BRETT Ratten has revealed he had an extensive catch-up with long-time friend Alastair Clarkson ahead of the North Melbourne coach's expected return to the club.
Ratten, the former Carlton and St Kilda coach, has been in charge of the Kangaroos since May 18 after Clarkson stepped away due to the mental toll of the Hawthorn racism saga.
No adverse findings were made against Clarkson, Chris Fagan or Jason Burt as a result of an independent investigation into the historical allegations. All three have denied wrongdoing.
There were fears Clarkson might not be back at Arden St this season, but Ratten said the 55-year-old seemed in a good frame of mind when the pair touched base.
AFL.com.au reported earlier on Thursday that Clarkson was expected to ease himself back into coaching as soon as the next fortnight.
Discussions are taking place between North's chief executive Jennifer Watt, football boss Todd Viney and Clarkson to decide on the best possible return.
"I did catch up with him the other day for the first time (since Clarkson went on leave) and he was up and about, a smile on the face and really positive," Ratten said on Thursday.
"We were just talking footy, which is good.
"He's the coach of the football club and (it's) for the club to work through when does he come back and in what capacity.
"We spoke for about an hour-and-a-half ... a good chat about everything going on.
"The progress of the kids puts smiles on Clarkson's face but puts smiles on a lot of our fans and a lot of people in the building."
Clarkson's comeback is unlikely to be before North's round 18 game against Hawthorn due to simmering tensions with his former club.
A week before taking leave, Clarkson slammed Hawthorn as "shameful", calling for an investigation into the club's handling of the long-running racism saga, saying reputations had been "scarred".
One option is for Clarkson to ease back into coaching through a part-time role rather than immediately re-take the reins from Ratten.
"He's been pretty much away and it's been something that we've done, to allow him to stop thinking footy and let him think about footy when it's right for him," Ratten said.
"(Clarkson) has let us do a couple of little different things, but we haven't changed enormously.
"There's just a couple of little tweaks here and there. We're all on the same path and we'll keep communicating that."
