Legendary former Hawthorn mentor Alastair Clarkson rejected Carlton‘s advances to appoint him as their new coach because the mess at the Blues had “spooked” him, veteran footy journalist Caroline Wilson says.
Clarkson’s manager, James Henderson, confirmed on Wednesday that the four-time premiership-winning mentor had been approached by multiple clubs to coach next year, but that he’d decided to take a year off.
Wilson believes Carlton were “the best chance of keeping Clarkson in the coaching game next year” and says the coaching great was “pretty tempted” to link with the Blues.
But the award-winning journalist said Clarkson had been frightened from pursuing the Carlton job by the Blues’ treatment of coach David Teague.
“What has gone on at that football club … over the last week, I think, completely spooked the Clarkson camp and the Clarkson family,” Wilson said on Nine’s Footy Classified.
“Alastair’s been on record as saying he’s disgusted by the way the club [has treated Teague]. He’s said that David Teague should have had more support.”
It had been widely expected that Teague would learn his fate on Monday, following Carlton’s last game of the season, in which they fell to GWS by 14 points on Saturday.
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An external review into Carlton’s football department was launched in June and even Teague conceded in Saturday’s post-match press conference that his future appeared grim.
“Let’s be honest, it doesn’t look like it’s going to go in my favour,” Teague said.
But instead of giving Teague clarity, Carlton president Luke Sayers sent a letter to members saying the club wasn’t yet ready to make a call.
“Incredibly, David is still in the job. He had lunch with his players today. He still doesn’t know that he won’t be the coach of Carlton next year, but he won’t be the coach of Carlton next year. Dreadful treatment,” Wilson said.
“The president, Luke Sayers – I don’t he has meant to be cruel, but I think he’s trying to run this club like it’s a big accounting firm and it just doesn’t work.”
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