Essendon players launched into new president David Barham on Friday morning for his lack of consultation over the club’s late, ill-fated attempt to convince Alastair Clarkson to coach the club while senior coach Ben Rutten was still in the chair.
Sources familiar with the situation said Barham was not surprised at the angst being directed towards him as he attempted to explain to players what motivated the board’s decisions.
Barham had left their coach and senior players in the dark as to what was happening until late on Tuesday as they were attempting to prepare to farewell highly respected club veteran Michael Hurley against Richmond in the final game of the season.
Barham, took on the job on Monday after Paul Brasher resigned as president when the board shifted their position and decided to make a last-minute bid for Clarkson that failed when he accepted a five-year deal with North Melbourne.
David Barham speaks to the media on Friday.Credit:Getty Images
The decision laid bare the game plan of the Essendon board who admitted they were yet to decide on a plan B with Barham failing to say Rutten was their man with the club to meet on Sunday to decide the coach’s future and launch an external review.
Essendon board member Dorothy Hisgrove is expected to be the club’s conduit for those running the external review into the club’s operations with former coach James Hird looming as a potential candidate for the job if Rutten is sacked with one year remaining on his contract.
Barham will also meet CEO Xavier Campbell and key staff after Sunday’s board meeting.
Essendon’s travails were no concern at the Kangaroos as Clarkson said North Melbourne helped him cope with the tragic loss of his brother in a car accident when he was a teenager and now it was his turn to help the Kangaroos in their hour of need.
Clarkson will coach North Melbourne in 2023, having turned down an 11th-hour approach from Essendon, and agreed to the lengthy deal with the Kangaroos, the club he played 93 games with between 1987 and 1995.
Incoming North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson.Credit:Jason South
Appearing at North’s Arden Street headquarters on Friday, Clarkson said the approach from the Bombers came “far too late” for him to seriously consider it given how far down the road he was with North Melbourne.
He said he was grateful to the people who recruited him to the Kangaroos in the late ’80s at a difficult time in his life following the death of his brother.
“I needed some support in my life in that time. This club gave it to me. The shoe is on the other foot right now, perhaps this club needs some support,” Clarkson said.
Clarkson informed North president Sonja Hood of his decision on Thursday night after a conversation with his family.
He expressed sympathy for Essendon coach Rutten, whose job remains under threat, and described the Bombers’ situation as “unsavoury”.
“Really disappoints me what’s unfolded with ‘Truck’ out at the Bombers,” Clarkson said, adding that he had listened to the pitch from Essendon out of respect.
“I didn’t want to have ongoing discussions with the Bombers, to be fair … We were just so far down the track with North Melbourne and GWS [discussions], that whole process came far too late to give it serious consideration … Due diligence takes a lot longer than four days, for me.“
Hood did not guarantee chief executive Ben Amarfio would be CEO in 2023, sidestepping the question after endorsing him on the day David Noble was sacked.
Clarkson’s decision was a massive blow for Essendon putting them under pressure from some quarters to consider Hird to return as coach in what would be a hugely contentious move, seven years after he departed amid the bitterness of the drugs scandal. Hird is working as an assistant coach to close friend Mark McVeigh at GWS.
Clarkson, a four-time premiership coach at Hawthorn, follows the path of his greatest influence, the late John Kennedy, in taking up the reins as North Melbourne’s senior coach after re-establishing the Hawks as a power.
A long-serving North Melbourne official described landing Clarkson as the biggest coup for the club “since landing Barassi” referring to the club securing legendary coach Ron Barassi from Carlton in 1973. Barassi led the club to their first flag in 1975.
“We are just wanting to get back to winning games of footy and winning some silverware,” Clarkson said. “The club needs a really, really clear vision and to roll the sleeves up and get to work.”
North Melbourne president Sonja Hood.Credit:Getty Images
Clarkson, who took a year off from football after Hawthorn paid out his contract at the end of 2021 to allow Sam Mitchell to succeed him as coach, also spoke to the Giants before Essendon’s late bid.
Hood announced the signing to club members on Friday morning in a letter.
“I’m delighted to announce that last night Alastair Clarkson agreed to coach the North Melbourne Football Club for the next five seasons,” Hood said.
“Our former number 23, Shinboner #781, and four-time premiership coach will lead our talented, young group from 2023 until at least 2027.
“This is 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. 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.”
North Melbourne great Corey McKernan said the appointment would give Roos fans “hope” despite the team sitting on the bottom of the ladder.
“To have someone like Alastair come and lead the football club, all the Kangaroos fans that really copped it this year can stand a bit taller and have a bit of a Wayne Carey-like swagger today,” he told 3AW.
“It’s really great to see him, in essence I suppose, come back to where he started.”
Outgoing AFL boss Gillon McLachlan said the AFL had remained at an arm’s length of the negotiations.
With Ashleigh McMillan
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