By his own admission, Alastair Clarkson isn't one for "looking back in the rear vision mirror" but even he has stopped to reflect this week.
The four-time flag-winner will notch his 300th game as an AFL coach when Hawthorn run out against Fremantle on Saturday night at Patersons Stadium.
In doing so, he overtakes legendary Hawks mentor John Kennedy Snr to become the longest serving coach of the AFL powerhouse.
Hawthorn today is almost unrecognisable to the one Clarkson inherited in 2005.
The Hawks were without a flag in over a decade and still reeling from the merger debates of the 1990s.
Clarkson said he was "enormously proud" to reach the milestone, spreading credit for the achievement.
"It's a reflection not so much of me coaching 300 games but the stability of our football club," he said.
"It's not just about any individual, it's about a whole group of people and that's what the beauty of a footy club is.
"It took a lot of people - including right back to that merger debate - a lot of people to galvanise to say no and say we want to save one entity and retain the history of our footy club."
Clarkson said he saw parallels between his reign and Kennedy Snr's time in charge.
"There was stability at board level ... and a talented playing group," he said.
"That was the reason why Kanga (Kennedy Snr) had the opportunity to coach our club for a long time too.
"We've been fortunate to have the same."
In his 13th season with the Hawks, Clarkson could yet record his worst season-end position since finishing 14th in his first campaign.
Clarkson noted a stark change in fortunes between seasons was nothing new for the club.
"You go through tough times and good times. We've had plenty of both. Our footy club has a history of that," he said.
"We won a flag in 61 - Kanga's first as a coach and for the club - and we were on the bottom by 65.
"Then we won it again in 71. Our club has an interesting way of doing things.
"We're going through a tough patch at the minute ... but I think we've shown to the football public that we're getting ready for our next tilt."
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