The ‘genius’ Clarko move Tigers failed to makeBen Waterworth,
FOX SPORTS
February 2, 2017MELBOURNE champion Garry Lyon believes Hawthorn’s brutally bold move to drop two veterans last year would help prolong the club’s success near the top of the ladder.
And it’s a brave move that, Lyon says, a certain big Victorian rival club must learn from.
Lyon on Wednesday described the departures of experienced duo Sam Mitchell and Jordan Lewis — which were primarily driven by coach Alastair Clarkson — as a tough yet ‘genius move’ that would have long-term benefits for the Hawks.
Clarkson met with both Mitchell and Lewis after the Hawks were bundled out of the 2016 finals series and informed both four-time premiership heroes that it’d be wise to seek new footy homes, as their contracts were unlikely to be renewed in one year’s time. Subsequently, Mitchell was traded to West Coast and Lewis linked up with Melbourne.
To fill their midfield chasm, the Hawks then traded in emerging on-ball duo Jaeger O’Meara (Gold Coast) and Tom Mitchell (Sydney).
Lyon said the Hawks were still a genuine contender in 2017 — by virtue that they are “likely to finish in the top six — but added that Clarkson’s call on Mitchell and Lewis was as brilliant as it was brutal.
“When I heard that Mitchell was potentially going and then Lewis, I thought to myself: ‘That is classic Alastair Clarkson’ and I thought it was a genius move. I really did,” Lyon told SEN.
“It said to me there’s a fellow who has a really great understanding of his list and group.
“The minute they didn’t contend — and I think in mind he realised they were some way off — he just said: ‘I’ve got to make hard calls. I’m not going to wait for another year because of who it is or the personnel … which means out goes Mitchell and out goes Lewis. But in my own mind, I’ve got O’Meara for 10 (years), I’ve got Tom Mitchell for 10, therefore I’ll make the call and live with the consequences.’”
Lyon then compared Hawthorn and Clarkson’s list management approach to Richmond, which opted not to trade out any of its top-end talent out following three unsuccessful finals campaigns (2013-2015).
It was only until Geelong and GWS approached Brett Deledio late last year — he would eventually land at the Giants — that the Tigers entertained trading out an A-grade player.
“I compare (Hawthorn’s attitude) to some other clubs — and I want to mention Richmond here. This is a footy club who were making finals, losing but thinking they were close enough. So they go again, made finals and lost, made finals and lost and then it was Deledio out,” Lyon said.
“Had they had the awareness perhaps of a Clarkson at Hawthorn, who said ‘we made finals and lost but we’re some way off, let’s make a tough call’.”
Lyon also refuted a claim that trading out club champions Lewis and Mitchell was toying with Hawthorn’s culture.
“That’s the process of great football clubs who make, hard tough calls — irrespective of personal feelings or whether it’s going to look messy,” Lyon said.
“What could’ve been messier: Round 7, Clarko’s got Mitchell and Lewis in a midfield that’s getting slower and slow and he’s thinking: ‘How am I going to manage this?’
“He’s looking forward and I applaud that.”
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