It’s a big week for Sam Mitchell and Alastair Clarkson as they prepare to face off in the coaches box for the first time.
And according to AFL journalist Damian Barrett, there’s still “no great relationship to speak of” between the duo after previous reports of a falling out ahead of North Melbourne’s showdown with the Hawks in Launceston on Saturday afternoon.
Clarkson sensationally prematurely handed over the coaching reigns at Hawthorn to Mitchell at the end of 2021 after an illustrious run including leading the club to four premierships from 2008-2015 — with former skipper Mitchell also central to the club’s success as a player.
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Having now taken over as Kangaroos coach after a year out of the game, Clarkson will look to guide his side to a third-straight win against Mitchell’s winless Hawks in a contest with added spice between the former master and apprentice.
“That type of fire had occasionally been directed at each other,” Barrett said of Clarkson and Mitchell’s competitive nature on Channel 9’s Footy Classified.
“There is no great relationship to speak of — that’s not a secret. They’re not even deciding to actually promote this game. They’re doing press conferences 10 minutes apart at separate venues.
“There’s a chance that there will be a crossover on the plane home because the two teams are booked on the same plane out of Launceston back to Melbourne.
“Now whether they choose to jump on that plane is up to them, but it’s been pretty fiery.”
Footy Classified host and former Collingwood president Eddie McGuire added: “They‘re combative guys … they don’t take any prisoners, these guys, and they’re good at holding grudges.”
Hawthorn is particularly under pressure amid the rebuilding club’s dire start to the season, dropping its first two games by an average of 70 points to sit 18th on the ladder with a percentage of 42.1.
McGuire noted the Hawks have a “negative trifecta” at the moment, having cut deep on their list alongside an inexperienced senior coach and new president Andrew Gowers and board navigating through off-field issues including the racism investigation.
Mitchell on Footy Classified earlier this week defended the club’s list management strategy, admitting it “knew there were going to be some tough days ahead,” and rejected claims of tanking.
But three-time Coleman medallist Matthew Lloyd believes the second-year coach already faces a trying period.
“I think this is huge for Sam Mitchell more so,” he said of the matchup against North on Footy Classified.
“The more you lose, the more the pressure comes on in terms of this racism (investigation) — I know that’s a bigger issue. But even the list and the way they’ve built it up, the more Sam Mitchell takes hidings, he’s being questioned.
“We saw him (Mitchell) on Monday night, you could see the battering he’s copped in the first few weeks. I personally could sense that wasn’t the confident Sam Mitchell I’ve known for most of my life.”
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Geelong great Jimmy Bartel disagreed with Lloyd, suggesting Mitchell is the ideal figure to be leading the club through such challenges.
“The Sam Mitchell I know and competed against … and off the footy field … I don’t think his confidence will be rocked,” he told Footy Classified.
“He’s been pretty steadfast in the plan ahead. We can have this discussion again about how they’ve cut their list, but having experienced players, they were going nowhere quickly.
“At the start of the year, how many games did we actually think Hawthorn were going to win?”
