Luke Hodge on North Melbourne’s hopes of signing Alastair Clarkson as coach
The romance of Alastair Clarkson returning to North Melbourne in its time of need is undeniable. But, there’s a big issue one former skipper says needs addressing first.
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North Melbourne will need the “strength to control” Alastair Clarkson if they secure him to fill the club’s vacant coaching role, according to champion former Hawk Luke Hodge.
It’s understood the Kangaroos hierarchy plans to reach out to Clarkson or his management about leading the club following the axing of David Noble this week.
Hodge, who won four premierships under Clarkson at Hawthorn, said stability would be key to securing and ensuring longevity with the four-time flag-winning coach.
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“The hardest thing with Clarko – he’s not an easy person,” Hodge told SEN radio.
“He’s not an easy person to deal with. Yes he is a great coach. I love him as a coach. As a mentor. But he’s not easy.
“And I reckon he would be the first to say that, and (his wife Caryn) would be the first to say that as well and everyone that’s worked with him. But he gets results.
“If they’re going to go after him … yes, he’s going to have some opinions and that’s why he’s been such a good coach in the past.
“He’s very headstrong and very strong-willed, and he wants the best for the football club. But he can’t come in as The Clarko Show.
“He needs to know where his place is and that means they need a stable board and stable off-field to let him know that. If that means that they get people in and around that have the strength to control him when they need to, then yes, he could go there.
“I think deep down, he wants that. He needs that for him to be a successful coach – that sometimes it’s not always his way.”
Like Clarkson, West Coast coach Adam Simpson has a personal connection to North Melbourne having won two premierships as a player, but the Eagles remain adamant he will honour his contract, which runs until the end of next season.
Hodge said Clarkson thrived when Hawthorn was “very stable” under then-president Andrew Newbold and chief executive Stuart Fox.
But he maintained that any coach cannot “be running the football club”.
Hodge said he currently sees it as “doubtful” that his former coach would go to Arden Street, but “if they can be strong and make some calls off – field”, his opinion could change.
West Coast chief executive Trevor Nisbett emphatically ruled out any shift for Simpson.
“I will just reiterate. Adam has got a contract. We are in constant dialogue. He is going nowhere. We are not happy with where we are and nor is he but we have a strategy in place and we will stay with the strategy,” he said.
Nisbett said that while neither Simpson or the club were satisfied with the current position on the ladder (17th with just two wins) both parties retained confidence in each other.
“I think it was described pretty well on the weekend,” Nisbett said of the performance against Carlton.
“We were Jekyll and Hyde. Some of our quarters were pretty good but we need to do that for a whole game and until we get to that stage we won’t be complete.
“There is a lot of work to do to make sure we have got our injury list right, overcome the illnesses and that sort of thing we have had this year. But Adam has us on the right trajectory.
“We know what we have to do and he will be with us.”
THE CONTENDERS: WHO WILL BE NORTH’S NEXT COACH?
Glenn McFarlane
North Melbourne will immediately begin the search for its third senior coach in in the space of three years with premiership coaches and former Kangaroos players Alastair Clarkson and Adam Simpson heading an ambitious wishlist.
It’s understood North powerbrokers will soon reach out to Clarkson or his management about leading the Kangaroos.
It comes as the Kangaroos officially parted ways with David Noble after 38 games on Tuesday, with VFL coach Leigh Adams to act as caretaker until the end of the season.
SCROLL DOWN FOR THE FULL LIST OF CONTENDERS
The club also confirmed they are in discussions with the AFL about possible concessions that could include a priority pick, which might be a carrot to the next coach.
North Melbourne president Dr Sonja Hood said the club had not approached four-time premiership coach Clarkson, who intends to coach again next season.
Dr Hood also denied the club had made contact with Eagles coach and former club captain Simpson, who said recently he intended to see out his contract at West Coast.
“I’m not going to speculate on what we’re going to do from here,” Dr Hood said on Tuesday.
Asked if the club had approached Clarkson, she stressed: “No.”
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While Dr Hood and Kangaroos chief executive Ben Amarfio were reluctant to reveal details about the club‘s hunt for a new coach, they said the process would start sooner rather than later.
Amarfio said: “(The search) will start later this week once we get past all this, absolutely.”
Clarkson has made it clear he wants to coach again next season after walking away from a bungled succession plan at Hawthorn.
He has already had an informal chat to the Giants about their vacant coaching role, which may have forced the Kangaroos into acting swiftly to move Noble on after a tumultuous season.
It is unclear whether Clarkson would be interested in coaching the club at which he played 93 games in nine seasons from 1987 to 1995, given the prospect of a significant rebuild.
Simpson has also been linked to North Melbourne, but recently said he is “up for the fight” of helping to rebuild West Coast and he has a contract until the end of the 2024 season.
Former Magpie coach Nathan Buckley has ruled out an immediate return to coaching while Swans assistant coach Don Pyke is highly-rated but was reluctant to go through the process at Collingwood last year as he was understood to be keen to stay in Sydney.
Former St Kilda and Fremantle Ross Lyon is unlikely to chase a new senior coaching position, having pulled out of the Carlton process last year.
