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Alastair Clarkson says he is open to the possibility of returning to coaching, despite seeing his Hawthorn reign come to a crashing end.
The 53-year-old was in charge of the Hawks for 17 years before a succession plan failed to play out as was expected, with Clarkson leaving last July to be replaced by Sam Mitchell.
However, while enjoying time away from the pressure of the AFL, Clarkson clearly also believes that he has more to give to the game, with Hawthorn 11/2 to secure a top-eight spot in the coming campaign.
He told SEN Breakfast: "It's amazing how stress-free you become this time of year given that we're on the eve of a pretty exciting season.
"I think more than likely I'll coach again, but given what I've experienced over the last six months, there's some blue sky on the side of this coaching caper.
"We'll wait and see either the end of this year or the end of next year. I think if I was to come back into coaching, I wouldn't want to stay out of it for too long."
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Clarkson has already rebuffed approaches from both Carlton and Collingwood, but only because the timing was not right for him.
He added: "Last year I had the opportunity perhaps to put my hand in the ring for either one of those clubs and just the circumstances didn't suit myself or my family at that point in time.
"So, who knows if I will coach again."
Clarkson won four Premierships during his time with Hawthorn, taking the Hawks all the way in 2008, 2013, 2014 and 2015, while they also lost in the Grand Final in 2012.
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