Thought you might like reading this article in the HS ; Written by Jon Ralph
The Buzz: Alastair Clarkson on brink of becoming Hawthorn’s best coach and all-time coaching great
THE milestone passed with zero recognition, fitting for a coach so determined to minimise his public footprint he holds press conferences in airport departure halls.
Three days after Hawthorn again took down Geelong in the qualifying final, Alastair Clarkson celebrated a decade as Hawthorn’s senior coach.
His shock appointment was made eight years after Hawthorn had survived a 1996 merger threat, and saviour Don Scott again challenged the board.
If that 2004 challenge had been successful, Scott was not even prepared to commit to honouring the contract of this 36-year-old coaching nobody.
“I can't say that at this stage,” Scott said at the time. “He could be the man, he could go on to be the best coach of Hawthorn. All I'm saying is when we are entrusted with running the football club, all areas are looked at.”
Not for the first time, the strange and wonderful rantings of Don Scott proved prophetic.
Ten years on, Clarkson is not only on the fast track to the mantle of Hawthorn’s best coach, he is on the verge of becoming an all-time coaching great.
If Hawthorn knocks off Sydney on Saturday, Clarkson will have a better premiership strike rate than Kevin Sheedy. And Mick Malthouse. And Leigh Matthews. And David Parkin. And Jock McHale.
In an era when the AFL’s socialisation measures should have made dynasties more rare than ever, Clarkson is a coaching phenomenon. Only 15 of the 342 men to have coached one or more VFL/AFL games have won three or more premierships.
They include coaching luminaries who have shaped generations of men — Jock McHale (714 games, eight flags), Norm Smith (449 games, six flags), Jack Worrall and "Checker" Hughes (both five flags) and Hawthorn legends like John Kennedy Sr (1961, 1971, 1976 flags).
Now Clarkson, after 232 games as coach, is in their doorstep.
If McHale and Smith sit unchallenged as the greatest coaches, Clarkson will perch comfortably with the modern-day greats if he is successful on Saturday.
Kevin Sheedy won his four flags in 29 years, although he had them by his 20th season of coaching