Hawthorn legend Shaun Burgoyne has revealed how the club’s off-field sagas impacted the playing group throughout a rocky 2021 campaign.
The Hawks wanted to keep highly-rated assistant Sam Mitchell and long-time senior coach Alastair Clarkson, originally settling on a succession plan that would see Mitchell take over in 2023.
However, that plan was criticised by many amid reports of bad blood between the pair.
Late in the season, the club confirmed that idea had been scrapped and Clarkson would leave after their 2021 campaign, with Mitchell to take over going forward.
With the dust finally settled, Hawthorn finished the season strongly, winning three of their last four games before drawing with Richmond.
Burgoyne, who also left the Hawks this year after a fantastic career that included 407 games and four premierships, revealed how the uncertainty rocked the club while decisions were being made.
“As a player, we found out at the same time as you in the media and the fans found out,” Burgoyne told SEN’s Whateley.
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“We didn’t know what was going on.
“We rocked up to training … there’s normally no media at training so when you rock up to training and go out on the oval to do skills and see media on the grandstand, you know something’s up.
“We obviously had no idea what was going on, the decisions that were being made because that’s obviously made above us.
“After training, we were pulled in and told, ‘This is what’s happening, Clarko’s (Clarkson) not being renewed’ which caught everyone off guard.
“A few weeks later, 30 days or whatever it was, we had another training and media were there again, we get pulled into another meeting and told, ‘Clarko’s stepping away at the end of this year,’ so we were finding out these things on the run.
“It definitely had an impact on the playing group and the things you’re trying to achieve internally.”
Despite playing 250 of his AFL games under Clarkson, Burgoyne endorsed Mitchell as a good man to take over.
The 38-year-old is also a Hawthorn great who played 307 games for the club and coached the VFL affiliate Box Hill throughout 2021.
“He’s got a great football brain,” Burgoyne said about Mitchell.
“He’s a smart man, but he’s a young coach as well, so he’s going to make some errors like all young coaches do.”
The Hawks are set to take a strong hand to the AFL National Draft as the Hawks look to rebuild under Mitchell, holding picks 5, 21, and 24 in the top 30.