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Alastair Clarkson will coach AFL battlers North Melbourne in 2023 after competition for four-time premiership winner’s signature created the biggest drama in footy
- Four-time premiership winning former Hawks coach has signed with North
- It comes after a horror season that saw former coach David Noble sacked
- Clarkson was a target for a cluster of AFL clubs including GWS and Essendon
- He ultimately turned down a late pitch from the Bombers to sign with North
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Alastair Clarkson has signed a five-year, $5 million deal to coach North Melbourne in 2023 after a late push from Essendon to lure the former Hawthorn supercoach to Windy Hill.
AFL analyst Damian Barrett has confirmed that Clarkson will return to the AFL coaching ranks at the Kangaroos next season.
Hawthorn Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson and captain Luke Hodge hold up their 3 premiership trophies during the fan day after their grand final win in Melbourne, Sunday Oct. 4, 2015
‘Clarkson will coach North. His manager James Henderson has confirmed the deal to the AFL Live app,’ he tweeted.
North president Sonja Hood confirmed the five-year appointment and described the coup as a “real watershed moment for our club”.
‘I can’t speak highly enough of the professionalism of Alastair and his manager James Henderson over this past four weeks,’ she said.
‘We’ve had a crash course in getting to know each other and Alastair’s passion to drive our club back to where we belong is incredibly infectious.
‘Alastair officially begins with us on November 1, and I’m looking forward to welcoming him, wife Caryn and children Stephanie, Georgia and Matthew, to the Shinboner family.’
Fans have been quick to applaud the appointment.
‘As a 60 year long supporter of the Hawks I congratulate North and Alistair on this decision, It will be wonderful to watch their transformation into a super club,’ one fan tweeted.
‘Selfishly as a Hawthorn supporter this is great news. North have got themselves a ripper coach,’ another replied.
Clarkson coached the Hawks from 2005 until 2021 before taking a year out of the sport. He won four premierships with the club in that time.
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