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AAP
AAP
Sport
Steve Larkin

Clarkson undecided on AFL coaching future

Former Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson has yet to make a call on his coaching future. (AAP)

Alastair Clarkson is willing to take over an AFL club on a long-haul journey towards an AFL premiership but is yet to decide if he wants to coach again.

Clarkson, a four-time premiership coach at Hawthorn, is the most-sought after prospect while taking a year away from the AFL.

"My only prerequisite is that I want to be involved with a group that has got the opportunity to win it again," Clarkson told a podcast in support of Tasmania's AFL bid.

"So whether you're taking a group that is long way from it and it's now a five-year journey or whether you take hold of a team that is close to it, if I got back involved in the game again at coaching level it would be to chase that piece of silverware.

"How long it took wouldn't concern me one bit."

Clarkson told the podcast - The Believers: Tasmania's AFL Journey - he was intrigued whether he could replicate his Hawthorn success at another club.

"We have been able to do it successfully at one club," he said.

"The most significant intrigue for me is: was I just lucky to have that group of people, that group in time, at that particular club?

"The excitement for me is can it be done elsewhere, a different environment, a different group of people and see how we go.

"That holds some appeal."

Clarkson coached the Hawks from 2005 to the end of last season when he messily departed as the club appointed Sam Mitchell.

Clarkson, renowned as a master tactician, was immediately approached by Collingwood and Carlton who were seeking new coaches at the time.

"I had an opportunity with both Carlton and Collingwood, not necessarily to be accepted to coach those clubs, but certainly to go into the process as an option to be coach of those clubs," he said.

"But it didn't suit me and strangely enough that had not so much to do with their direction.

" ... It was just around mine and (wife) Karen's and our family's needs at that point in time wasn't to coach.

"We wanted to make those decisions at the end of this year in terms of what our future would look like, not six months ago.

"And we are still not ready to know what we want to do."

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