Detail in Alastair Clarkson's public messaging paints worrying picture

7NEWS

3 days ago

Channel 7 commentator Kane Cornes has questioned whether North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson still has the passion after another 'uninspiring' performance.
The Roos slumped to their 12th loss of the season on Sunday to remain in 16th place on the ladder, just ahead of Richmond on percentage and rock bottom West Coast.
The six-goal loss to the Demons was a 95-point turnaround from the game earlier in the season when the Roos romped to a 59-point victory.
Since becoming North's coach ahead of the 2023 season, Clarkson has won just 10 games.
While they do have one of the youngest lists in the competition, it is also packed with elite talent thanks to years of high-end draft picks.
But despite boasting a stack of gun midfielders and potent forward line, the defence has always been the big concern.
This year, the Roos have conceded the second-most points in the competition, trailing only the Eagles in the unwanted statistic. Last year they conceded the most of any team, while in 2023 they were second-most.
Clarkson looks 'defeated', according to Cornes, who also noted that the master coach said the word 'um' 70 times in his media conference.
'I sat through his media conference twice after the game and maybe I'm harsh on coaches that face the media straight after the game, but he is as uninspiring as I've seen him,' he said on The Agenda Setters.
'And he looks as though he's lost the passion.
'So in eight minutes and one second, he said the word 'um' 70 times. He said it 70 times. I counted them. And it's just the same monotonous (stuff).'
While admitting he may be harsh on the coach, he said he'd be critical on other senior figures like AFL CEO Andrew Dillon if it was the same situation.
'Not selling the club at all ... He looks defeated. We'd be so critical of Andrew Dillon and his messaging or if that was an official like Laura Kane from the AFL,' he continued.
'This is your messenger for your club after you've lost another game. You've conceded 100 plus for the ninth time this year.
'They've conceded 130 four times this year. Only West Coast have conceded more, 17 points more than North Melbourne this year.
'I think he has been (a salesman). I think (his message has been previously) 'come with us, I'm angry, this is not good and I'm not accepting this anymore from this group'.
'Not 'um... Well um... Um...' 70 times.'
Fellow panellist Nick Riewoldt wondered if Clarkson was holding back slightly given it was such a young group of players.
'There has to be some method to that though, doesn't there?' He said.
'Because we've seen him at times not be able to control his emotions and his anger and his frustration. When he's been on that edge, he's been at his best.
'Does that disappear from someone or is that just innate within you? Do you reckon there's a fear if I go too hard I'm going to lose them?'
Cornes called on Clarkson to 'demand more from the young group' with his public messaging and cited West Coast coach Andrew McQualter's critical comments about undisciplined acts from young gun Harley Reid.
'We saw what Andrew McQualter said about Harley Reid. There's never any of that from Clarko,' he continued.
'There's never any 'McKercher missed another three tackles', they love what he's doing offensively and we've got a player here but he cannot be missing that Christian Petrarca tackle that cost us a goal.
'We can't have Harry Sheezel doing ... We can't have our senior players .... There's just none of that.
'Maybe as I said, I'm being a little bit harsh but he looks defeated.
'I listened to it twice and I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I urge you to go and check it.
'Seventy 'ums' in eight minutes and one second.'