Alastair Clarkson’s fiery temper has left him in hot water again, with the AFL premiership coach under investigation for an incident during a VFL match.
Clarkson had a verbal altercation with Port Melbourne players Toby Pinwill and John Baird at quarter-time of the Saturday match against Hawthorn’s affiliate Box Hill.
Pinwill was reported for an incident in the first term involving Box Hill’s Sam Iles and it is understood Clarkson was angry at the Port Melbourne player.
Baird then became involved as well, while Port Melbourne coach Gary Ayres told the Herald Sun that Clarkson also had an argument with an 84-year-old club trainer.
A Hawks spokesperson said Clarkson had rung Pinwill and Baird on Monday to apologise.
AFL Victoria sent Hawthorn a please explain letter and the AFL club will say in response that Clarkson has expressed his regret for the incident.
It is understood Port Melbourne had not wanted to take the matter further, but AFL Victoria became involved when the match umpires filed a report.
Last July, Clarkson also apologised for abusing an umpire’s adviser while the Hawks coach was acting as runner for his son’s under-nine team.
The South Metro Junior Football League suspended Clarkson for four matches.
“I’ve learnt all the time, I’m still hoping to learn,” Clarkson said at the time.
“Everyone knows I’m no angel in regard to this.”
But Ayres told the Herald Sun that Clarkson appeared to be a slow learner.
“The players were taken aback from what I can gather and if my memory serves me correctly, hasn’t Clarko got a prior misdemeanour for being a naughty boy at a junior game?,” Ayres said.
“If he did what the boys said, it seems to me that that is an abuse of his responsibilities as a senior AFL coach.
“I’m not sure what he thinks he should be doing at an VFL game.”
The night before Clarkson’s outburst at the junior game last July, he punched the wall of the coach’s box during an MCG win over Collingwood.
Clarkson also had an angry on-field exchange with Essendon full-forward Matthew Lloyd at the end of a 2009 match, where the Bombers full forward had ironed out Brad Sewell.
“I think I’m getting better, I think since the Lloyd incident which caused huge embarrassment to myself and my football club and once again probably to Lloydy too, I’ve tried really hard to ensure I don’t get embroiled in this type of stuff,” Clarkson said last July.