AFL great Danny Frawley has scolded Fox Footy Colleague Mark Maclure over his “staggering” comments surrounding the future of Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson.

The four-time premiership winning mentor has come under fire for his team’s winless start to the season after a tumultuous and controversial trade period at the end of the 2016 season.

After losses to Essendon, Adelaide and an 86-point thumping at the hands of the Gold Coast Suns, Clarkson was blasted by Carlton legend Maclure on Wednesday night.

The Fox Footy analyst told AFL 360 Clarkson has lost the Hawthorn changeroom and that players are no longer playing for the 48-year-old.

“They’ve only won two of their last nine games, when you go back through it,” Maclure said.

“That’s pretty poor. We already saw this coming from the start. They need to change their game style, they really do. Do you think they are playing for Alastair Clarkson? They don’t look like they’re playing for him at all. That’s what I see and it’s unfortunate because he’s been such a great coach and he still is a good coach.

“The players are worn out and gone. They’ve played two good quarters for the year. The second quarter against Essendon and the first quarter against Adelaide. From that moment on, every quarter they’ve lost.

He said the Hawks’ senior players are underperforming.

“I think there needs to be some change here,” he said.

“Ben Stratton is struggling big time. (James) Frawley has struggled since he got there. Luke Hodge is not really at his best and we all understand that. Josh Gibson looks in danger for mine. They are older players.

“Cyril Rioli is in trouble. He’s hardly kicked a goal. Gunston hasn’t kicked a goal. What is going on here? These are household names. These are grand finalists. That is wrong. Ben McEvoy gets bashed every week in the ruck. Don’t tell me there’s not some kids in this side they can play. They’re so old what is the point of continuing to play them? They need to change with some youth.”

“Spud” Frawley on Thursday morning said Maclure was way off the mark with his comments about Clarkson’s ability to motivate his troops.

“That’s staggering,” Frawley said on SEN Breakfast.

“He’s off the ball there. To be nit-picking as to whether the Hawthorn players are playing for Alastair Clarkson is so far from reality it’s not funny.”

Former St Kilda and Norths great Nick Dal Santo also said Maclure had gone too early with his criticism of Clarkson.

“It’s just a throwaway line to say they are not playing for the coach who has won four premierships,” he said.

“It doesn’t make sense to me.”

It comes as Geelong great Cameron Mooney predicted a bleak future for the Hawks because of the hole that will be created in coming years when the club’s star veterans retire.

Mooney told SEN he does not believe the club’s emerging talents have the ability to step up once the likes of Shaun Burgoyne and Luke Hodge have retired.

“When you play in premierships when you’re young, do you have the hunger and desire to push the group, or do they rest on their laurels?” Mooney told SEN’s The Run Home.

“Suddenly the guys who have driven an amazing standard for years are not there, or not the same players as they once were, so it’s dropped on the shoulders of the next group and not everyone is equipped to deal with that.

“Are they prepared to do that and do they have the desire?

“I think they are going to have to see the other side of the ladder for a while,” he said.

“They’ve had one of the greatest runs of all time so now you’re going to have to accept the fact they aren’t going to contend for a while and that can be a hard thing to do.”