The Clarkson Conundrum: When Stability Becomes a Liability The sudden departure of Alastair Clarkson from North Melbourne after four years as coach raises more questions than answers about what constitutes success in modern professional sports.
On the surface, it seems like a straightforward case of a coach not meeting expectations, but scratch beneath and you'll find a complex web of competing interests, shifting priorities, and the eternal quest for stability.
Clarkson's tenure at Arden Street saw incremental improvement – from 3 10 in 2023 to 9 14 in 2026. This is a decent track record by any measure, but ultimately it wasn't enough to satisfy the club's power brokers.