SEN host Gerard Whateley believes it’s “going to be very hard” for Alastair Clarkson to not entertain the possibility of coaching Carlton in 2022.
Clarkson said on Friday that he intends to take a break from the game and reassess his future from there, but questions remain as to how long that break will be.
With the four-time premiership coach mentioning that he's not done with coaching on three occasions, Whateley believes that Clarkson, at the very least, will consider a conversation with the Blues.
“Three times he spoke about how much he’s not finished with coaching and how his family is excited about what comes next," Whateley told SEN's Crunch Time.
“So if in his heart he knows he’s going to coach again then I just think next week, probably Tuesday, he sits there and goes ‘okay, I am going to coach again. Let me just have a look at this Carlton job, so Weitering, McKay, Cripps, Walsh, and I can take this job next week can I?’
“I think he’s being incredibly respectful not to deviate from Hawthorn, but on Tuesday next week when his manager rings him and says ‘Carlton want to talk to you. Do you want to talk to them?’ He’s going to sit down and go ‘it’s going to be hard to say no’.
“It’s going to be very hard to say no to that.”
With David Teague and Carlton likely to part ways, SEN's Sam Edmund thinks Clarkson’s break could be very short-lived.
“You can almost hear it can’t you?” Edmund added.
“The beeping of Carlton just backing the truck up, opening up the back doors and just the cash pouring in.”
Blues incumbent Teague expects a decision on his coaching future on Monday.