In 2011, Hawthorn finished the home and away season with a record of 18–4, finishing third. It lost to Collingwood by three points in a preliminary final. In a season in which the club was not expected to perform particularly well the team won 18 games. Lance Franklin won the Coleman Medal and was nominated an All-Australian, as were; Josh Gibson, Sam Mitchell and Grant Birchall.

The enthusiasm amongst Hawthorn members that greeted Alistair Clarkson and his charges during the 2012 preseason was deafening.  Widely touted as clear Premiership favorites, Clarkson did nothing to deflect the attention on the team.  “We have been chosen to lead this club and we have a mandate to win the 2012 Premiership” proclaimed Clarkson after his team’s 22 point victory over Collingwood in Round 1.  That early enthusiasm amongst the club members however has all but evaporated, with barely one in four (27%) of Hawthorn members now prepared to declare that Hawthorn can make the finals, according to a new poll – the worst for any major AFL team after just 5 rounds, in almost four decades.  The club has bumbled its way to a 2:3 win loss record and this week face an in-form St Kilda at the MCG.

With his personal approval rating collapsing (nearly 80% of those polled disapprove of him), Assistant Coach Leon Cameron is now the preferred Hawthorn leader by a margin of two to one.

Clarkson has urged his colleagues to hold their nerve, suggesting that, unlike Peter Schwab 8 years ago he has a strategy to get things back on track.

“We’ve got a plan which we are working through to deliver, which we did not have at the start of my time as coach” he told a disinterested taxi driver on the way home from a night out on the piss on Sunday night.

Clarkson then used a newspaper interview to publicly attack the leader he overthrew 8 years ago, Peter Schwab, in a move some analysts say is proof he is feeling his job is under threat.

Clarkson told News Corp newspapers his centre-left game plan “lost a sense of purpose and plan for the future” under Schwab.

“We didn’t have a clear plan as to how we were going to deal with a set of difficult questions or a clear plan generally about where the club was driving toward,” he said. “What I’ve done as coach is inject that sense of clarity of purpose.”

Former AFL great turned commentator Wayne Carey said Clarkson’s comments were evidence that his colleagues are considering replacing him. “He’s gone unless something absolutely spectacular happens,” Carey said of the Clarkson’s prospects of surviving another week.

“Whether bringing back Schwab is that spectacular thing, I don’t think it would be,” he said. “But there’s still two years to go on Clarkson’s contract and if the club doesn’t do something before then, they’ll be absolutely wiped out.”

Clarkson’s woes began in February when Hawthorn was smashed  by Richmond in the NAB Cup and he declared he was going to play Lance Franklin more frequently up the ground.  Since then Franklin has barely had a kick and the best mid-fielder that the club ever had, the bloke Clarkson traded a couple of years ago to ensure that Franklin’s ego could remain under the club’s salary cap, Josh Kennedy – tore Hawthorn apart playing for the Sydney Swans, last Sunday.

In response to the drubbing Hawthorn received on Sunday Clarkson declared that the Sydney Swans are the real deal and  genuine Premiership contenders.  Well Al my boy, us in the real world would prefer to judge the Swans after they play some fair dinkum opposition.  Perhaps it would be more prudent to turn your mind to matters closer to home.  If it looks like a crisis and smells like a crisis, you had better watch your step!

Other opinions to emerge from the new poll include:

76% of members polled would have got rid of Lance Franklin before Craig Thomson.

87% of those polled thought that Clarkson may have had gender re-alignment surgery at sometime in the past.

61% think that Brent Guerra looks better without the rug.

57% would prefer to spend time alone with Peter Slipper than Luke Hodge

57% suspect that Sam Mitchell has a bit of dwarfism

Heaps thought Kennett looked like a dick in that stupid French beret he wore a couple of weeks ago.

100% would vote for either Tony Abbott or Julia Gillard to coach Hawthorn before Clarkson.