‘We’re going to defend ourselves pretty strongly’: Alastair Clarkson speaks as Hawks cultural safety review draws closer

Former Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson has vowed that he and the Hawks would “defend ourselves pretty strongly” when the investigation into alleged racist incidents at the club gets underway. 

On his first official day in his new role as the North Melbourne senior coach, Clarkson spoke to the media on his way into Arden Street.

Clarkson’s start date with the Kangaroos was pushed back after he was named in an external review commissioned by Hawthorn into the treatment of First Nations players at the club during his tenure with the Hawks.

Asked whether it was appropriate that he begin his coaching role with the investigation still ongoing, Clarkson said the decision had been made between him and the North Melbourne club.

Clarkson said that he and others named in the initial review — his former assistant, now Brisbane Lions coach, Chris Fagan and former Hawks player development manager Jason Burt — had gone through “a tough four weeks”.

“We’re pleased that the terms of reference have been stamped by the AFL and we just await for information from the AFL when all that will commence,” Clarkson said. 

“But, yeah, [we’re] looking forward to the chance to contribute to that and in the meantime, get on with what we need to do here.”

Clarkson, Fagan and Burt have denied any suggestion of wrongdoing or misconduct.

The incoming Kangaroos coach said the investigation would be the most “significant priority” for the next four to six weeks, or however long the process took.

“In the meantime, we’ve got a really good team of people. I mean, they’ve worked pretty well without me the last four or five weeks, so I’m sure they’ll do the same,” Clarkson said.

“I’ll come in and out of the program and the number one priority will be to contribute to the investigation.”

The AFL has named a four-person panel, chaired by Bernard Quinn KC — and including barristers Tim Goodwin, Julie Buxton and Jacqualyn Turfrey — to investigate events at Hawthorn.

Prior to Clarkson’s comments on Thursday morning, a woman at the centre of the Hawthorn review said she would not be participating in the AFL’s investigation.

Asked about his confidence that he would be cleared, Clarkson said he would work through that with the AFL investigation.

“All we do know is that there’s been three or four clubs in the competition over the last 20 years that have been really, really strong clubs, really, really successful clubs and the clubs have all had magnificent cultures and Hawthorn’s been one of those,” he said.

“I’d be very, very surprised if we weren’t able to put a really, really strong case forward that these allegations have been reported in a different way than we saw them when we were at the club.

“It’s been a tough four or five weeks for all of us.

“Listen, there’s a lot more depth and history to what’s transpired, but we’ll get a chance in the investigation to outline that.”