Todd Viney defends pressure on Alastair Clarkson, reaction, response, AFL 360, latest news

North Melbourne’s football boss has defended coach Alastair Clarkson against “disrespectful” criticism amid a call for the four-time premiership coach to “be a teacher, not a bastard.”

Pressure is building on Clarkson and the 1-5 Roos amid a slow start to the year, having dropped four-straight games by an average of 58 points including a belting at the hands of Carlton on Good Friday.

In the third season of a five-year deal estimated to be worth over $1 million per season, Clarkson has guided North to a 7-35 record since taking the helm at Arden Street in 2023.

FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer.

Asked on SEN on Wednesday morning if Clarkson still ‘has it’, Roos general manager of football Todd Viney said: “I find it amusing, really. I find it disrespectful.”

Viney says two years of “distractions” for Clarkson, who was cleared if ant wrongdoing from historical claims of racism, took an “enormous toll” as he went in to bat for the premiership winner’s lack of progression with the Kangaroos.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 18: Alastair Clarkson, Senior Coach of the Kangaroos looks on as his players leave the field after the round six AFL match between North Melbourne Kangaroos and Carlton Blues at Marvel Stadium, on April 18, 2025, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

“We well and truly know the previous two years and what that’s dealt, and not many cubs can really perform at their best when they’ve got such distractions going on,” Viney said SEN radio.

“You can look at many clubs over a period of time when they have stuff going on they don’t perform at their best.

“He’s had enormous distractions, unwarranted criticism, judged unfairly, its taken an enormous toll on him over those two years.

“Eventually we’re into this third year, he’s two years and six games in and he’s a rejuvenated person, back to his old self, a lot of energy, seeing the game as well as he’s ever seen it. To support him we’ve got unbelievable people within the footy department.

“From my point of view as head of football, he sees the game as well as he ever has, the coaches forever tell me that he sees stuff that we don’t see. His attention to detail, his eye for the game, the understanding, his innovation which has always been lauded over the journey is still there.”

Viney said Clarkson couldn’t be “too innovative” in his third year in charge because he was still building the team and lashed the “tall poppy syndrome” in Australian sport.

“We are in building blocks. We’re not in the position to be too innovative because we’re still trying to get the fundamentals of our game plan right, but that is coming,” the Roos footy boss added.

“Then we add players to that as we go forward.

“I think the criticism is really unwarranted. I think it’s a bit of a sport, the coach-bashing thing, it’s a tall-poppy syndrome which is the Australian culture, we pick on the guys who have been successful and in time ultimately bring them down.

“We’re a really strong club, we’ve got a lot of things put in place really well with our unity, our board, our executives, our football department, record membership again, profit.

“So a lot of things are going well so we won’t be fractured, we won’t fall into jumping at shadows with all of the noise, we understand the game gives us nothing and we need to deserve to win games.”

'Some of these efforts are insipid' | 02:39

Some have called for Clarkson to get back to being nastier and harder like he’s been in the past to try and trigger a response from his team.

But Fox Footy AFL 360 co-host Gerard Whateley says it’s the “era of the disappointed dad,” not “the fear of god” in imploring the four-time premiership coach to nurture his young group and focus on the best path forward.

“The challenge is the evolution of Clarkson for this generation of player. Commit to each other and a brand of footy then execute it,” Whateley said on Tuesday night’s program.

“They look like one of those teams to me that are the downtrodden, who have the really short breaking point. When the challenge mounts it’s all the losing that’s been done that descends upon them and there’s an element of concession that comes with that.

“We’ve seen teams live this journey for years on end and coaches on end.

“Punching a hole in the wall is not going to fix any of that. Now’s not the time to be a bastard, now’s the time to be a teacher and to guide

them through and help them rise.

“Not to go back to how it used to be for a previous generation.”

Yze & Tigers fed up with Balta questions | 04:39

Melbourne legend Garry Lyon believes it’s “unedifying” for the football public — including himself — to tell a four-time flag winner how to coach, despite an “embarrassing” 82-point loss to Carlton.

“We’re in the cheapest of seats, all of us in the media are taking pot shots right now (about): ‘Fix your defence up, punch a hole in the wall, that’ll make you a better coach’,” Lyon told AFL 360.

“He’d be sitting back going: ‘Really?’”

“I built (the Blues game) up because I thought this was their moment. If not now, when? That was my question. Well, they’re not ready, that’s the bottom line.

“That’s disappointing for North Melbourne fans, but they’re not ready to take that step. When you get outtackled 83-56 and you get absolutely smashed, all sorts of issues are at play.

“I’m pretty sure (Clarkson) knows what he’s got to do, it’s just whether he can execute it or not.”

The Roos will try and turn things around when they face Port Adelaide on Saturday at Adelaide Oval — a venue North is 0-12 at.

Herald Sun journalist Scott Gullan believes Clarkson should rightfully be under the pump given he was brought in as the “messiah” ahead of the 2023 season to help the club turn a corner.

“Forget all this talk about building, he was brought in to instantly change the culture, get a system and bring effort,” Gullan said on Fox Footy’s Midweek Tackle.

“To serve up what they did, it just be: ‘It’s time for the players to stand up’. Clarko has to coach better as well. Why isn’t his players responding to what he’s putting on the table?

“He should be (under pressure) now. This wasn’t an Adem Yze coming in for the first time and he needs training wheels. This is the messiah, this is Clarko.

“Clarko can get there day one. He’s already ready to go, he should be ready to go.”

Click here to read article