Alastair Clarkson appears to be taking a steer from de-cluttering guru Marie Kondo: “Discard everything that does not spark joy”.
The four-time premiership coach has moved on from his acrimonious exit from North Melbourne by dumping his Kangaroos gear at a Melbourne op shop.
Clarkson was on Sunday spotted carting two enormous bags into the Vinnies charity shop in Hampton in Melbourne’s southeast, with a witness saying he appeared grimly pleased to be making the donation.
Training jumpers, warm up tops, long sleeve polo tops and spray jackets emblazoned with the Roos’ blue and white stripes were among the coach’s abandoned items.
One particularly significant donation was a crew neck guernsey featuring the club’s Sir Doug Nicholls round design with “Clarkson” printed on the back.
A local onlooker said the former coach dropped the bags off at Vinnies at about 3pm on Sunday.
“He was carrying two huge plastic bags with zips, the kind people usually use to move house,” he said.
“He looked okay, he was having a chat with people there.
“There was a whole lot of stuff he was donating.”
The bold message sent by Clarkson comes days after his shock sacking from North Melbourne.
In a brutal press conference, club president Sonja Hood said: “This club needs a coach who can coach for the modern game.”
Clarkson later said he had been “publicly humiliated”.
“We’re just shocked, and we just thought we were owed a little bit of respect in being informed and warned,” he said.
“Instead, they chose to dance on my grave.”
Head of Retail and Supply Chain at Vinnies Victoria, Scott Marsden, said they were “grateful for all donations, including any club memorabilia that we know our customers will love”.
“Melbourne is in full footy fever, and Vinnies is loving every minute of it,” Mr Marsden said.
“Every donation needs to be processed and priced before it hits the shop floor or goes online and our team is working through donations as quickly as they can.
“Keep an eye on our socials at @vinniesshopsvic for updates on what’s landed and where to find it.”
Clarkson played 93 games with North Melbourne from 1987 to 1995 before returning as coach for the 2023 season, following a legendary coaching career at Hawthorn.