Hawthorn CEO Justin Reeves has hit back at Ben Dixon regarding his prediction that Alastair Clarkson will leave the club at the end of the season.
Earlier this week, the 203-game former Hawk told the Don’t Argue podcast that he believes Clarkson will end his association with the brown and gold to take over at Carlton.
The comments raised eyebrows, especially considering Clarkson is contracted with Hawthorn until 2022, and certainly attracted the ire of Reeves.
“It’s one of those things,” he said on Sportsday.
“Clarko’s been on the record so publicly, so recently saying he’s not going anywhere, he’s been emphatic about that.
“For Dicko to come out with that, I’m not sure where Dicko gets his information from but it certainly wasn’t anyone at the club because it’s such at odds with our message and what we’ve all agreed internally.
“I don’t know where Dicko’s got that from.”
Regarding the frustration such a controversial forecast can cause, Reeves feels the issue of accountability in the media must be addressed in this case.
“I guess it’s frustrating for the supporters because within the club, we do a deal with Clarko, we’re very happy, proud and excited for the supporters and for the club that we’ve extended him until the end of 2022,” he added.
“Then for Dicko to come out, there’s no sort of accountability with that.
“He can go out and throw that into the media, which is his job, but there’s no accountability for that, then we all spend the next couple of days defending something that doesn’t really need to be defended.”
The Hawks, who currently sit 12th on the ladder, take on reigning premier West Coast at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.
Listen to Reeves on Sportsday in the player below: