WITH four premierships to his name and perhaps a fifth on the horizon, the history books suggest Alastair Clarkson is the greatest coach in Hawthorn's history.

Greater even than the club's most iconic figure, John Kennedy Snr, who coached the Hawks to their first three flags.

But two of Hawthorn's other all-time greats say the discussion isn't so black and white, or perhaps, brown and gold.

According to Leigh Matthews, the roles played by Kennedy through the 1960s and 1970s and Clarkson are so different, that all they have in common is the name of the job – senior coach.

"When John Kennedy coached it was just Tuesday and Thursday training. What we used to do back then is less than what most suburban clubs would do now," Matthews told The Four Hoarsemen podcast last week.

"You had no contact with the club between Thursday training and when you tuned up for the game. So when you talk about coaching, it was a completely different role and mainly all about how you could influence the group."

Matthews, who played 332 games for the Hawks between 1969 and 1985 and in four premiership teams, said clubs today had as many people employed in their football department as they do players.

"The only similarity is that the senior coach has also become a premiership coach and under Alastair Clarkson in his era, Hawthorn has been magnificent and continues to be so."

Parkin, Hawthorn's premiership captain in 1971 and coach in 1978, said the discussion about Kennedy and Clarkson should celebrate their similarities rather than be about what he called "odious" comparisons.

He said Kennedy was the biggest influence in his life, outside his parents, but said Clarkson is clearly also having a profound influence on those around him.

"I think what Alastair has done in this day and age is incredible in terms of a competition of 18 teams and the professionalism that goes with it. He has been a superstar in a time when it was so difficult to do it."

"You are comparing two educators who had wonderful influence on the game and the clubs they coach," Parkin said.

"Both are monuments. One to the history of the game and the other to the game as it is now and I admire them enormously for the impact they have made on the game, but more importantly, they are recognised as great leaders in the broader sense."

"It is hard to make a comparison, but both have been unique people and both just happen to have represented the brown and gold."

Matthews added that Kennedy created a blueprint that Clarkson has followed, allowing for how different football is today.

"The general persona, attitude and roles that John Kennedy filled and the team-first attitude that seemed to be the central figure at Hawthorn in the '60s and '70s has probably lasted through the generations."

John Kennedy
Coach: 1960-63; 67-76
Games: 299
Wins: 181
Losses: 116
Draws: 1
Winning percentage: 61
Premierships: 1961, 1971, 1976

Alastair Clarkson
Coach: 2005-now
Games: 327
Wins: 205
Losses: 120
Draws: 2
Winning percentage: 63
Premierships: 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015

This story also appears in this week's edition of the AFL Record, available at all grounds for $10.