How Hawthorn's 'disaster' can be rival's gain

3 years ago 346

Hawthorn fable Shane Crawford has praised Alastair Clarkson for stepping down arsenic manager earlier than planned and tipped Collingwood to beryllium the adjacent nine keen to motion him.

This week it emerged that the Hawks had ditched the succession plan which was meant to spot erstwhile Hawthorn star-turned manager Sam Mitchell taking the reins arsenic caput manager astatine the extremity of 2022. Things got messy arsenic speculation astir Mitchell's ambition to get the caput coaching occupation sooner built, starring to Clarkson and the nine agreeing to portion ways astatine the extremity of this AFL play instead.

Crawford, who played nether Clarkson for 4 seasons astatine Hawthorn, said successful the extremity it was the close determination for each involved.

"The players were precise confused. The bully happening present is it gives wide air, they tin get connected with it," helium said connected Nine's Sports Sunday.

"Everyone's connected the aforesaid leafage and I deliberation it's a bully happening and it's large for the players."

Alastair Clarkson (Getty)

Crawford said if Clarkson had stayed connected for different play it would person been detrimental to the goals of the succession plan.

"He's had a spot much clip to deliberation astir it and thought, it's conscionable going to beryllium a spot of a catastrophe due to the fact that the media are going to leap connected it each week," Crawford said.

"When we triumph they'll accidental helium should inactive beryllium astir and erstwhile they lose, they'll accidental get Sam Mitchell in. The coaches were going to beryllium the absorption for the full twelvemonth which was going to instrumentality distant from the improvement and get the footy nine going again."

Clarkson confirms Hawks exit

Crawford believes aft the particulate has settled there's small uncertainty that Clarkson would beryllium a precise charismatic enlistee astatine a fig of AFL clubs successful hopeless request of a manager of his calibre.

And aft the exit of Nathan Buckley, Crawford said Collingwood would beryllium an evident option.

"If helium does manager adjacent year, and I reckon helium will, Collingwood are precise overmuch successful the ballpark, and there's rumours astir different clubs, but they'd beryllium brainsick not to get Alastair Clarkson," helium said.

"He is unbelievable astatine what helium does. He's different. He punches walls."

Alastair Clarkson (Getty)

Crawford was besides pleased that Clarkson volition present person the accidental to beryllium recognised for his unthinkable publication to the club, bringing the Hawks 4 AFL flags.

"The 1 happening I was disquieted about... Alastair Clarkson has been an implicit legend. He's gotten the nine backmost connected its feet, helium brought it to premiership glory," Crawford said.

"I didn't privation idiosyncratic whose fixed truthful overmuch to the nine conscionable to extremity and not consciousness loved, truthful the bully happening is helium has 4 much games oregon truthful to manager out, we tin springiness him a batch of emotion and nonstop him disconnected successful the close way. He's conscionable been tremendous for the Hawthorn Football Club.

Crawf connected Clarkson's aboriginal exit

"I bash deliberation helium has Hawthorn's champion interests astatine heart, and surely Sam Mitchell with whom he's had a agelong moving relationship," Crawford added.

"He wants radical that aren't yes men, helium wants radical to situation them.

"He's ace driven. He's an animal. I was fortunate capable to beryllium coached by him for 4 years. He's conscionable a instrumentality the mode that helium does things. He's been an astonishing manager successful the mode he's introduced rolling zones, and he's had a antithetic mode of defending and helium was up of clip the mode helium did everything.

"But successful saying that, disconnected the tract arsenic well... the magnitude of times helium dragged players to infirmary visits, taking the squad to bushfire affected areas, to campy retired and physique fences, helium gives truthful overmuch backmost to the community. He wants the players to beryllium amended people, helium wants them to enactment distant from shot and person that amended equilibrium with their life."

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