Four-time Hawthorn premiership coach Alastair Clarkson is set to return to coaching in 2023 according to former Port Adelaide and Brisbane midfielder Tom Rockliff.
Clarkson departed the Hawks last season with Sam Mitchell taking over, as the club scrapped a handover plan that would’ve seen him complete one final season in 2022.
While Clarkson knocked back advances from Collingwood and Carlton to coach in 2022, Rockliff believes the 53-year-old is already making plans to return in 2023.
According to Rockliff, Clarkson has already begun calling free agents to convince them to sign under him next season.
“There’s a high profile ex-AFL coach who’s recently out of the game, has been calling a few free agents directly telling them not to re-sign because I will be coaching next year,” Rockliff said on Triple M’s Dead Set Legends.
“Alastair Clarkson has been making phone calls.
“That is the mail that I’ve heard. I’m not sure which club, I don’t know if he’s said which club he’s going to ... my mail is that he’ll be coaching somewhere in 2023.
“He’s put in a call to a few free agents to tell them to hold off, wait until the back-half of the year and you might get a better picture of where he might end up.”
Clarkson does not have a role lined up for 2023, but he has continuously been linked with the Gold Coast job as Stuart Dew comes out of contract at the end of the season.