Ex-coach Clarkson to attend Hawks’ centenary match
Anna Harrington |
Four-time premiership coach Alastair Clarkson will attend Hawthorn’s centenary celebration match against Richmond.
The Hawks have invited every player to have played at least one game for the club to Sunday’s game celebrating 100 years in the VFL/AFL, along with past staff and coaches.
That includes North Melbourne coach Clarkson, who parted ways with Hawthorn in July 2021 after coaching the Hawks to premierships in 2008, 2013, 2014 and 2015.
He has had little to do with them since, especially since the club’s historic racism saga emerged in 2022.
Clarkson, Brisbane Lions’ premiership-winning mentor Chris Fagan and Jason Burt all strenuously denied any wrongdoing, while an AFL investigation found no adverse findings against the trio in May 2023.
Last November, Hawthorn reached a settlement with the affected Indigenous former players involved, and it has looked to move on.
Clarkson, who also attended the 2013 premiership reunion in September 2023, confirmed he would be at the MCG on Sunday.
“Yeah, I’m going to go along,” he said.
“It’s a hundred years, a long period of time for a footy club and there’s a lot of great people that need to be acknowledged in the history of the Hawthorn footy club.
“North are going to have theirs later in the year. The Dogs celebrated theirs. Three teams came into the competition.
“I want to go in particular because I want to pay my respects to John Kennedy Senior, who was my first coach here at the North Melbourne footy club.
“He was a significant mentor of mine when I came through the coaching path.
“He and (Allan) Yabby Jeans were just fantastic for me and in my view, they’re the two most revered and decorated figures in the history of the Hawthorn footy club, notwithstanding the marvellous contributions that many players have made too.
“I want to go there on Sunday and pay respects to ‘Kanga’ and ‘Yabby’ and all the others that have contributed so strongly to the rich history that Hawthorn has been able to create over a hundred year period.”
President Andy Gowers had indicated he was unsure whether Clarkson would attend but stressed he was invited.
“Every past coach is also invited. There’s 32,” Gowers said on Wednesday morning.
“I haven’t got the up-to-date RSVP list but Alastair is invited, like every other past coach, and we’re hoping as many as possible can come along.”
Hawthorn celebrated the milestone on Wednesday by having 13 players from each of their 13 premierships back at the club.
“Days like this remind you why you played for this club and the admiration you have for the players and supporters,” Brownlow Medallist Robert DiPierdomenico said.
Incredibly, Hawthorn’s 10-year wait to back up the 2015 flag is the club’s second-longest ever premiership drought – reflecting how successful they have been in every generation.
But the ‘Hollywood Hawks’ of 2025 have once again emerged as one of the teams to beat.
Fellow great Michael Tuck added: “I hope they can be the next generation to win a couple of them and help our side (win) more premierships than anybody else.”
AAP
