Hawthorn Coach Alastair Clarkson says he has the utmost respect and admiration for the legacy that John Kennedy Snr leaves on his club.

Kennedy sadly passed away on Thursday at the age of 91. 

Clarkson said the ever-present nature of Kennedy's name within the four walls of Hawthorn exemplified the incredible influence the man had.  

"It's difficult trying to work out the superlatives that best describe Kanga," Clarkson said.

"But certainly the word that gets trotted around here the most is godfather because that's what he has been to our footy club."

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Clarkson's relationship to Kennedy Snr wasn't limited to holding the same position at the Hawks, with Kennedy coaching Clarkson in the first three years of his playing career.

"Ironically, Kanga and myself both had experience at two clubs at VFL/AFL level and they are North Melbourne and Hawthorn.

"He was my first coach at North Melbourne when I was a vulnerable 18-year-old lad that had just come down from the country and needed to be shown the right way in how to live and play the game.

"You can always remember your most influential coaches or your most influential teachers, no matter what age you are, you can always recollect whoever that was.

"Those sorts of things never leave you when you have people who have had a positive impact on the way you live your life and Kanga was one of those for me, but I was just one."

Speaking to a press conference on Friday, Clarkson also made mention that it was fitting his side would face the Kangaroos this weekend as the clubs look to honour the life of the Australian Football Hall of Fame Legend.

Clarkson said the side was very wary of North Melbourne, despite Rhyce Shaw's suffering a loss last week after an undefeated opening fortnight.  

"The peaks and troughs in the game at the moment are probably a bit of a reflection of the times we're in.

"We know we're in for a really physical encounter with the Roos, the games they have won they've been really strong in that facet of the game.

"Their midfield is really, really strong and that gives them the supply for guys like Brown, Zurhaar and Ziebell and those sort of guys to put a score on the board for them."