North Melbourne has parted ways with head coach Alastair Clarkson after deciding that “gaping holes” in his usual AFL game plans merited a split a year before his contract actually expired.
“My time as coach of the North Melbourne Football Club has come to an end,” Clarkson said in a written release after the news broke Wednesday.
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“We set out to stabilise the club and lay the foundations for a return to playing deep in September. The challenge was a difficult one that I embraced with my whole being. My family and I have been privileged to be involved in AFL football for over 40 years, but it is now time for a new chapter.”
Clarkson had been expected to see out his tenure (he was still signed for 2027), but the football chiefs in North Melbourne have pulled the trigger early.
“I think if there was one thing that Clarko did was that he tried too hard in trying to fix that, and then therefore what happens is we get into more meetings, more information,” head of football Todd Viney said today.
“The players, at the end of the day, become a little bit confused, and we don’t get the cohesion that we need to win more games,” he explained.
Viney also suggested that the investigation into racism at Hawthorn, which had occurred under Clarkson’s tenure, had led to some struggles for the coach. “I’m not sure the scars have fully healed, to this point. He’s gone through enormous trauma,” Viney said, adding that he had “been through a lot.”
The Kangaroos don’t have a replacement lined up, though the club has already been linked to ex-stars like Adam Simpson and John Longmire. Both are available.
Kangaroos president Sonja Hood said management were largely going to be looking for “a coach who can coach for the modern game” when asked.
Clarkson guided North to 20 wins in 82 AFL matches, including nine this year. He took over the Kangaroos after the club had earned back-to-back wooden spoons in 2022 and 2021, while also finishing second-last in 2020.
The Roos finished 14th with 36 points in 2026, just 14 points from top ten (and finals).
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