Former Hawthorn star Josh Gibson admits he held a small initial concern about his premiership teammate Sam Mitchell replacing Alastair Clarkson as coach of the Hawks.

But he’s since been left in no doubt Mitchell is the right person to lead the Hawks into their next run of success.

Speaking on 3AW’s Footy: Then and Now podcast, Gibson said Mitchell had the best football brain of anybody he’d played with.

“I’ve never seen anyone as good as him,” Gibson said.

“I guess my only concern was if Sam Mitchell stayed the way he was as a player, would that make him a successful coach? You know, he was fair, but he was harsh.

“He knew he was very talented and maybe he couldn’t deal with some people not picking things up as fast as him, which some gifted people find tough.

“I look at Sam Mitchell now, as the coach, and still speak to players here and there that are playing under him – I don’t like getting too involved, because I’ve had my time – but they talk about just the way his personality has changed and that he’s still so amazing at educating, but has probably mellowed a bit, which from what I can see has made him an amazing coach.”

Press PLAY below to hear Josh Gibson on Footy: Then and Now (Sam Mitchell comments at 23 minutes)

‘Footy: Then and Now’ is a weekly podcast that gets you excited for the weekend ahead by revisiting famous VFL/AFL moments with the people who shaped them. Follow/Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, and Google Podcasts

(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)