Alastair Clarkson: Walking away from the Hawks? Credit:Pat Scala ‘‘Yeah. He’s put out a statement today ... you guys in the media need to actually talk to the individuals that you writing the story about. If you understand the nature of the bloke - and I think it’s evident in the statement he put out - that’s the end of the matter. In terms of my Richter scale it wasn’t even showing up. It wasn’t an issue for me,’’ the president said at the Hawks’ grand final lunch on Wednesday. Since Clarkson was given a three-year extension in 2011 he has taken the club to the grand final this year and last year, and was within a goal of doing it in 2011 when it lost in the preliminary final to Collingwood. Newbold insisted that despite the reported interest of West Coast that Hawthorn would not contemplate extending the coach’s contract until after the grand final. ‘‘We’ll look at that after the year. We’ve got the biggest game of the year coming up so I’m sure you won’t mind if we say we’re pretty focused on this Saturday,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s just not an issue. We’re about putting our best foot forward on Saturday.’’ Hawthorn great David Parkin, who is also president of the AFL Coaches’ Association and was the keynote speaker at the Hawks’ lunch, reckoned the only way Clarkson would not be leading the Hawks next year would be if the hierarchy decided the club would be better served by another coach. ‘‘I know him well enough ... to know that he’s made a life commitment to the Hawthorn Football Club. Unless Hawthorn decide he is no longer than man I would ... be absolutely convinced Alastair would be coach in 2014,’’ Parkin said. Earlier Wednesday morning, Clarkson’s manager Liam Pickering has described as "factually incorrect" a claim that the Hawthorn premiership coach would leave the Hawks to join West Coast after the grand final. Sheahan told On The Couch on Tuesday night: "My view about West Coast is that their next coach will come out of the grand final.

"Don’t assume that it will be Peter Sumich. "Whatever the result on the weekend ... West Coast will make an offer to Alastair Clarkson that he will take. Right now my view is that Clarko will coach West Coast next year. If they lose, I think that both parties will be happy to part company. "If they win he’s delivered them two premierships, West Coast would come at him with a four to five year deal I think he says 'I’ve paid my dues here I want to go there and have another long term deal'." Clarkson has a year of his contract at Hawthorn remaining. SEN commentator Tim Watson told listeners this morning that Pickering had said Sheahan’s assertion was "100 per cent factually incorrect".

He quoted Pickering, who also works on SEN, as saying: "Al Clarkson will be coaching Hawthorn footy club next year and will not be coaching West Coast Eagles." Fellow commentator Anthony Hudson said he had heard rumours about Clarkson last week, but dismissed them, as similar stories had linked Clarkson to the Melbourne coaching position earlier in the year. "What I did hear - and I can’t confirm this 100 per cent – is that Clarkson I presume through his management approached Hawthorn four to six weeks ago and asked for a contract extension and that was rejected," Hudson said. In 2011, Ross Lyon shocked the football world by switching from St Kilda to Fremantle days after the Saints were eliminated from the finals series. The controversial employment of Lyon - and sacking of then Fremantle coach Mark Harvey - is now seen as a masterstroke. The Eagles, looking for a coach after the resignation of stalwart John Worsfold, may be using their arch-rival’s ruthless precedent in seeking a high-profile incumbent. Watson said the scenarios were different, as St Kilda was on the downswing after just failing to win a premiership. Hawthorn is days away from starting as favourite in a grand final.

"When you create what he’s been able to create … coaches usually don’t want to walk out." Former Saints big man Justin Koschitzke said after Lyon’s departure from his club, he would not be surprised "by anything that happens in footy". He said he had no inclination that Lyon was about to leave, and watched coverage of his signing with Fremantle in "disbelief". "I was gutted at the time, absolutely. We just thought we’d had a real sustained period, a great mentor for us and then it all happened really quickly. So it was almost why? What was going on? "But as it evolved it might have been the right decision."

Hawthorn legend Shane Crawford said he'd be surprised if Clarkson was even thinking about the move, given how much he was hurting after last year's grand final loss to Sydney, and how motivated he appeared by the drive to win a second premiership with Hawthorn. "But then again ... it wouldn't surprise me that West Coast would want him ..."