawson) played against (Sam) Darcy, it was a real step forward, ‘Geez, he can compete with Sam Darcy, that’s a good effort’,” he said.

Wil Dawson competes with Sam Darcy. Picture: Mark Stewart

“Then he has a game against Geelong last week and it’s Cameron and (Shannon) Neale and it’s like, ‘Oh wow, there’s 15 goals between them’ … it’s all terrific learning.

“Some players need that exposure and it’s tough to sit through. We don’t want to sit through it for too long … it’s just some of the growing pains unfortunately.

“Some of the more senior, experienced sides in the competition have already been through those growing pains, we’re going through them now.”

Clarkson said the question marks on whether he’d developed the young Roos at all were “all part” of being a senior coach.

He doesn’t know when it can turn for North Melbourne but is confident it can.

“It’s why we do what we do, we love the game and part of the challenge is overcoming the adversity,” he said.

North Melbourne players leave Marvel Stadium after losing by 101 points last weekend. Picture: James Wiltshire/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“It’s a tough job though with any list in the competition and we just keep batting away at it.

“I had some tough times when I was at Hawthorn, 2014, no one would look at it and say, ‘2014 was a terrific year for Hawthorn, they won the premiership that year’.

“But gee we confronted some adversity. I was out for six weeks with a serious illness, some of our more senior players were missing 10, 12, 14 weeks of footy and it was a really, really tough year.

“It was unbelievably rewarding that even despite the adversity we were able to win – but that’s what we’re searching for.

“We know this game is tough, whether you’re a side that’s good and challenging at the top end, it’s still really, really tough.

“Having been in the game a long period of time, as tough as it is and it seems like, ‘Well gee we’re being overly patient’. All of a sudden it will turn and the confidence of the group will rise.

“When that’s going to happen, I don’t know, but sometimes it can happen really quickly.”

Alastair Clarkson has confidence he can turn North Melbourne around. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Clarkson vows he is still up for the challenge of rebuilding North Melbourne and again uses his time at Hawthorn as proof.

“I love the challenge of it, it’s a significant challenge, but I don’t see it any different to the challenge when I first arrived at Hawthorn,” he said.

“No senior coach, political turmoil in the footy club, less than 25,000 members and in a very, very quick space of time that club was able to turn itself around.

“I am confident it can be done here as well and I’m enjoying the challenge of it as well.”

Originally published as AFL 2025: North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson confident he can steer through Roos’ ‘growing pains’