It was a good morning for Hawthorn fans, as they rose to see the back page of the Herald Sun purporting Alastair Clarkson has begun discussions on a new deal with the Hawks.

But in true ‘Clarko’ style, he has played down the talks, saying both his and the club’s focus is solely on the season at hand.

“It was very preliminary,” Clarkson said with a laugh, during his press conference at Waverley on Friday morning. 

“We’re in discussions like this all the time. 

“I’m coach of the club, and trying to work out the direction of the club over the long term, we just need to work out whether I’m going to be part of that.

“All of our planning is [about] the next four weeks… [so] we’ll probably park things until the end of the year and have a discussion about it then.” 

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But, the long-time coach says he’s still wholly invested in the club he has lead for four premierships over a 14-year tenure.

“I’m invested in this group of players and the club in terms of our next immediate phase in trying to prepare ourselves for our next piece of silverware.

“What time frame and tenure that attaches in terms of my contract is immaterial really, it’s all about the club and this group of players.”