Legendary coach Alastair Clarkson has confirmed that he will depart Hawthorn at the end of the AFL season, a year earlier than originally planned.
The club has agreed to part ways with their four-time premiership coach after 17 years, with Clarkson set to receive a full payout.
The 53-year-old fronted a press conference on Friday afternoon.
"We've come to the realisation that this footy club needed some fresh air from the end of 2021 onwards," Clarkson said on Friday.
"Our club hasn't performed anywhere near the way we would have liked for a whole heap of reasons."
It comes a week after Clarkson delivered an impassioned press conference emphasising his commitment to coaching the Hawks through 2022 as part of a succession plan with Sam Mitchell.
"I'll see through my commitment. I've always been that way. Once you make a commitment to someone you follow it through to the end," Clarkson said last Friday.
"My commitment to Sam Mitchell is through to the end of next year."
Mitchell pulled out of the running for Collingwood's senior coach vacancy ahead of the succession plan, a July 6 announcement confirming Clarkson would see out 2021 and 2022 before Mitchell took the reins in 2023
Both Clarkson and Mitchell had actively denied reports of a rift since the announcement.
"I probably shouldn't say it on radio, but I kind of get a bit pissed off with people saying that," Mitchell told SEN last Wednesday
"I've worked with Clarko for nearly 20 years and the fact that people would say that I'm trying to push him out is disrespectful to both of us because we've had a working relationship for such a long period of time."
Clarkson's next step is unclear but he has previously been linked to the vacant Collingwood coaching position, while he could tempt Carlton to make a call on under-fire coach David Teague, amid the Blues' external review into their football department.
After taking the reins at Hawthorn in 2005, Clarkson coached the Hawks to the 2008 premiership, then a three-peat between 2013 and 2015, with Mitchell playing in all four flags.
