Four-time Hawthorn premiership coach Alastair Clarkson has spoken on the reasoning behind his decision to turn down the advances of both Carlton and Collingwood at the end of last season.

The Blues, Magpies and Hawks were the three clubs that saw changes to their senior coaching seat ahead of this year, with the most notable being Clarkson's highly-documented handover to club great and assistant Sam Mitchell.

Mitchell was appointed as Clarkson's imminent successor in July last year, with the initial plan to see the former take over the reins from 2023 onwards. In the same month, the Hawks announced that Clarkson would be departing Waverley at the conclusion of the 2021 season, with Mitchell taking his place with immediate effect from the year's end.

The stunning backflip soon placed the coaching merry-go-round into a spin, with Collingwood and Carlton needing to call on new personnel to lead their young squads and no candidate seen greater than the newly available Clarkson.

While both Victorian clubs pressed to secure the 54-year-old's services, Clarkson revealed on the The Believers: Tasmania's AFL Journey podcastย that a decision to hold off on returning to the AFL landscape was one made with his family at the forefront of his mind.

Clarkson said that neither opportunity felt like a fit, with he and his wife still yet to decide on what the next step of his career looks like.

"I had an opportunity with both Carlton and Collingwood, not necessarily to be accepted to coach those clubs, but certainly to go into the process as an option to be coach of those clubs," Clarkson said.

"But it didn't suit me and strangely enough that had not so much to do with their direction.

"It was just around mine and Karen's and our family's needs at that point in time wasn't to coach.

"We wanted to make those decisions at the end of this year in terms of what our future would look like, not six months ago.

"And we are still not ready to know what we want to do."

With Clarkson only adding to speculation around his coaching future in recent months, ongoing reports of a potential return to the frame from next year have only grown stronger.

The GWS Giants are currently the only club with a position vacant following Leon Cameron's departure early last month, while the Suns' top job has been one of ongoing conversation despite Stuart Dew's stellar record this season.

Whether further vacancies and interest arise for Clarkson, the former North Melbourne and Melbourne player has stated he'll only consider a club that has the ability to go the distance.

"My only prerequisite is that I want to be involved with a group that has got the opportunity to win it again," he said.

"So whether you're taking a group that is long way from it and it's now a five-year journey or whether you take hold of a team that is close to it, if I got back involved in the game again at coaching level it would be to chase that piece of silverware.

"How long it took wouldn't concern me one bit."

Clarkson's four premiership wins and near-60 per cent win rate from 390 matches at the helm of the Hawks comes unmatched by his coaching counterparts of this century.

And while the coaching great has just about done it all, he is attracted to the concept of potentially striking further success in the competition within "a different environment".

"We have been able to do it successfully at one club," he said.

"The most significant intrigue for me is: was I just lucky to have that group of people, that group in time, at that particular club?

"The excitement for me is can it be done elsewhere, a different environment, a different group of people and see how we go.

"That holds some appeal."

Clarkson amassed 228 wins, 4 draws and 158 losses across 17 seasons at Hawthorn.