Clarko’s hand up for gig at Dons
ALASTAIR Clarkson has told Essendon he has interest in coaching the Bombers next year, as talks are about to ramp up with the premiership coach.
It’s believed Clarkson’s manager James Henderson has told the Bombers there is strong interest from his client, who is also weighing up a fiveyear offer from North Melbourne. He is also being courted by GWS.
It’s not known if Clarkson’s interest will equate to him accepting a job offer from Essendon, or if it’s only the start of a bidding war between all three clubs.
Essendon’s 11th-hour bid for Clarkson came after the embarrassing loss to Port Adelaide on Sunday, which also led to the resignation of Paul Brasher as president.
A boardroom split over the results of an internal review delivered to the board 10 days ago and a clear loss of confidence in coach Ben Rutten by some directors led to the day of turmoil on Monday.
A decision on Rutten is not expected immediately and he will be in the chair when the Bombers take on Richmond at the MCG on Saturday night.
Rutten arrived at training a day after the Bombers installed new president David Barham and amid a cyclone of speculation about his future. But Rutten maintained he had the confidence of his players.
Arriving at the Bombers headquarters on Tuesday morning, Rutten said he was focused on doing his job.
“It’s not ideal,” he said. “I have got the confidence of the players, I’ve got a job to do and I am going to coach to the best I can in the next five days.”
Bombers captain Dyson Heppell backed his senior coach as he also fronted the media on his arrival at the club on Tuesday morning.
“He’s certainly got all our support,” Heppell said.
“We will see how things pan out over the coming weeks.”
It was reported on Monday that Rutten’s job was hanging by a thread after Brasher stood down and the club announced a full-scale external review.
If Clarkson wants to coach Essendon, Rutten will lose his position. Even if Clarkson rejects Essendon’s overtures, it’s almost impossible to believe Rutten would keep his job.
North Melbourne is understood to have given Clarkson a soft deadline of Wednesday to make a call on whether his future is at Arden Street.
The Kangaroos have offered Clarkson a minimum contract of five years.
Essendon’s external review follows the club’s internal review announced in May, which is understood to have determined Rutten would remain coach in 2023.