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Hodge criticises 'absurd' speculation on Clarkson's coaching future
Nicholas Quinlan • August 2nd, 2026 9:47 pm
Luke Hodge has defended former coach Alastair Clarkson following speculation around his future with North Melbourne.
Despite beating only one side above them on the ladder, it’s been a year of improvement at Arden Street having matched their combined win total from the previous two seasons with eight wins through 16 rounds in 2026.
That saw the Roos in the hunt to make their first finals appearance since 2016 with North Melbourne chasing a spot in the Wildcard.
But five straight losses see those chances on life support with the Shinboners needing to win out and have results go their way to stay alive beyond Round 24.
Amid their downturn in form and Clarkson’s contract expiring in 2027, speculation has risen around his future.
Speaking before North’s 16-point loss to Hawthorn on Saturday afternoon, Hodge admitted he was confused about the talk surrounding Clarkson’s future given the results the Kangaroos have had.
“Because Brad Scott had all the pressure gone from him, he left, (Michael) Voss left, it seems like who's the next coach that we're gonna go after to try and put pressure on them to have something to talk about?” Hodge explained on SEN’s Crunch Time.
“From my opinion, all they wanted to see from North Melbourne was an improvement from last year to this year and so on.
“So first of all, the improvement's gone from five wins last year; they're now sitting at eight wins.
“They've got a pretty tough run home; I don't think they've beaten either of the teams they're playing (Western Bulldogs, Geelong and Sydney) for a long period of time.
“So, history says that they're probably gonna finish at eight (wins).
“But they've done what they've needed to do to get that improvement from one year to the next over the last couple.
“I can understand why they're not re-signing Alastair right now. That's no issue at all.
“Go into your last year, and hopefully there's an improvement where it has been the last couple of years, and it'll take care of itself.
“But as far as there's talk they might part ways at the end of this year with another year on the contract, I think that's absurd considering that club has had no stability since Brad Scott left (in 2019).
“They've been nowhere near finals since that time, and finally they get to a stage where they've improved year upon year, and there's talk of him leaving the club?
“I don't know how it's got to that.”
The Kangaroos will look to keep their hopes of a Wildcard spot alive when they take on the Western Bulldogs to begin Round 22 at Marvel Stadium this Thursday at 7:30pm AEST.
Following that, they face Geelong at the same venue before finishing the home and away season against the Swans in Sydney.
