HAWTHORN coach Alastair Clarkson believes the club's decision to award him a new three-year contract will provide the foundation for greater on-field success in the future.

The Hawks ended months of speculation on Friday when they announced they had extended Clarkson's contract until the end of the 2014 season, after what the coach called a "pretty strong process" that began before the start of the season.

The coach admitted his management had been sounded out by Adelaide and Melbourne, but said no firm offers had been made.

Despite that interest, Clarkson maintained his sole focus was plotting the Hawks' on-field success this season and beyond.

"My observation of any successful team in world sport is that it has stability, and I think that's what's clearly demonstrated here - that stability is really important," Clarkson said from Waverley Park on Friday.

"We started on the process seven years ago of trying to bring about some success for this great football club … and it's great that we've got strong stability at our club. We really have forged ahead over the last seven years, but we still have a lot of work to do.

"Whilst we've achieved a little bit of success in that time, we've still got so much more that we want to achieve."

Clarkson was appointed coach before the 2005 season and took the Hawks to the 2008 premiership in his fourth season in charge.

Club president Jeff Kennett remained steadfast in his position that his coach's contract situation would be addressed after the season, despite other clubs circling, but Clarkson wasn't about to get bogged down in a discussion over the timing of the new deal.

"It is the end of the season really," he said.

"The board worked through a process and they always had it in their minds that they were going to meet as a board in early August and discuss the KPI's that we had set ourselves.

"Clearly they were pleased with the progress of the football area of the club.

"From my point-of-view as well, we had two disappointing years in '09 and '10 and I needed to be certain in my own mind that I was the right bloke to forge ahead with this group.

"I think they're an enormously talented group of players and I think we've got a great opportunity for success, but there was no point in me continuing on as coach of the club if I didn't feel like my message was getting through."

With matches against the Western Bulldogs and Gold Coast to navigate ahead of a finals campaign, Clarkson was delighted his contract situation would no longer be a talking point.

The Hawks have already secured a top-four spot, but Clarkson is loathe to tinker with his line-up by freshening up some of his elite players ahead of the finals.

"We've never been a club that has been linked to the 'resting players' philosophy," he said.

"We've had some players who have needed to have a break due to some niggling injuries … but we don't want to flirt with form either."

Adding to the air of optimism around the club is news that defender Ben Stratton will play for Box Hill in the VFL at the weekend after recovering from the knee dislocation and associated ligament damage he suffered against Richmond in round three.

His season was thought to be over at the time of the injury, but Clarkson didn't rule out a fairytale return to the team.  

"He's probably going to have to do it the tough way," he said.

"He's coming from a long way back, he hasn't played since April, but we also know that he's super talented, super confident and as long as he can get some match conditioning, he's going to be able to give our side great flexibility as we go through the next three or four weeks."

Stratton, 22, will get at least one match under his belt in the VFL, but both he and the club will be hoping Box Hill is able to hang onto eighth spot after this weekend's last home-and-away round and progress into the finals series.