Collingwood told Clarkson isnt available next year

Collingwood have been informed that Alastair Clarkson intends to coach Hawthorn next year and is not available for the Magpies’ senior coaching position.

Collingwood’s head of football Graham Wright contacted Clarkson’s management recently and was informed that the four-time premiership coach will honour his 2022 contract with the Hawks.

Four-time Hawthorn premiership coach Alastair Clarkson.Credit:AFL Photos

The Magpies, who have spoken and been in contact with a number of candidates for their senior coaching position, were merely asking the question about Clarkson as a matter of due diligence, in the knowledge that he was unlikely to be available.

Clarkson has been heavily-speculated as a candidate to become senior coach at both Collingwood and Carlton, should the latter remove David Teague. He reiterated on Friday that he would stick with the Hawks and honour his contract before handing over to Sam Mitchell for the 2023 season, speaking passionately about his commitment to the Hawks and to making the handover work.

Clarkson has not wavered from that position since the handover to Mitchell - an outcome that he viewed as premature - was made public by the club earlier this month. He is due to be paid close to a million dollars in 2022, having been contracted on what sources said was about $1.2m a season when he signed a three-year contract extension after the 2018 campaign.

Collingwood’s GM of football Graham Wright with former coach Nathan Buckley.Credit:AFL Photos

Hawthorn’s board also made plain that they would not stand in Clarkson’s way if he wished to move to another club, but have also told Clarkson that the decision was in his hands.

Collingwood have spoken to Richmond assistant Adam Kingsley and Port Adelaide assistant Michael Voss, and intend to speak to a number of others in their search for a replacement for Nathan Buckley. Former North Melbourne coach Brad Scott is another potential candidate, while ex-Adelaide coach Don Pyke has also been among the candidates that the Magpies were sounding out. Scott is also a potential candidate to replace Steve Hocking as the AFL’s head of football operations.

Pyke has been on record saying he did not know if he would pursue the job, having moved to Sydney and worked under John Longmire successfully this season.

Wright, who had worked alongside Clarkson in the same role at Hawthorn, has a good understanding of the situation at Hawthorn, having approached Mitchell as a candidate for the Collingwood job prior to contacting Clarkson.

Mitchell informed Hawthorn of the Collingwood interest. Hawthorn says Clarkson was told he would have his 2022 contract extended beyond that season before the club offered the position to Mitchell, who is coaching Box Hill and had been brought in as a prospective successor to his long-time coach.

Clarkson and Mitchell have had a number of discussions already about the shape of next season at Hawthorn, and how the responsibilities will be shared. Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett, who has had a sometimes vexed relationship with Clarkson over many years, spoke to both coaches last week about the situation, prior to Clarkson’s passionate 13-minute monologue at his weekly media conference, when he said those who believed he would walk from his contract “don’t know me really well”.

Jake Niall is a Walkley award-winning sports journalist and chief AFL writer for The Age.

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