His sense of timing and perspective in speaking to Caroline Wilson about the impact of the Essendon drug scandal as well as the reform needed in coaching qualifications says that when he says he believes coaches have a role as custodians of the game, he means it.
Kevin Sheedy's departure from the coaching scene, this time for good, has left a gulf for a senior coach to step up and be the voice of reason among those experienced enough to guide the future direction of the code.
Clarkson's peers in terms of experience, the likes of Mick Malthouse and Ross Lyon, have always struggled to see beyond self interest when it came to reforming the game, while Paul Roos has enough to concern himself with the disrepair at Melbourne in his first year without worrying about the bigger picture.
Clarkson's latest comments not only point to how far he has come but also to his acumen when it comes to understanding the underlying issues of the game. It is not interchange caps or rule interpretations which are set to cause the AFL its biggest problems, but a lack of proper governance within clubs.
Every coach, perhaps with the exception of Malthouse, stayed well clear of the Essendon saga last year for fear that they would be dragged into the brawl between the AFL and one of its biggest clubs.
That Clarkson, who was in charge of the premiership favourites and trying to avoid September heartbreak for the second consecutive year, kept aloof was hardly surprising at the time.
But with the heat having gone out of the argument, Clarkson has given a definite signal of where he stood when it came to the AFL's hardline stance on the Bombers and in particular Hird.
If Hird had any thoughts that his counterparts at other clubs stood notionally behind him, they would be shattered by Clarkson's comments that the drug saga had 'ambushed the game'.
''We're only temporary custodians. We're just here to protect the game and pass the baton on to the next generation and ensure it is in a good state," he told The Age.
Clarkson and Hird are cut from considerably different cloths. The former was a fighter and a scrapper as a player and even as a coach he has constantly fought for respect within the Hawthorn establishment despite winning a premiership in 2008.
Prior to last year's Grand Final win, there were still doubts over whether he was the right man for the future, with former club president Jeff Kennett, suggesting earlier last season that everyone had a use by date.
In comparison, Hird is the premiership captain and Brownlow Medallist, who was inexplicably given a two-year contract extension after helping oversee the most diabolical training program in the 150-year history of the game.
It's doubtful anyone has ever called Clarkson a golden boy, but his insight into the game and its future direction is unequalled in the league.
He has raised the elephant in the room, coaching accreditation. That Hird was able to ascend to the Essendon job without so much as an apprenticeship irked many and was a significant step of the dark path the Bombers trod. Clarkson thinks this should never happen again.
He also believes 'the game doesn't protect itself from over-zealous board members who become fixated on the idea of a club legend or a star player becoming their coach with no experience.'
That's a not-so-veiled reference to not only the Hird situation but Michael Voss' ill-fated spell in charge of Brisbane.
That Clarkson would speak from the heart in his concern for the game should surprise no-one. He has always worn his heart on his sleeve.
But that he should speak so intelligently about one of the fundamental challenges will make a few people and not just Essendon supporters, stand up and take notice.
We may be witnessing the emergence of a new statesman of the game.