Alastair Clarkson is the most wanted man in football at the moment.

The four-time premiership coach was pushed out of the Hawks prematurely in their failed coaching succession plan and is now jobless heading into the off-season.

There are now a few clubs that are, by many accounts, in the hunt for the legendary coach, however there is only one which seems like a perfect match.

They're not in Melbourne either.

LAUNCESTON, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 28: Alastair Clarkson, Senior Coach of the Hawks looks on during the 2018 AFL round six match between the Hawthorn Hawks and the St Kilda Saints at UTAS Stadium on April 28, 2018 in Launceston, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Media/Getty Images)

The Gold Coast Suns have consistently fallen short of their goal to play September footy year after year since their entry into the league in 2011.

Their closest shave with the prospect came in 2014 when the club finished 12th, two wins out of eighth place.

Since current coach Stuart Dew's appointment in 2018, Gold Coast have only managed to rise as high as 14th - a far cry from where the board would have hoped.

The main gripe with this is that fans and neutrals alike are well aware of what the unbridled potential the club boasts.

They are arguably the competition benchmark when it comes to young talent, with the likes of Essendon and perhaps Melbourne coming close.

Matt Rowell, Jack Lukosius, Ben King, Noah Anderson, Wil Powell, Izak Rankine, Charlie Ballard, Will Brodie - the list goes on.

AFL Rd 6 - Melbourne v Gold Coast
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JULY 11: Izak Rankine of the Suns kicks celebrates after kicking his first AFL goal during the round 6 AFL match between the Melbourne Demons and the Gold Coast Suns at GIANTS Stadium on July 11, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)

The rise of serial ball magnet Touk Miller this year has been a rare highlight for the Suns, and with the likes of Josh Corbett and Ben Ainsworth getting another year under their belt, it feels like all the club needs is a little push in order to rise up the table.

TOUK MILLER
Midfielder
Gold Coast
2021 SEASON AVG
31.8
Disposals
7.1
Tackles
5.7
Clearances

And that push could come in the form of Alastair Clarkson.

Comparing Gold Coast's list to the likes of Carlton and Collingwood, you could say that the Suns are the ripest for picking at this point in time based on talent.

The Blues with all their recruitment in trade period 2020 still seem to have a few too many passengers in the side.

Yes, there are the obvious stars - Walsh, Cripps, McKay, Weitering - but the potential of the side feels like it has a lower ceiling as of current when compared to the Suns.

In season 2021, the Blues managed eight wins, with only one of them coming against a current top-eight side.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 2: Alastair Clarkson, Senior Coach of the Hawks addresses his players during the 2018 AFL round 02 match between the Geelong Cats and the Hawthorn Hawks at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on April 2, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Adam Trafford/AFL Media/Getty Images)

Perhaps a sign of their progress was best exemplified in Round 21 when they were beaten by the Suns, effectively extinguishing their finals flame.

The Magpies on the other hand are at a completely different phase relative to the other two clubs.

With the team in a serious transitional period, Clarkson would be walking head-first into a rebuild that could turn out to be an arduous one considering the problems within the inner sanctum at Collingwood.

Despite having an exciting crop of youngsters such as Josh Daicos, Beau McCreery and Oliver Henry, the Pies are in strife with their salary cap problems set to haunt them for the near future.

AFL Practice Match - Geelong v Collingwood
GEELONG, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 26: Oliver Henry of the Magpies marks the ball during the AFL Practice Match between the Geelong Cats and the Collingwood Magpies at GMHBA Stadium on February 26, 2021 in Geelong, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

This could in-turn lead to the club having to let go of a few of their stars in similar style to that of trade period 2020.

The prospect of Clarkson moving up to Queensland would be an irresistible one for the AFL, with the idea of footballing royalty coming to a struggling northern side to help elevate them to new heights a priceless initiative for advertising the game in a rugby-dominated state.

The plethora of experience that he would be invaluable to with the likes of Rowell, Anderson and King could help mould them into the superstars that so many are convinced they will become.

Even though Dew has by many metrics underachieved with the Suns, the truth is that if Clarkson does flag his intentions to move up north, it doesn't necessarily have to come at the cost of Dew's job.

AFL Rd 5 - Geelong v Gold Coast
GEELONG, AUSTRALIA - JULY 04: Suns head coach Stuart Dew speaks with his players during the round 5 AFL match between the Geelong Cats and the Gold Coast Suns at GMHBA Stadium on July 04, 2020 in Geelong, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

A behind the scenes role for Clarkson, whether that be in the office or in the coaches box could be all that the club and Dew needs to take the next step.

The connection between the two in the form of Clarkson coaching Dew to a premiership in 2008 with Hawthorn could be replicated, this time with Clarkson facilitating Dew's rise as an aspiring coach.

As seen in Amazon Prime's Making their Mark doco-series, there is no doubt that behind the scenes Dew has what it takes to be an AFL coach and that his players respect him massively.

And with the glimpses of brilliance that the side has shown in 2021, maybe all it takes is a bit of Alastair Clarkson know-how to turn those glimpses into full view.