And Clarkson's goals are not limited to adding more flags to the Hawks' trophy cabinet.
Clarkson impressed with Hartung
Before he eventually leaves, Clarkson wants to help establish Hawthorn as an off-field powerhouse whose financial success is immune from on-field fluctuations.
Clarkson is set to come out of contract at the end of 2014, but the 45-year-old is set to sign a two-year extension with the Hawks that would tie him to the club to the end of 2016.
When Clarkson spoke with AFL.com.au this week he put no use-by date on his tenure at Hawthorn and was clearly still energised by the challenges ahead.
"I'd like to help this footy club really get back to being a really, really strong power of the competition and help the club position itself so that irrespective of our on-field performance, we're able to sustain ourselves off-field in a financial sense," Clarkson said.
"We've made some significant steps in that regard in the last six or seven years in particular, but we've still got a way to go and I'd like to be around the club to be able to help them do that.
"A lot of that's got to do with the on-field performance obviously, but I'd also be able to help them off-field to become a club that doesn't rely on on-field performance ... to be successful."
Clarkson will become Hawthorn's second longest-serving coach in round 10 this season, overtaking Allan Jeans on 221 games.
By the end of 2016, Clarkson would be less than a season away from surpassing John Kennedy snr's club record of 299 games.
Clarkson said the Hawks' recent stability in their coaching and administrative ranks had been a key factor in their ability to put the dark on and off-field days of the late 1990s behind them.
One of the challenges Clarkson faces this year is trying to find senior spots for opportunity-starved young midfielders such as 2013 Liston Trophy winner Mitch Hallahan, Will Langford and Alex Woodward.
Clarkson said the Hawks had already started to address the need for midfield generational change last year, with captain Luke Hodge and Shaun Burgoyne spending a lot of time in defence and attack, and former skipper Sam Mitchell starring across half-back, particularly in the first half of the season.
And Clarkson believes redeploying his midfield veterans in different roles could have the added benefit of extending their careers.
"We recognise that there's going to come a time where we need to look for a new generation of players through that part of the ground," Clarkson said.
"We've started to address that as a football club in terms of knowing full well that (our veterans) have been great stalwarts of our footy club; our whole side has been built around their effectiveness in the middle of the ground really.
"Without a doubt the middle of the ground is a very, very physical position to play, particularly with the way all those guys play their footy.
"And if they can play in other positions on the ground ... hopefully that gives them another season or two of footy."
Twitter: @AFL_Nick
