North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson is aiming to repeat some of the success he led through his illustrious stint at Hawthorn, with an eye on attracting rival talent to do so.
Reported interest in hard-nosed premiership Demon Jack Viney was confirmed by the four-time premiership coach, who didn't hold back from sharing who is on the club's board of potential targets, including contracted players.
"We want anyone that's going to help us in that space," Clarkson toldย SEN Breakfast.
"There's half-a-dozen players that have been successful, that have had really, really strong careers, are really, really strong in their leadership."
"All the guys we want are probably contracted, because they're required for a reason."
"It's just can you extract one or two of them out, who feel like their either not going to get the same opportunities as what they had before, or they feel like their club's going in a different direction."
โJack is part of that.โ
Clarkson confirms interest in Viney as North attempts to โextractโ experienced players from rival clubs | https://t.co/IdYMMgKaed@SENBreakfast | #AFL pic.twitter.com/rJZspCEeTa
— SEN 1116 (@1116sen) August 15, 2024
"Jack's part of that but you mentioned it... Ollie Wines we'd like to have a chat, Luke Parker, Dane Rampe coming out? He's 34 now. Cal Ward."
Hawthorn's four-premiership era led by Clarkson from 2008-2015 emerged out of an ideal mix of homegrown talent and player poaching, having lured key figures like Josh Gibson, Brian Lake, Ben McEvoy and more to help contribute to their grand success.
While uncertain how the upcoming free agency and trade period will play out for his current Kangaroo crop, Clarkson shed light on how it has worked in the past.
"It's an evolving beast, and you don't know when you start out," the four-time premiership coach toldย SEN Breakfast.
"What you do know is the basis of your future of your footy club is with youth.
"(At Hawthorn) we needed to find another back, 'let's go and get Lake, let's go and get Gibson'."
"We took Gibson who, at that point in time, North were playing Scotty Thompson and Firrito and Hansen before him as a back and we're going, 'geez how is he not getting in that back three at North. We rate him much higher than that'."
"In a three-peat; '13, '14, '15, in a side that's littered with high-end talent; Hodge, Burgoyne, Mitchell, Rioli, Birchall... Josh Gibson wins two best & fairest's in those three premiership years. Extraordinary."
The young core of shinboners at North have produced some tantalising displays in their short careers thus far, but for the squad to reach the pinnacle, it's going to take more than the homegrown crew.
Luke Davies-Uniacke, Harry Sheezel, George Wardlaw, Zane Duursma, Colby McKercher, Nick Larkey, Paul Curtis, Charlie Comben, Jackson Archer, Jy Simpkin, Tom Powell and others make up an elite group of youthful exuberance and character that will lead the charge toward future success.
But it seems Clarko won't be contempt with the direction of the club until external additions are made.
"You'd like to think it's just going to be North Melbourne youngsters, but North aren't going to win a flag if it's just relying on the draft."
"Right now, I'm hoping the competition's starting to see it a little bit in the second half of the year... 'there's a little bit of excitement going on at North'."
"I'd like to think that there'd be players out there now who are starting to look at North and say 'two, three, four years, this is a club that's going to be on the go."
"We might be able to attract some players. If we can't, we're just going to have to wait for another 12 months and hopefully we'll be an exciting prospect then."
"I don't know what the hit/miss ratio is for all other clubs, but I reckon mine's one in ten."
North finish off the home & away season against the Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn in Rounds 23 and 24, where they hope to display two more exciting performances ahead of what shapes as a very active off-season for the club.
