Coach Is Clarkson a supercoach or did he just get lucky at the Hawks? Has his time come and gone?

[Outtatym]

He shouldn't be in charge of young men, he's an angry racist man.

Got proof of that risty or you just going to slander people?

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Read his post. He said the first year he was sidelined bc of the hawthorn thing. 2024 was his first proper year.

Which is bullshit. Clarkson took the role at the back end of 2022. He then spent an entire preseason planning and setting up the side, and then coached the first 9 rounds of 2023 before taking a break.

The narrative that 2024 was his first year in charge is utter bullshit.

 

[Cool Kangas]

Which is bullshit. Clarkson took the role at the back end of 2022. He then spent an entire preseason planning and setting up the side, and then coached the first 9 rounds of 2023 before taking a break.

The narrative that 2024 was his first year in charge is utter bullshit.

Oh I guess stress and mental health and its effect on performance don’t count if it’s the coach. Got it.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Oh I guess stress and mental health and its effect on performance don’t count if it’s the coach. Got it.

Just because he took a break midway through 2023 doesn’t mean that 2024 was his first year as coach. Hope this helps.

 

[Cool Kangas]

Just because he took a break midway through 2023 doesn’t mean that 2024 was his first year as coach. Hope this helps.

Seriously just stop. You know what’s being said and the rationale behind it. Legit just stop. Hope this helps.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Seriously just stop. You know what’s being said and the rationale behind it. Legit just stop. Hope this helps.

No, I will not stop calling out the bullshit spin that this was his first year as coach, when it simply was not.

 

[Cool Kangas]

No, I will not stop calling out the bullshit spin that this was his first year as coach, when it simply was not.

Oh ok…..here - it was his SECOND year as coach but his FIRST PROPER UNINTERRUPTED year being able to fully concentrate on being a coach at a different club. Whether clarko can still coach at the level remains to be seen, but for you to carry on as if he was able to properly focus on coaching in 2023 is in fact the bullshit spin. Happy now? But you already know all this.

 

[Freomaniac]

That's fair I'll cop that.

Also I'd like to add Clarko hasn't won a finals match since 2015. Straight sets out in 2016.

straight sets in 2018 too

 

[ice444]

It took fagan 3 seasons to get the lions playing well - I would give Clarko 1 more season - if north finish bottom 4 in 2025 or don't improve their % markedly then start having the conversations.

 

[Aristotle Pickett the3rd]

Got proof of that risty or you just going to slander people?

Yep. Carl Peterson and Cyril Rioli aren't liars.

 

[TruRoo]

The first question in the thread title can be true on both counts.

Clarko is a super coach but he also had generational players. There's always a mixture of luck and skill and it would be foolish to pretend otherwise.

Has his time come and gone? That can only be judged once he's had more time with us - we have been generationally crap and it is not a quick fix.

 

[Some Idiot]

Needs about 3 full years to see what he can do. First year was a write off due to the racism scandal. Revisit at the end of 2026

 

[Spud11]

Just because he took a break midway through 2023 doesn’t mean that 2024 was his first year as coach. Hope this helps.

It’s obviously not his first year as coach, but a lot of people are prepared to write 2023 off and not hold him accountable for it because there were so many distractions.
Having said that, I absolutely expected a lot more from Clarkson this year.

 

[emuboy]

It took fagan 3 seasons to get the lions playing well - I would give Clarko 1 more season - if north finish bottom 4 in 2025 or don't improve their % markedly then start having the conversations.

I thought that Chris Fagan had the Lions playing much better and to a game plan while rebuilding the side in 2017 and 2018 even though they finished 5-17 both years, before the Lions roared up the ladder in 2019 and have remained a finals team ever since.

North have struggled for years and things only seemed to get worse in 2024. Nothing I saw this year convinced me that the Kangaroos have a bright future either short or long term. Clarkson is a great coach but if the team doesn't improve in 2025, then there will be more and more question marks hanging over the club.

 

[The Gulden Child]

Clarko won flags after the team was robbed of one of the games greatest players by the AFL. At least Geelong got something for GAJ.

 

[Smithdogmaddog]

Clarko came in when the list already had hodge and Mitchell and then in his first draft got frankin Roughead and Lewis so that certainty helped.

He was ahead of the game with tactics in 08 and was a brilliant flag win. He quickly got found out and was a very frustrating few years leading up to 2011 prelim loss and 2012 grand final loss. At this point it had been a slightly disappointing period with the talented list.

Contray to popular belief hawks used trading not free agency to cover glaring deficiencies in the list bringing in Gibson, Lake and McEvoy and X factor Burgoyne. This with a fiercely determined senior playing group who had learnt from past disappointments led to the 3 peat.

Had we not lost 2012 that may have been the only flag we won but everyone was so determined to not let 2012 and learn the lessons of 08 in terms of not baking up that it spurred on the dynasty.

So in summary early days talent but mainly Clarkos nous then Clarko trading for specific holes and the whole club mainly led by the senior players learning the lessons from the past.

 

[CharacterFirst]

Lucky.

 

[Xtreme]

It took fagan 3 seasons to get the lions playing well - I would give Clarko 1 more season - if north finish bottom 4 in 2025 or don't improve their % markedly then start having the conversations.

Clarko is the best the Kangaroos can hope for.

Wouldn't think a Hird, Buckley or Boss could do any better.

 

[bmaurizio]

Clarko will have the Kangaroos flying in the 2nd half of 2025 and in 2026 they’ll be close to playing finals.

 

[GC2015]

Clarko will have the Kangaroos flying in the 2nd half of 2025 and in 2026 they’ll be close to playing finals.

Fair to say the first half of this prediction was way off with North only winning one of their last ten games of the 2025 season and it was against the eventual wooden spooners Richmond.

Not sure the second half of the prediction will be accurate either as I don't see them as a team that will legitimately be contending for a finals position next year. The fallout from their captain Jy Simpkin attempting to get traded will be an interesting watch in 2026.

Not sure how much longer Clarko has left before the board will expect results. He's coached them to three bottom 3 finishes so far, granted one of them was interupted, but you'd think by season four in charge that you'd start to see a fair amount of improvement if he's going to retain his position.

 

[Freomaniac]

I thought that Chris Fagan had the Lions playing much better and to a game plan while rebuilding the side in 2017 and 2018 even though they finished 5-17 both years, before the Lions roared up the ladder in 2019 and have remained a finals team ever since.

North have struggled for years and things only seemed to get worse in 2024. Nothing I saw this year convinced me that the Kangaroos have a bright future either short or long term. Clarkson is a great coach but if the team doesn't improve in 2025, then there will be more and more question marks hanging over the club.

To be honest I agree with Brisbane's 2018 season. They were not bad in 2018, despite a 5 win and 17 loss record. They lost 4 games narrowly that season .

They should of got another 2 or 3 wins and should of won 7 or 8 games in 2018


Shocked how Brisbane finished top 2 the next season