Alastair Clarkson would prefer no roof on new Tasmanian stadium as Kangaroos say goodbye to Hobart

News.com.au

3 days ago

North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson dismissed the idea the winner of Sunday's clash in Hobart against fellow battlers Richmond would come out as the team closer to a surge up the ladder.
Instead he referenced the 'seven or eight year' build of the Brisbane Lions, the reigning premiers, 'from the bottom of the ladder to the top' as an example of the long road still ahead of both clubs.
Sunday's game will be the last in the Kangaroos longstanding deal to play matches in Tasmania, where Clarkson also took Hawthorn as coach having experienced the weather extremes on offer.
In a parting political statement, Clarkson said leaving the new team's venue 'open to the elements' rather than having the AFL-mandated roof could even work in the new team's favour declaring the Tasmanian team should have been in the competition 'many, many years ago'.
'I'm a fan of open it up to the elements,' he said
'The Green Bay Packers (in the NFL) don't have a roof on their stadium and use it as a competitive advantage for the way they play their games there.
'It comes at such a significant expense.
'I think there is genuine commitment from everyone that our game is going to be better off if Tasmania features in a national competition.
'Hopefully all that stuff can sort itself out.'
The forecast for Hobart on Sunday is a shivering 11c with 'possible small hail', a mid-August reminder of what opposition teams could face from 2028 onwards.
Clarkson would hope his Kangaroos are more competitive by then, having won just four games in 2025, one less than the Tigers who would arguably be a step behind in their youth-led rebuild.
But the premiership winning coach said wins were not the only metric, and only time would tell whether North was on the track to success, and whether they would get there before Richmond.
'I know that's a sexy story, but we are both on the same journeys,' he said of the two clubs.
'What excites us is sides like Adelaide have been on the same journey as us, the Brisbane Lions, same journey, and Adelaide are on top of the ladder and looking really good.
'Brisbane took seven or eight years to get from the bottom to the top.
'We know what the formula is, but it's a difficult track and there's no guarantee you are ever going to get there. What we can guarantee is we are trying out best to get there. 'Everyone would like to thing whoever wins this game is on track to get there a little bit quicker, but it's over along journey rather than a short one.'