Clarkson's contract was to have ended this year, leaving him the only AFL coach not locked in for next year except Paul Roos, who is part of a planned hand-over at Melbourne.

Talks between Hawthorn and Clarkson are understood to have started nearly a year ago, although they were put on hold during the finals season.

Despite the club insisting there were no problems, the long-running negotiations sparked speculation he may consider leaving the club.

But less than an hour before the start of Hawthorn's match against Adelaide on Friday, the Hawks announced he would be at the helm until the end of 2019.

The contract will make him Hawthorn's longest serving coach.

If there was one criticism from fans, it was that three years was not long enough.