ALASTAIR Clarkson believes Hawthorn assistant Brendon Bolton has the tools to be a senior coach, but says he doesn't need to rush into the hot seat. 

Bolton, who will take charge of a powerful Hawks line-up during Thursday night's NAB Challenge clash with St Kilda, emerged as a senior-coach-in-waiting last year.

While Clarkson was battling auto-immune disease Guillain-Barre syndrome mid-season, the ever-smiling Tasmanian stepped up and steered the side to five-straight wins between rounds 11 to 15.

It was a favourable audition for a senior post and Bolton - the Hawks' forward line coach - was subsequently interviewed for the vacant Adelaide job and linked to Gold Coast when Guy McKenna was sacked. 

Although those roles were filled by the vastly-experienced Phil Walsh and Rodney Eade respectively, triple-premiership mentor Clarkson said Bolton had shown the credentials to lead a club.

"I think he showed the whole football world in my absence last year he could fill the role," Clarkson told AFL.com.au.

"The thing with 'Bolts' is he's 35 years of age. We're going through this with the (AFL) Coaches Association and the accreditation and pathway of young coaches is just being patient, learn your craft."

Clarkson has been at the forefront of a push for an accreditation system and Bolton is among the first intake for a new level-four course.

The course will prepare assistants for the top job and will become mandatory to complete before taking on a senior gig.

Bolton already ticks plenty of boxes having coached his own teams – including the Tassie Devils and Hawks affiliate Box Hill in the VFL – and he has been an assistant at Hawthorn for the past four seasons. 

However, Clarkson - who travelled a lengthy development pathway at Port Adelaide, Central Districts, Werribee and St Kilda - said first-time coaches could never have too much experience. 

"I know it seems ironic that I started at 36 – but I had to do some hard yards. I would have been much better prepared if I had of waited until I was 38 or 40 before that chance came," he said.

"'Bolts' sits in that position too. But having said that, he can't be picky and choosy about when the opportunities come up.

"You need to make yourself available if the opportunities come. He's one of a number (of coaches) that we've got and there's a number around the League who would be very capable if the opportunity came."

Part of Clarkson's philosophy for developing his assistants is to rotate them through the senior job during the pre-season competition, with each coach taking the reins during the week leading into the match.

Former Carlton coach Brett Ratten took charge of the Hawks against Collingwood and midfield mentor Cameron Bruce led the team into their clash with North Melbourne.

Bolton will coach against the Saints, while newly-promoted backline coach Adem Yze is likely to earn his chance in future seasons. 

"They're all very, very capable coaches," said Clarkson, who mentored current senior coaches Damien Hardwick, Adam Simpson, Leon Cameron and Luke Beveridge.

"Given the opportunity and the growth they're all capable of being significant contributors to the game in a coaching sense.

"But they will all be better to just be patient and wait their turn, outside of Brett (Ratten) because he's been there and done that so if an opportunity came along now he would be ready to sit in the chair."