‘That can’t be right’: Fagan’s passionate defence of Clarkson after ‘unfair’ Kangaroos axing

Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan has sprung to the defence of axed rival and close friend Alastair Clarkson, declaring the treatment of the four-time premiership champion as unfair.

North Melbourne shocked the AFL world when the Kangaroos revealed they would part ways with Clarkson after four seasons in charge in which they failed to reach the finals.

He had taken the reins of a team reeling on the back of consecutive wooden spoons.

On Wednesday, president Sonja Hood said: “having consulted widely across the club, it has become clear Alastair no longer has the belief from enough people at the club he is the right coach to take this group forward”.

When asked what the Kangaroos would seek in a new mentor, Hood said they needed “a coach that can coach for the modern game”.

“It’ll be a coach that knows what they’re doing, and it’ll be a coach who’s the best fit for this club.”

Fagan’s relationship with Clarkson dates back to their time with the Melbourne Demons in 1997. They worked together again at the Hawks, where they orchestrated four flag triumphs, in 2008, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

Fagan, himself preparing to lead the Lions into a qualifying final against the Sydney Swans on Saturday, said he had attempted to call Clarkson on Wednesday night to no avail.

“It was a big shock to me. I actually thought ‘that can’t be right’ because I felt like under his guidance North had really started to improve, and we could all see their growth this year.

“It just reminded me of how tough coaching can be, when a bloke who’s been as successful as him as a coach can be jettisoned as quickly as that.

“I guess I just hope the feedback given in the press conference about him was given to him in person at some stage during the year so he had a chance to act on it. Feedback’s only good if you get it at the right time.

“I don’t know whether that was the case or not, but I just hope it was because it was a pretty fierce press conference, I reckon, with the way he was spoken about, and I reckon it was probably an unfair description of a man who has done an awful lot for footy.”

Fagan credited Clarkson with bestowing lessons that helped get him into the position he is today – a two-time premiership winner with Brisbane who will now take part in their eighth-straight finals campaign.

“He’s got great knowledge of the game, he’s a man who’s been dedicated to his profession, he set the trend in a whole lot of areas of coaching – particularly in his days at Hawthorn.