BRISBANE coach Chris Fagan hopes his long-time friend Alastair Clarkson is not lost to the game after the four-time premiership coach's shock sacking at North Melbourne on Wednesday.

Fagan has known Clarkson for almost 30 years, having worked alongside him during Hawthorn's four flags this century, and said he thought North was on the right track.

"Yeah, it was a big shock to me," Fagan said on Thursday morning.

"I actually thought 'that can't be right' because I felt like under his guidance, North had really started to improve, and that we could all see their growth this year.

"I would have liked to have seen him get a few more years to see if they could rise up.

"We felt like they might have been on the verge. I guess we'll see."

Clarkson was axed with one year remaining on his contract after serving four years at the Kangaroos.

President Sonja Hood said Clarkson no longer had the belief of enough people at the club, adding that the next appointment would need to be able to coach "the modern game".

Fagan said he tried calling Clarkson without luck.

"It just reminded me of how tough coaching can be, that when a bloke that has been as successful as him as a coach can be jettisoned as quickly as that," he said.

"I just hope the feedback that was given at the press conference yesterday about him was given to him in person at some stage during this year, so that he had a chance to act on it.

"Feedback … if you get it at the right time, you can you can do something about it.

"I don't know whether that was the case or not, but I just hope that it was because it was a pretty fierce press conference yesterday, the way that he was spoken about, I reckon; probably an unfair description of the man that's done an awful lot for footy."

QUALIFYING FINAL TICKETS Get your seats for Swans v Lions here

Fagan described Clarkson as a coaching trendsetter, particularly seeing him up close at the Hawks.

"He's obviously a great coach. I hope he's not lost to the game, but whatever he does next, I just wish him well," he said.

"His honesty with his players – he's always very honest, sometimes brutally, but you always knew where you stood with him.

"He's a friend of mine, and none of us like to see our friends come across a little bit of adversity like that.

"We'll still be friends and still talk a lot about footy, and I'll still seek his advice, no doubt."