Clarko might not have energy for Hawks rebuild: Lewis
Four-time premiership player Jordan Lewis believes the Hawks need to think about untertaking a rebuild and has questioned whether Alastair Clarkson is the right man to lead the club through it.
The Hawks only used one first-round pick in the national draft from 2016 to 2019 (Will Day at No.13 in 2019), opting to trade in mature talent such as Chad Wingard and Jaegar O'Meara instead.
Lewis wonders if Clarkson is the man for the rebuild he says the Hawks needs. Credit:Jason South
They also field an old side each week, and with the club's poor 2020 performance Lewis said the Hawks needed to turn to youth, and possibly a new coach, to herald in that new era.
"I think [Clarkson] said on the weekend he's realistic on where the club is at. No doubt he's the best coach in the league, but whether you want to go back down that rebuilding phase, because it's not quick, it's a three-to-five-year process," Lewis told SEN.
"I think you've got to look over your list demographic, you've got to look at the inconsistencies of the season and their best players right now are Isaac Smith who's 31 and I still think he's got a few years left in him [but] you can't keep rolling out the same players," he said.
"The hardest thing to accept is 'OK, we may not be successful of the next two to three years, but we need to go down a path of getting in youth'.
"That's the decision I think Alastair Clarkson and the Hawthorn Football Club needs to make because the worst position to be in is to be between 10th and sixth where you're not really challenging, but you're not getting high, talented draft picks in.
Lewis said a list rebuild could be "highly zapping" for a veteran coach such as Clarkson, who is contracted to the Hawks until 2022, having joined in 2005.
"So whether he [Clarkson] has that energy in him or whether it's a Sam Mitchell who's just sitting in waiting who has that energy and the smarts and the football IQ to take over the reigns and take that club forward through the transition period," Lewis said.
"Hawthorn has a decision to make – where do they want to be in five years? They currently sit 13th with the oldest team in the league. You'd rather be 18th with the youngest team and getting experience into these guys and try to build a side off the back of that.
"I don't necessarily like the term rebuild, but Hawthorn has got a serious question to answer. Do they have to go down that path because what we're seeing at the moment, it's inconsistent, but yet there's no young kids coming through that they can build a side around like a Lance Franklin or a Jarryd Roughead to have that 10 to 15-year period of success."
Hawks defender-ruckman Ben McEvoy said there was "no chance" that Lewis' concern about Clarkson's enthusiasm for the challenge was accurate.
"Does he remember Clarko?
"Has there ever been a more enthusiastic guy? He's still unbelievably passionate for the game, for this footy club," McEvoy said.
McEvoy also urged Hawks fans not to panic about the teams rut in results and performance.
"So, not using it as an excuse, but I feel like it is a little bit understandable – we haven't been able to train together," he said.
"Outside of a couple of teams in the comp who have been consistent – and credit to them – everyone is a bit up and down so I don't think there is any need to panic, we just need to stick at it and hopefully we can smooth out some of those bumps."