AFL 2022: GWS responds after North Melbourne offer Alastair Clarkson five-year contract

All eyes were on Adelaide Oval with speculation Alastair Clarkson would be watching North Melbourne on Saturday. We reveal where the master coach went and the latest on his future.

Alastair Clarkson and Todd Viney had a fruitful partnership at Hawthorn from 2005 to 2009.

Greater Western Sydney’s process to appoint a new senior coach won’t be sped up as North Melbourne puts its pursuit for Alastair Clarkson into top gear.

Giants football director Jimmy Bartel maintained on Saturday that Clarkson remained “a contender” for the team’s vacant coaching position despite suggestions a deal at Arden Street was all but secured.

The Kangaroos have offered Clarkson a deal that would be at least five years long, with the four-time premiership coach essentially the club’s only target.

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Bartel said the Giants would stick to their timeline and wouldn’t be rushed.

“He’s in the process,” Bartel said.

“That makes him a contender – you can use that word.

“He’ll go through the process. We’re not going to slow it down or speed it up, go sideways, backwards, because of what other clubs are doing.

“That hasn’t been the way we’ve gone about our business.”

Alastair Clarkson watches his son, Matthew, play for Caulfield Grammar in the Associated Private Schools grand final Picture: Brendan Beckett.

Alastair Clarkson and wife Caryn watch their son, Matthew, play for Caulfield Grammar in the Associated Private Schools grand final Picture: Brendan Beckett.

Clarkson attended Saturday’s APS premiership decider between Caulfield Grammar - who his son, Matthew, plays for – and Brighton Grammar at Caulfield Grammar’s Wheeler’s Hill Campus.

The two sides were tied on 96 points so the schoolboys’ silverware was shared between the two teams.

There had been speculation of Clarkson sightings in Adelaide as the Roos faced the Crows, further fuelling the rumour mill.

Bartel said that there was “always that possibility” that the Giants could be gazumped with speculation mounting that North Melbourne could make an announcement as soon as this week.

He also rejected the suggestion that the Giants had been derelict in their duty by not contacting Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley.

“He’s contracted,” the former Cat said on 3AW.

“You could see how they reacted when we (Geelong) went over and had a coffee with Travis Boak – imagine if we made a phone call to their coach. There’d be tears everywhere!”

FIRST DETAILS OF NORTH’S CLARKO OFFER REVEALED

Glenn McFarlane

North Melbourne has offered Alastair Clarkson the lure of at least five years to help transform the struggling football club as former director Peter de Rauch made an impassioned plea to the four-time premiership coach to return home to Arden St.

The Herald Sun understands the long-term offer to Clarkson - which he is seriously considering - is reflective of the task he would face, given the Kangaroos are still in the early stages of a significant rebuild.

A decision on Clarkson’s future could come as early as the end of next week, with North Melbourne believing it has a good chance of winning his services.

De Rauch stressed that the potential recruitment of the former Hawthorn coach could help attract key players to the club as well as retain other young stars including Cam Zurhaar and Jason Horne-Francis who have put their contract talks on hold.

Clarkson is set to return to coaching again next season after a year off and has been courted heavily by Greater Western Sydney and North Melbourne.

Peter de Rauch has urged Alastair Clarkson to take the Roos coaching job.

A decision on Clarkson’s future could come as early as the end of next week, with North Melbourne believing it has a good chance of winning his services.

De Rauch said Clarkson could help fast-track the club towards its fifth premiership after years of on-field struggles.

“We’ve had success in the past and we’ve had failure … and we’ve had it for two decades now, so we have to change it around,” de Rauch told the Herald Sun.

“He (Clarkson) is the best person to change it. I hope he sees the passion (of North Melbourne fans). Everyone I speak to wants someone better and we see that Alastair is the one who can do it.

“Let’s just say hypothetically if the Giants offered the same amount of money as North … the bonus is he actually played for North Melbourne, so there is that little bit of extra passion.”

