In the 1990s, Alastair Clarkson played 134 games of Australian Rules Football for North Melbourne and Melbourne clubs. He wasn't an outstanding footballer and went largely unnoticed during his playing days. A player commonly referred to as a journeyman.
After retiring from playing football, he took up coaching and had success in his early years. In 2001, he coached Central Districts to a premiership in the South Australian National Football League. He then became an assistant coach at Port Adelaide in the Australian Football League (AFL), part of the premiership winning team in 2004.
In 2005, the Hawthorn Football Club was sitting at the bottom of the AFL ladder. So they took a punt and offered Clarko the senior coaching job. He was a relatively unknown quantity as a coach, and many commentators wondered if Hawthorn had got the best coach available.
In 2008, Clarko took Hawthorn to an AFL premiership and then coached them to three consecutive premierships between 2013 and 2015. He was lauded due to his coaching feats and recognised as the best coach in the competition. Coaches of the past six premiership sides have all been coaching proteges of Clarko, a testament to his influence on the game.
Next year will be his eighteenth year of coaching Hawthorn, and it will be his last. The board of the Hawthorn Football Club feel it is time that Clarko hand over the coaching job to someone else.
It is unlikely that his coaching career will end here, as many other clubs will be lining up to offer him their senior coaching job.
After retiring from playing football, he took up coaching and had success in his early years. In 2001, he coached Central Districts to a premiership in the South Australian National Football League. He then became an assistant coach at Port Adelaide in the Australian Football League (AFL), part of the premiership winning team in 2004.
In 2005, the Hawthorn Football Club was sitting at the bottom of the AFL ladder. So they took a punt and offered Clarko the senior coaching job. He was a relatively unknown quantity as a coach, and many commentators wondered if Hawthorn had got the best coach available.
In 2008, Clarko took Hawthorn to an AFL premiership and then coached them to three consecutive premierships between 2013 and 2015. He was lauded due to his coaching feats and recognised as the best coach in the competition. Coaches of the past six premiership sides have all been coaching proteges of Clarko, a testament to his influence on the game.
Next year will be his eighteenth year of coaching Hawthorn, and it will be his last. The board of the Hawthorn Football Club feel it is time that Clarko hand over the coaching job to someone else.
It is unlikely that his coaching career will end here, as many other clubs will be lining up to offer him their senior coaching job.