Hawthorn will not stand in the way of Sam Mitchell taking a senior coaching job if one presents itself in the near future.
Mitchell, who is coaching Box Hill in the VFL, has been touted as one of the next top head coaching candidates – at Hawthorn or elsewhere.
Alastair Clarkson is out of contract at the end of 2022 and Hawks CEO Justin Reeves maintains the club will sit down with him at the end of the year.
“Nothing’s ever guaranteed. Alastair’s been an amazing contributor to our football club and we’re really happy he’s coaching our team, but we will all sit down and see what the future looks like,” Reeves told SEN’s Dwayne’s World.
“You don’t hang around a club for 17 years unless there’s a really good two-way relationship. We’ll sit down and have the discussion at the right time.”
If the Hawks do extend Clarkson and stick with him beyond 2022, Reeves is happy for premiership hero Mitchell to look elsewhere.
“If Sam wants to be a senior coach, and all reports are that he does, and he’s going to be a good senior coach, we’d be happy, like we do with everyone in that space, to do what’s in the best interests of all,” Reeves added.
“If that was for him to coach elsewhere in the future, we’d have to look at that.
“There’s only so many senior coaching jobs going around and a lot of them have come out of Hawthorn in recent years.
“We have a pretty good track record and that will just play out.”
Reeves said they do not have any plans to create a Mick Malthouse-Nathan Buckley style handover at Hawthorn with Clarkson and Mitchell.
“It’s dangerous to go down that path and we’ve never gone down that path with any of our assistant coaches,” he said.
“We’ve had five or six assistant coaches go off and get senior jobs and generally we’re really happy for their development.
“If that happens with Sam or any of our others … we’ll support them and have those conversations and do what’s in the best interests.”