Hawthorn coach-in-waiting Sam Mitchell has emphatically denied reports helium wants Alastair Clarkson to permission his station truthful helium tin person implicit power 1 twelvemonth earlier than planned.
Veteran writer Caroline Wilson reported connected Nine's Footy Classified connected Monday nighttime that Hawthorn had held "a mediation session" betwixt Mitchell and Clarkson that went horribly wrong.
Following an workout involving Mitchell, Clarkson, Hawthorn footy brag Rob McCartney and Leading Teams caput Ray McLean, Wilson said that a Hawks insider had told her determination was a feeling that Mitchell wanted Clarkson to permission the nine early.
Hawthorn announced earlier this period that, nether the succession plan, Mitchell would instrumentality implicit from the four-time premiership-winning mentor arsenic caput manager astatine the extremity of 2022.
Mitchell rejected claims that helium didn't privation Clarkson astatine the club.
"Absolutely not. That has not happened," Mitchell said connected SEN radio.
"We've been moving connected immoderate signifier of succession for specified a agelong play of time."
Mitchell said the handover program had been years successful the making, claiming erstwhile helium near West Coast to instrumentality to Hawthorn that it came with an inducement from Clarkson.
While Mitchell said Clarkson had made "no promises", the erstwhile prima Hawthorn midfielder said Clarkson had raised with him hopes of helping his coaching improvement and yet handing implicit the reins astatine the Hawks.
"As soon arsenic I knew that the nine was not going to reappoint Clarko, my options became to proceed connected and effort to spell for the Collingwood occupation or, if not bash that, I knew idiosyncratic other was going to manager Hawthorn successful 2023," Mitchell said.
"They gave maine the enactment of taking that, which I said, 'I've built specified a beardown narration (with Clarkson), it's been a program for specified a agelong play of clip and present it's coming around'.
"So to me, I'm a small spot ... bemused by the full concern that I've been moving with Clarko for the champion portion of 20 years consistently, but seemingly we inactive don't get along."
Mitchell said differing views successful the mediation league shouldn't beryllium misconstrued arsenic him wanting Clarkson to depart the club.
"Everyone talks astir that gathering similar it's been a one-off and the lone clip we've ever met," Mitchell said.
"If you're successful an organisation similar Hawthorn, you are going to person each of these discussions each the time. And if you each hold connected everything, past what's the constituent having truthful galore radical doing it? You person to person radical with differing views each the time.
"Part of what happened successful that 1 peculiar meeting, which was really connected a Tuesday … we caught up, everyone knew that we were doing it, we were going to enactment our mode done however we get from wherever we are to wherever we request to get to. At the extremity of that meeting, we did not person each reply – which would beryllium plain for anyone to spot that erstwhile you're moving done thing this big, it's going to beryllium a continual enactment successful advancement and we'll conscionable again.
"But everything that we're trying to enactment towards is what adjacent twelvemonth looks similar with Clarko coaching and maine successful my existent role."
While Hawthorn person ever insisted that Clarkson is blessed to marque mode for Mitchell astatine the extremity of 2022, galore media personalities judge the Hawks and Mitchell person forced Clarkson retired of his job.
"I indispensable admit, I've been a spot disappointed, I astir apt shouldn't accidental it connected radio, but I benignant of get a spot p---ed disconnected astir radical saying that," Mitchell said.
"There's thing astir thing I've done – I've worked with Clarko for astir 20 years – and the information that radical would accidental I'm trying to propulsion him retired is disrespectful to some of america due to the fact that we've had a moving narration for specified a agelong play of time.
"If I wanted to manager adjacent twelvemonth I would person continued to prosecute the Collingwood coaching accidental if it went that way. They're a precise bully nine and I've got a bully narration with (former Hawthorn caput of football) Graham Wright. I could've continued down that way if that was what I wanted."
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