Other tried coaches Justin Leppitsch, Leon Cameron and James Hird could also be discussed, while caretaker GWS coach Mark McVeigh is open to looking at the North Melbourne job, but has prioritised the Giants’ role.
The Kangaroos are understood to favour an experienced senior coach after their past two untried coaches in Rhyce Shaw and Noble struggled to make an impact.
Shaw replaced Brad Scott as a caretaker coach in mid 2019 before being given the job on a permanent basis later that year. Noble replaced Shaw in November 2020, meaning the club is searching for its third senior coach in three years.
But well-credentialed assistant candidates Ash Hansen, Adem Yze, Blake Caracella, Daniel Giansiracusa, Robert Harvey and Adam Kingsley could be canvased as the Kangaroos look to find their next long-term coach.
THE COACHING CONTENDERS
Alastair Clarkson
Surely will be the Roos #1 target. The former four-time Hawthorn premiership coach used to play for North Melbourne and is on the record saying he’s keen on coaching somewhere next year. The Giants and the Roos will both be after his services.
Leon Cameron
Cameron resigned as GWS coach earlier this year but would be a worthy contender given his success at the Giants. Cameron led the side to the 2019 grand final and were regulars in the finals under his tenure. Cameron has kept a low profile since leaving the Giants.
Justin Leppitsch
The former Brisbane coach returned to the coaching scene as Head of Strategy under Collingwood coach Craig McRae this year. He ruled himself out of the race for Carlton last year but could get the senior coaching bug with a role vacant at North Melbourne.
Adem Yze
A rising star in the AFL coaching ranks. Yze was a part of the Hawthorn coaching panel during the club’s premiership three-peat and joined Melbourne as its midfield coach at the end of 2020. Success appears to follow the former Demons star.
Adam Kingsley
The former Power premiership player has been Richmond’s midfield coach under Damien Hardwick since 2019 after eight seasons with St Kilda. In the box seat to nab a senior role somewhere sooner rather than later.
Adam Simpson
The former North great won a premiership with the Eagles in 2018 and the Roos made a bold pitch for his services before appointing Rhyce Shaw ahead of the 2020 season. The West Australian reported last month that the Roos have a made a fresh bid at poaching Simpson. He could be a target despite his current commitment to the Eagles’ rebuild. West Coast and Simpson have been adamant that he would remain with the club to honour a contract that expires at the end of the 2024.
Leigh Adams
Will take over as interim coach for the rest of the season and we’ve seen caretaker coaches take the top job before. The 34-year-old retired from playing for the club in 2015 due to concussion before coaching stints at South Croydon and Coburg. He has been a Development Coach at North since 2019 and the VFL coach since 2021.
Daniel Giansiracusa
The Essendon assistant and former Bulldog was interviewed by Carlton last year and presented for the North Melbourne job in 2020. Giansiracusa spent six seasons as an assistant coach at the Dogs and has been at Essendon of the past two seasons and is seen as a highly rated prospect for a coaching job in the future.
Don Pyke
The former Adelaide coach and current Sydney assistant is well credentialed and would be another worthy contender for the Roos job if he wants it. Pyke is reportedly happy living in Sydney and out of the AFL coaching limelight. Collingwood was keen on Pyke during its appointment process last year but the former Crows coach decided not to apply.
Ross Lyon
Lyon is currently working for channel Nine and Triple M but was interested in the vacant Carlton job last year. The former St Kilda and Fremantle coach then pulled out of the race for the Blues job declaring he didn’t want to go through the process for the position. It’s uncertain whether his mind has changed but North will surely run a thorough process after having three coaches in four years.
James Hird
Unlikely but you never know. When Hird’s coaching career ended at Essendon amid the supplements scandal, it appeared he’d never coach again. But he’s dipped his toe back in with a part-time leadership advisory role with the Giants this year. He declined taking part in the coaching process at the Giants. A rough chance, but stranger things have happened.
Blake Caracella
When the former Essendon and Brisbane Lions two-time premiership winner stepped up to fill in for Ben Rutten earlier this season, he declared he wanted to be a senior coach. Incredibly well credentialed following strong apprenticeships with assistant coaching roles at Collingwood, Geelong, Richmond and now Essendon.
Nathan Buckley
The highly respected former Collingwood coach has stepped seamlessly into the media and is on the record declaring he won’t take a coaching role next season. But could he change his mind? If he put his hand up he’d surely be a contender here. Seems unlikely.
Ashley Hansen
The Blues poached the highly-touted assistant from the Western Bulldogs in the off-season before Hansen stepped in for Michael Voss as matchday coach in round 2 with Voss in Health and Safety protocols. Hansen is seen to be right up there in the line of untried coaches for future AFL jobs.
Robert Harvey
Was one of the leading contenders for the North Melbourne gig before David Noble was appointed in 2020 and served as Collingwood’s interim coach last year. Has now landed at Hawthorn under Sam Mitchell but could put his hand up again to be a senior coach.
Mark McVeigh
The current Giants interim coach has indicated he will throw his hat in the ring for the Roos job declaring he has the passion to be a senior coach. McVeigh took over from Leon Cameron earlier this year with a 3-4 record so far.
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