CARYNClarkson is a remarkably understanding woman.
As one of the unheralded people infootball, she knows more than most about the game and the commitment requiredto play it – and coach it.
After all, she's been through both facetsof the game with her husband, the Hawthorn coach, Alastair Clarkson, and is alltoo aware of how hard it can be to cope with the demands of such aresponsibility.
"It's something that you don't reallyunderstand until you're in that position," she said.
"People do pre-warn you. I rememberwhen Alastair first found out he got his coaching appointment, Danny Frawleysaid; ‘How are you coping?’
"I said, ‘Oh, no worries at all’, andhe said, ‘Just wait 12 months and then see if your answer changes’.
"I can totally understand where he iscoming from. It is a huge commitment, but that is part of the job."
Caryn and Alastair met in far-western Victoria, near the SouthAustralian border. Married for 15 years, they have three children – Stephanie(eight), Georgia (five) and Matthew (two).
Naturally, it's a footy-loving household –one that Caryn admits is a much nicer place when the Hawks are enjoyingon-field success.
"It makes a happy house when we'rewinning," she said.
"He does bring the job home with him.Because we have three children, quite often he'll come home as soon as he canand spend some time with the kids and then actually work once they go to bed.
"He usually sits at the kitchen tableand gets the computer out, and off he goes. “Sometimes we have a bit of a chatand see how things are going.
"He doesn't whinge or complain oranything like that. He tells me what's going on so I'm still in the loop."
The Clarksons were uprooted from Melbourne to Adelaidewhen Alastair was offered a coaching role with Central Districts shortly afterStephanie was born.
Caryn gave her husband a "two yearsand we're coming home" compromise, but they stayed for an additional twowhen he was offered an assistant coaching gig at Port Adelaide.
"It was a dream come true when he gothis job at Hawthorn, and to know we were able to come home. We kept our househere while we went to Adelaide,so when it he got the job it was really exciting."
Caryn, a qualified PE teacher, has put hercareer on hold as she raises her young family. She's involved with the Hawks"in a social sense", and makes sure the wives and girlfriends are aclose-knit unit on match days.
She believes her sports background givesher tolerance of Alastair's demanding career, saying that sports people tend to"have a different brain and become a little self-absorbed".
But she admitted she preferred the dayswhen Alastair was playing the game (with North Melbourne and Melbourne), as there was less stress involvedwhen supporting him off the field.
"Stress-wise, it's easier being thewife of a player, because your only concern is whether you're going to get agame or not – that's the biggest issue [along with] injuries," she said.
"As a coach, there are so manydifferent areas. They deal with the media, the supporters, people who areputting money into the club, family, friends, all of that.”
At the end of the day, Caryn doesn't seeher husband as the man taking Hawthorn up the ladder or the man responsiblewhen they have a bad game..
"It's really funny, because, to me,he's still my husband and the father of the kids, and when he comes home he'sgreat like that," she said.
"He devotes himself to the family,when and if he can. Sometimes I get a little bit upset when I read things inthe paper, but he's told me he's got very broad shoulders and thick skin and it'sall part of the job. You just put your head down and get on with it."
