Monash alumni duo leads Hawthorn to Grand Final victory

October 2008

Hawthorn’s win in the recent AFL Grand Final was set up by two Monash alumni. Although not on the field at the final siren, coach Alastair Clarkson (MBA 1998), pictured, and chief executive Ian Robson (BEc 1983) played key roles in the club’s victory.

The Hawthorn Football Club website reports that Ian Robson believes the club did not exceed its expectations, despite winning the premiership at the start of the club’s five-year strategy.

“Every now and then opportunities present themselves. ‘Now’ becomes the time, irrespective of what anyone else says, whether you’re ahead of time or behind time. Now was the time, and yesterday that was our chance, and the boys grabbed it, to their credit,” Mr Robson said.

Alastair Clarkson also sees the victory as a beginning for Hawthorn.

“We hope it’s just the start of something big for this club, and we really hope we can have some sustained success, over the next few years,” Mr Clarkson said.

Clarkson sees clear links between what he learnt during his Monash MBA education and his daily work as a football coach.

“The main benefits and skills I developed and learnt during my MBA include strategic planning, organisational management, time management and crisis management. I have little doubt that the experiences and skills provided by the Monash MBA program have transferred enormously into my current role,” he said.

Read more about Alastair Clarkson in the forthcoming Spring/Summer edition of Monash Magazine.