The young Roo who reignited Clarkson’s passion for the game

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Alastair Clarkson has revealed how close he came to giving up football during his time away, until young gun George Wardlaw rekindled his passion for the game.

The four-time premiership coach on Friday spoke publicly for the first time since stepping away from football in May, saying he had lost his appetite to watch games – even those involving the Kangaroos – during the first four weeks of his leave.

North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson at training on Friday.Credit: Getty Images

He returns to the coaches box on Sunday for his first game since round nine, appearing refreshed and reinvigorated from an 11-week break in which he took a new perspective on the life.

Though the Kangaroos remained confident throughout Clarkson’s time away that their coach would eventually return, the man himself spoke of the depths of his struggle. He had also been keen to give interim coach Brett Ratten space so that he could run the team as he saw fit without feeling like someone was watching over his shoulder.

“For the first four weeks of stepping away from the game, I lost my appetite even to watch footy, including the North games,” Clarkson said.

The “light bulb” moment for Clarkson came when he saw Wardlaw’s 17-possession game in North’s six-point loss to Essendon. No.4 pick Wardlaw and Harry Sheezel, who went the pick before, are the Kangaroos’ great hope as they aim to rise from one of the lowest moments in the club’s near 100-year history in the V/AFL.

“It was just like, ‘Geez, I want to be involved in this kid’s career’,” Clarkson said.

Clarkson said his time away allowed him to reflect on all that he had achieved in the game, including four premierships as coach, instead of the negatives stemming from the Hawthorn racism scandal, which had taken its toll on his physical and mental health.

The AFL’s independent inquiry mad no adverse findings against Clarkson, Chris Fagan and Jason Burt, who strenuously denied any wrongdoing.

“The last 12 months have been a really, really challenging time,” Clarkson said. “But you weigh that up, you’ve got some choices.

George Wardlaw (left) and Harry Sheezel with Alastair Clarkson after they were drafted last year.Credit: Getty Images

“I can look in the rear-vision mirror, and wallow in self-pity about some of the difficult times I’ve had to endure over the last 12 months, or I could look at my whole life and my whole career in footy.”

Clarkson, 55, said if he did not make physical and emotional changes to his lifestyle “I might not have made it to 65”.

“At about round nine or 10, probably just leading to that, similar to ‘Dimma’ [former Richmond coach Damien Hardwick], I just had this gut feel that I wasn’t doing myself or this footy club any favours by being in the space I was, and I needed to do something about it,” Clarkson said.

“So I put some things in place. And yeah, hopefully, it never gets to that point again, where I have to step aside, because I’ve learned some pretty valuable lessons, which I wish I’d have learnt at 20 years of age. It’s taken me until 55. My wife would say, ‘Well, that’s expected’, but I’m glad I’ve learned the lesson now.”

Clarkson thanked his close friend Ratten for stepping in as coach while he was away. Clarkson had provided Ratten with support when Ratten’s son Cooper died in a car accident in 2015.

“He and I go back and a fair stretch, and just like any commitment to one another in a friendship I hope that I’ve been able to help him along the journey,” Clarkson said. “And I know for certain that he’s been able to help me – and no greater example than that of last 10 or 12 weeks.”

Clarkson pointed to the career of Melbourne star Jack Viney, the son of close friend and North’s football boss Todd Viney, as an inspiration for his young charges. Viney started his career when the Demons were at their lowest ebb in 2013 but became a key player in the drought-breaking premiership in 2021.

A loss this week for North against Melbourne will take their losing streak to 18, the club’s longest since 1933-35 and their third worst since entering the league in 1925.

Clarkson said though the football public made their judgments on the win-loss record there is optimism at Arden Street the wheel is turning.

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