On the day that GWS Giants coach Leon Cameron stepped away from the gig, former Hawthorn Coach Alastair Clarkson has addressed the question on everyone's mind.
Joining Fox Footy's AFL 360,ย the mastermind mentor made it clear that he would return to coaching if he felt the team could win a flag.
"It will pretty much come down to one thing. I would want to get back involved because I want to win it," he said.
"If I didn't feel like I was the bloke who could take that club to win it, then I would stay out of the game.
"I've got other passions I want to chase... whether it's a one or two-year timeframe or a five-or-six-year timeframe, I am only coming back into it for one reason because I feel like this group can win it."
Since departing the Hawks after 17 seasons, the four time premiership coach has been linked to numerous clubs.
Prior to choosing Michael Voss, Carlton reportedly made an 11th-hour pitch to Clarkson.
Gold Coast are another club that has been thrown around as a potential landing place for Clarkson.
Hawthorn great Luke Hodge says he expects his former coach to take a top job again next year, and has raised the Suns as a top option.
With Leon Cameron stepping away, GWS have now become the first true opening for Clarkson.
The former Hawks coach initially wanted some time away, and after spending that time in the US with the Golden State Warriors and Green Bay Packers, he has returned to the fold.
He credits the Warriors' playoff series as bringing back some passion.
"Two weeks ago, I was right in the heart of the Golden State Warriors and they played in a playoff series against Denver," he said.
"The strategy that went about trying to win the series and the buzz in the stadium, it was like 'God, I want to be back part of the cut and thrust, in the coalface'."
That passion alters though, according to Clarkson, who uses Cameron's departure as the example.
"It fluctuates. Sometimes itโs (the desire to coach) there, when I was right among some of the Golden State Warriors and theyโre winning those playoff games," he said.
"But then thereโs other sides of it, like what we witnessed today (with Leon Cameron) โฆ a really, really proud, good football man being asked more or less to leave the game for a short period of time and thatโs parts of it you donโt like about the game."
When asked whether he looks solely at a list for potential to win a premiership, the former Kangaroo and Demons player said it was more broad.
"Itโs the club, itโs the culture, the vision of the board and whether that aligns with your vision and your set of values," he said.
"Itโs exciting times when you give consideration to opportunities that might present... I haveย always been of the view that we'd use the fullness of 2022 to work out what we want to do and we're not even six months into that.
"That could be inside of footy, it could be outside, it could be on field, it could be off field."
