New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\nAccording to North Melbourne, the decision to sack Clarkson was made after a consultation period with football department staff and players at the end of the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe asked Alastair to give our club stability and strength and help return us to the top of the AFL ladder,\u201d Kangaroos president Dr Sonja Hood said. <\/p>\n
\u201cFour years later, we have created an environment where our staff and players want to be at our club. This is a testament to the culture Alastair has helped create and the belief that he has built in this group.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough we have clearly made progress and won more games, we won\u2019t shy away from our desire to want more from this talented group.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are incredibly grateful to Alastair for the work he\u2019s done over the last four years and we wish him all the very best for his next chapter.\u201d<\/p>\n
The former Hawthorn premiership coach arrived at the Kangaroos spruiked as the man to pull North Melbourne out of an era of failure \u2014 but his tenure is ending with the club still in disarray.<\/p>\n
In a damning statement to members, club president Hood said confidence in Clarkson around the club had waned.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving consulted widely across the club, it has become clear that Alastair no longer has the belief from enough people at the club that he is the right coach to take this group forward,\u201d Hood wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce we knew that, it felt disrespectful to him to have him coach into 2027, knowing we would not extend him at the end of that.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur culture among the players, staff and coaches is undeniably strong, but we need a consistently clear and concise on-field strategy to sit alongside that. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe have made progress and won more games but we won\u2019t shy away from our desire to want more from this talented group. This is unashamedly a football decision. <\/p>\n
\u201cAlastair, of course, believes he can turn this around \u2013 that\u2019s part of what makes him so special. We don\u2019t agree with him, and hence we are at this point today.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe decision to move on from Alastair was tough, but we have made this decision in the best interests of our football club.<\/p>\n
\u201cMake no mistake – our next piece of silverware will have his fingerprints all over it. And regardless of how they might feel right at this moment, Alastair and his family will always belong to this club.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust as Alastair was the man for the times four years ago, we\u2019re confident we\u2019ll find the right person to take us forward again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hood added \u201cthis will be a highly sought-after job\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis club needs a coach who can coach for the modern game,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
At Tuesday afternoon\u2019s press conference, Kangaroos general manager of football Todd Viney said there were holes in the team\u2019s game plan and players had grown confused by Clarkson\u2019s messaging. <\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately there\u2019s still some gaping holes in our game plan which we have been looking to try and fix,\u201d Viney said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s some key metrics that we haven\u2019t been able to arrest and therefore we haven\u2019t been able to make the jump. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf there was one thing Clarko did it was try too hard to try and fix that. What happens is we get into more meetings, more information and the players become a little bit confused and we don\u2019t get the cohesion we need to win more games.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn trying to educate that, messages have become a little bit muddier and the players feel like they haven\u2019t been clear.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe game is too big for one person to do it. He just took that extra load on too much himself and perhaps didn\u2019t delegate we well as he could. The messages became a little bit too much for some of the players.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hood confirmed the Kangaroos had terminated Clarkson\u2019s contract, adding \u201che\u2019s upset\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe decision we\u2019ve made is about the next four years, where we take the club and how we push for silverware,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd there is not enough belief among the key people, on or off field, that he is the key person to drive that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Viney said: \u201cHe was surprised with the conversation. He didn\u2019t see it coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clarkson took mental health leave in 2023 during a historical racism case from his time at Hawthorn. <\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately for him the Hawthorn stuff happened and that took an enormous toll for the first two or three years,\u201d Viney said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn fact, I\u2019m not sure the scars are fully healed. He\u2019s gone through enormous trauma. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s done an amazing job to get us where we are now, but I do feel we need a new voice to help get us to where we\u2019re going.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr Hood said the club had no preconceived ideas on who should take over as coach and would announce its plans for its hiring process next week. <\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t state that strongly enough,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have no preconceived idea of who that individual is.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to AFL Media journalist Callum Twomey, players have been told the club does not have an immediate candidate to replace Clarkson.<\/p>\n
Premiership coaches \u2014 and North Melbourne cult figures \u2014 John Longmire and Adam Simpson do not have senior coaching positions heading into 2027 and are the obvious candidates for the role. <\/p>\n
Clarkson has released a statement through his management. <\/p>\n
\u201cMy time as coach of the North Melbourne Football Club has come to an end,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe set out to stabilise the club and lay the foundations for a return to playing deep in September.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe challenge was a difficult one that I embraced with my whole being.<\/p>\n
My family and I have been privileged to be involved in AFL football for over 40 years, but it is now time for a new chapter.\u201d<\/p>\n
The club said in a statement on Wednesday it will now begin a \u201cprocess\u201d to recruit its next senior coach. <\/p>\n
North Melbourne players reportedly learned of the news when summoned to an emergency meeting at club headquarters from 11.30am. <\/p>\n
Clarkson won 20 games during his four seasons in charge at North Melbourne, with his team recording nine victories in 2026, falling short of the wildcard round and finals.<\/p>\n
According to SEN journalist Sam Edmund, staff from across all departments of the club were summoned to attend. <\/p>\n
Multiple players were spotted arriving at the club\u2019s Arden Street HQ before the news of Clarkson\u2019s departure was first reported.<\/p>\n
The 58-year-old was heading into the final year of a monster five-year contract which reportedly made him one of the highest-paid coaches in the game.<\/p>\n
While North Melbourne has shown signs it has the potential to climb the ladder, the club is now back at square one as it heads into the AFL Trade Period without a senior coach. <\/p>\n
Clarkson has been under pressure in recent weeks with the club falling apart in the second half of the season. <\/p>\n
The Roos won just one of their final eight games and finished the season with a 53-point loss to the Swans, who played without the so-called \u201cPullman Five\u201d. <\/p>\n
North will be the third AFL club to appoint a new coach in 2026 after Mark McVeigh was appointed as Brad Scott\u2019s successor at Essendon and Josh Fraser was elevated from interim to head coach at Carlton following Michael Voss\u2019 decision to step down earlier this year.<\/p>\n
Viney will remain with the club in his current role. <\/p>\n
North Melbourne\u2019s AFLW team face St Kilda on Saturday. <\/p>\n
Read related topics:Melbourne<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sacked North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson apologised to Essendon after allegedly making an inappropriate comment to the 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