ALASTAIR Clarkson won't back away from his comments about what he perceives as illegal blocking by defenders, but the Hawthorn coach has conceded that next time he will raise the issue privately rather than publicly.
Speaking publicly for the first time since it was revealed he’d broached the matter over breakfast with AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan last Monday, Clarkson said he would "live and learn" from the experience.
The four-time premiership coach put illegal blocking on the agenda after his team suffered a narrow loss to Sydney at the MCG last week, accusing umpires of letting Sydney’s backmen get away with "blue murder".
Clarkson followed up these remarks on radio the next day, before reinforcing them at a public meeting with McLachlan.
This prompted an angry response from Swans coach John Longmire – an old mate of Clarkson’s – who labelled the Hawks coach’s actions as "strange", "unusual and unnecessary".
When Clarkson fronted the media at Melbourne Airport on Saturday morning ahead of his team’s clash with Brisbane at the Gabba on Sunday, he emphasised that he didn’t want to "add further fuel to the fire" but also made it clear that he didn't resile from his views.
"I talk to Gill once every four to six weeks," Clarkson said.
"In actual fact, for this one, one of the items I wanted to speak to him about is my wife and eldest daughter being guests of the AFL at the Gold Coast Suns versus Port Adelaide game (in China) this weekend …
"There was many items that we discussed on Monday morning but unfortunately everyone just goes to the one that they think is the most significant.
"You just live and learn along the way.
"Gill and I have regular conversations. I’m wanting him to educate me on what goes on in the game. He’s got vast experience in a whole (range) of sports, as well as different aspects of our game that I don't know too much about; and he needs to be educated about things that are going on with players, football, rules.
"We try to help one another, but I’d try to do that in his house or my house next time."
His mateship with Longmire has also survived the controversy, with Clarkson explaining it was "par for the course" for coaches.
"I’ve spoken to ‘Horse’ about it. We’ve got different opinions on the way the game’s played, our sides play differently, the way we recruit, the way we structure up our salary cap – there’s lots of things that Horse and I don't agree (on) and this is one of them," he said.
"It won't be the last stoush that we have together, I wouldn't reckon. We’ve had plenty before and we’ll probably have more again.
"The most important thing is that we can talk about it, and that’s what we did over a lengthy conversation throughout the course of the week."
Debate was good for the game, Clarkson added.
"We’ve all got the game at heart in a sense. When players are either getting injured or something’s happening in the game that’s causing scoring to go down or the fluency of the game to be affected, then we’re going to have opinion," he said.
"Some people don't like hearing that (opinion) too much, others love to hear it, but the important thing is we debate it.
"That put it on the agenda. Probably next time I won't put it on the public agenda so much and just do it privately, but sometimes these things need to be discussed and not wait until the end of the season.
"If things are happening right now that you think are affecting the game, then (you're) probably better off saying something.
"For people to talk about it, observe it, try to educate people about what’s happening and then they can make up their own (mind).
"I don't have to be right. In a lot of cases I’m wrong, and I’m quite happy to be wrong, but it’s really important that we do understand what’s happening in the game."
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