Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell was shocked to listen to his former mentor Alastair Clarkson had stepped away from the sport however opted to respect his privateness because the news hit onerous.
Mitchell heard the news simply minutes earlier than his weekly press convention on Thursday morning and shut down questioning about it.
The relationship between the duo has come beneath the highlight after studies surfaced that Clarkson had spoken about some poor grand last performances from Mitchell early in his profession to a gaggle of potential AFL draftees.
But Mitchell, who took over from Clarkson throughout 2021 after a failed handover, didn’t need to be drawn on something when requested, aware of the gravity of his outdated coach’s state of affairs.
“I only just read the press release before I walked out and I thought North Melbourne summed it up well. They asked for privacy and I think me adding to that narrative is not going to help anyone. I’ll leave it there,” Mitchell stated.
“It is a serious thing, stepping away from such a big job is a big decision. It is my job to respect what they’ve asked for and they’ve asked for privacy, so I hope we all do that.
“I’ll be pretty clear they asked for privacy, and me adding anything is just going to add to that story.”
Mitchell has simply returned again to the membership after an expertise with Covid-19 throughout which he felt “knocked around”.
He stated he was now again to full well being simply in time for Sunday’s conflict with West Coast in Tasmania that some have known as the “Harley Reid Cup”, a reference to the possible No.1 decide on this 12 months’s draft, a decide that can go to the staff who finishes on the underside.
But Mitchell stated each little bit of his power and focus was on profitable as many video games as attainable, and any options his staff might tank to complete final had been very fallacious.
“I’m not all over the recruiting at this time of year, I leave that to (Hawthorn list manager) Mark McKenzie and his guys,” he stated.
“I think what we’re trying to do is build a premiership team and that’s not built off losing games of footy. You need spirit and you need a high level of competitiveness. You need players that are desperate to win at every opportunity and are going to try to play in a way that is going to be sustainable in finals footy.
“We are working towards that. This week is another step in that direction. We know they have a significant injury list and they are in a similar position on the ladder to us. It‘s a chance to get a win.”
Mitchell stated twin All-Australian Chad Wingard wouldn’t play as a consequence of a calf pressure that’s set to sideline him within the quick time period, persevering with a irritating begin to 2023 by which he’s didn’t play his greatest.
“He is not going to play this week. He hurt his calf during the game. He is going to miss,” he stated.
“He knows that his form line is not what it should be for a player of his calibre. Like every player on the list, they need to continue to work and get the best out of themselves and he is no different to anyone else.”
Originally revealed as Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell reacts to news about Alastair Clarkson
Source: www.dailytelegraph.com.au
