Departing Hawthorn mentor Alastair Clarkson has refused to rule out coaching another club but expects to take time away from the AFL after leaving his post following his last game at the helm this weekend.
Clarkson will lead the Hawks for the 390th and final time in Hawthorn’s clash with Richmond at the MCG on Saturday, after his agreement to a coaching handover with Sam Mitchell ended in a mess.
Clarkson said he was “embarrassed” at the way the club’s coaching succession plan had worked out after several public statements about Hawthorn’s future direction were undermined behind the scenes.
“I’m nearly a little bit embarrassed to be talking about it, to be fair, because whatever has been said in the last three or four weeks has changed so much,” Clarkson told reporters.
“Whatever you say, you just can’t take it as gospel.
“But my sincere intention right at this point in time – and has been for the last four to six weeks now that I’m no longer coaching Hawthorn – (is) I want to have a spell from the game and just see what that rest will do for me.
“Whether it will reignite some real passion to get involved in the game again or actually take the opportunity to go overseas … and do some things that my wife and I have never done before because we’ve been so heavily involved in footy …”
Clarkson says he’s unsure how long his break from footy will last.
“It might be 12 months or two years, and it might be that it’s forever. I don’t know,” Clarkson said.
“I need to get into the next few weeks and just see where that all pans out for me.”
This week’s match against Richmond will double as Hawthorn veteran Shaun Burgoyne‘s 407th and final game.
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