Clarkson says draft rebuild won’t save Hawks

Alastair Clarkson says Hawthorn’s problems cannot be solved by simply surrendering to a rebuild at the draft.

Hawks head coach Alastair Clarkson speaks to his team at Giants Stadium

Alastair Clarkson says Hawthorn’s problems cannot be solved by simply surrendering to a rebuild at the draft, as pressure mounts on the Hawks and their coach to settle on a long-term plan.

Clarkson said he was unaware club President Jeff Kennett had commented on his coaching future, as he admitted there was no quick-fix to the crisis in confidence Hawthorn are facing after suffering their third-straight loss to Melbourne on Sunday.

Frustration appeared to be getting to Clarkson at stages during the 42-loss to a red-hot Demons side, as the super coach tossed his coaching papers into the air as he walked out to the team huddle at three-quarter time.

Some of the biggest names in football including Leigh Matthews, Wayne Carey, Matthew Lloyd, Dermott Brereton and Ross Lyon have weighed in on Clarkson’s future at Hawthorn and whether he is the right man to lead a rebuild.

Dejected Hawks leave the field after losing to the Demons at Giants Stadium. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Clarkson refused to respond to the speculation on Sunday but reinforced his belief that the method that has brought him such sustained success at Hawthorn is still the right one for the club to believe in.

“We’ve just spoken about Will Day and young Josh Morris. We’ll continue to inject players. We always have at this footy club and that’s the way forward for all footy clubs. The way forward for all footy clubs too is to complement your current list. You can’t just go to the draft,” said Clarkson.

“There’s not a side in the competition that can do that now. It’s not a pure draft anymore. There’s compromise everywhere, so every side in the competition (must) inject young players through the draft as well as complementing their group with players from other clubs that are either discarded or unwanted or whatever it might be.

“We like many clubs have been able to exploit that opportunity of trading for players over the best part of 10-15 years. We’ll just keep working away.

“We know that there’s no easy fix to this, no magic recipe. It’s just hard work.”

Clarkson said he was unaware of comments made by club boss Kennett, who appeared to suggest that while the club would never sack one of the great coaches of the modern era, Clarkson may not seek another contract after his current deal expires at the end of 2022.

“No, I didn’t even know he said anything,” said Clarkson.

“We’ll work our way through that. Hopefully we’re a while off yet.”

Kayo is your ticket to the 2020 Toyota AFL Premiership Season. Watch every match of every round Live & On-Demand. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

Even ex-Hawks premiership stars like Jordan Lewis have speculated about whether Clarkson has the “energy” for a rebuild.

Clarkson has pleaded with Hawks fans to stick-tight during a tough time.

“The wheel will turn. For our fans, our club has been in a really, really strong position for a long period of time and it’s not frequent we’re in these sorts of positions,” he said.

“And so we just work hard. We know we’ve got a very, very loyal fan base that will stick with our group.

“The wheel will turn. We are hoping it’s sooner rather than later but we’re not going to give up on it.

“We’re three wins and four losses. I’ve been in situations at this time of year where we’ve been one win and six losses.

“We’ll find some confidence and winning form is only just around the corner. Sometimes within a quarter. That’s what we’ll keep searching for.

“As long as there’s a silver lining and some blue sky for us, we’ll continue to search for it and we know it’s just going to take a roll up the sleeves type of mentality to get ourselves back on track.”
The Daily Telegraph