With 283 games and a lifetime of achievements under his belt, few could blame Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson for approaching his 13th AFL season with a hint of weariness.
The 49-year-old is the competition's third-longest serving coach behind Gold Coast's Rodney Eade and Essendon's John Worsfold, and holds the record for most games at one club among active coaches.
If all goes to plan, he will rack up another milestone when Hawthorn face Fremantle in round 18 this year - his 300th game in the top job, overtaking club legend Josh Kennedy Sr as the Hawks' longest-serving coach.
It's a significant spell, especially for someone who has already guided his side to four premierships and achieved just the fourth three-peat in the competition's history.
But Hawthorn head of coaching Damian Carroll says Clarkson, who last year extended his contract to the end of 2019, remains as driven to succeed as ever as he prepares to oversee a new-look Hawks team.
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"For a guy who has obviously had a lot of success, he's still extremely passionate about seeing the club stay at the top," Carroll told AAP.
"He's certainly a guy who is constantly thinking about how we can improve as a team.
"He's still challenging us all to work really hard on our players' games, how we can get the best improvement out of them and how that can correspond to us having a good season again this year."
When the Hawks went down to eventual premiers the Western Bulldogs in last year's semi-finals, it was tempting to view the loss as the end of an era, and even more so after the shock departure of stars Sam Mitchell and Jordan Lewis.
While Clarkson was quick to downplay the suggestion, Carroll suggested the arrival of new recruits such as Jaeger O'Meara and Tom Mitchell had energised the club.
"Even with eight or nine new players coming to the club - some young guys and some from other clubs - I think pre-season has been pretty fresh," he said.
"Obviously a couple of guys who are pretty influential around the club have moved on so it's certainly provided an opportunity for some other guys to step up.
"I think the boys are hungry and determined and there's a lot that haven't been involved in that success on our list.
"I think they are pretty keen to get back to that top position again but we know we've got a lot of work to do to get to that stage."
