HAWTHORN'S four-time premiership coach Alastair Clarkson has pressed pause on negotiations about his future as he prepares to come out of contract in 2019.

Clarkson's manager James Henderson told News Corp that discussions had begun on a new contract, potentially a three-year extension until 2022, but the Hawk great poured cold water on that suggestion.

The master coach said discussions were "very preliminary", and only one conversation between Henderson and Hawthorn chief executive Justin Reeves had taken place "about a month ago".

"Nothing has happened since," Clarkson told reporters on Friday morning.

"We're in discussions like this all the time, because I'm coach of the club and trying to work out the direction of our footy club over the long term.

"We just need to work out whether I'm going to be part of that, so all our planning is along the lines that the next four weeks are pretty important to us.

"We'll just park things until the end of the year, I reckon, and do what we originally intended to do and have a discussion then."

Clarkson has established a fearsome reputation since taking over as coach for the 2005 season, leading the Hawks from strugglers to premiers in 2008, then to a famous three-peat from 2013-15.

He faces a new challenge now in not only steering Hawthorn back to the finals after it missed out last year, but also re-energising the list for another flag tilt.

Clarkson's outspoken president Jeff Kennett unveiled a plan at the club's AGM in December to win seven more premierships by 2050, including two in the next five years.

"I've been here at the footy club for a long period of time and if things were stopped tomorrow, I'd be enormously grateful for the opportunity I've had to coach this great club," Clarkson said.

"So we'll work that out, but there are plenty of things we need to focus on in the next four weeks than worry about my contract or any other players, to be fair."