De Rauch played a role in repelling the AFL bid’s to relocate North Melbourne to the Gold Coast 15 years ago and has served the club in numerous roles including deputy chairman, committee member, social club chairman, shareholder, director and patron.

Clarkson played 93 of his 134 games with North Melbourne from 1987 to 1995 before being traded to Melbourne.

“We’ve had the problem over the past couple of years where no players have wanted to come to North Melbourne and he (Clarkson) could change that,” de Rauch said.

“We made a great offer to (GWS midfielder) Josh Kelly and all those other players and no one wanted to come because there was no grand final in sight.

“We have to get out and be aggressive and be one of the top clubs in the league again.”

Meanwhile, St Kilda coach Brett Ratten addressed rumours the Saints’ head of football David Rath had been linked to Alastair Clarkson should he secure the North coaching job.

“I’ve heard it,” Ratten said on 3AW on Friday night.

“Our relationship is over 10 years and if we can’t have an honest and open conversation, I think something deeper is wrong.

“There’s nothing to hide.

“If there was something like that (Rath wanting to leave) he would come straight up and have a chat about it.”

— with Fergus Ellis

The Alastair Clarkson add which will appear in Saturday’s Herald Sun.

CLARKO’S CALL TO LEGENDARY MATE REVEALED

Jay Clark

Melbourne great Todd Viney is seriously considering joining forces with Alastair Clarkson at a new club next season.

Clarkson recently visited Viney on his rural property to ask the former Melbourne captain, and one of his best mates, whether he would be interested in helping Clarkson in a Neil Balme-style football director role in 2023.

Industry figures believe the Kangaroos are the front runner to land Clarkson as its new coach, and Melbourne assistant Adem Yze was the man to beat for the vacant Giants’ job.

Clarkson has been speaking to former lieutenants about their interest in joining him as part of a coaching panel at either the Roos or Giants next season.

Clarkson has told friends he is undecided on which club, but the Kangaroos are believed to be in the box seat, in a massive coup for the rebuilding club.

Alastair Clarkson and Todd Viney had a fruitful partnership at Hawthorn from 2005 to 2009.

North Melbourne has identified Clarkson as its top target and has worked hard in recent weeks to land the four-time premiership coach as David Noble’s replacement.

It would present a fresh start for the club which has sacked three coaches in recent years (Brad Scott, Rhyce Shaw and Noble) and is again on track to finish bottom of the ladder for the second year in a row.

Viney, who has been out of footy since he departed Melbourne in 2019, told Clarkson he would consider the opportunity, pending Clarkson’s decision on his next club.

Viney was Clarkson’s deputy a the Hawks.

Viney, who is one of the most respected off-field figures in the game, may prefer to work at North Melbourne where he can continue to stay on his property and remain close to his family, including son Jack, who is a star midfielder at Melbourne.

But a move to New South Wales would be more difficult.

At North Melbourne, Viney would be an experienced right-hand man for Clarkson and provide invaluable experience in helping shape club culture and team ethos as well as player personnel strategy.

The pair would be a dream team for the club in a similar manner to the way Mark Thompson and Balme combined at the Cats throughout their premiership dynasty.

Viney, 56, performed a variety of roles at Melbourne including coaching, list management and strategy.

Todd Viney and Alastair Clarkson played together at Melbourne in 1996 and 1997.

Clarkson brought Viney to Hawthorn in 2005 as an assistant coach and was part of the 2008 premiership, before moving to Adelaide in 2009.

Clarkson and Viney played at Melbourne together in 1996-97 and have continued to maintain their close relationship in recent years.

St Kilda strategist David Rath, who played a key role in Hawthorn’s premiership dynasty in 2013-15, has also been linked to a move from St Kilda to Clarkson’s football department.

St Kilda midfield great Leigh Montagna was also sounded out, but is committed to his media commitments as a caller and analyst at Fox Footy and Triple M.

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Originally published as AFL 2022: GWS responds after North Melbourne offer Alastair Clarkson five-year contract