Clarkson was one of the dozens of club greats among the 62,321 spectators on hand to see fan favourite Jack Gunston kick his 500th career goal in the Hawks' 16.13 (109) to 6.8 (44) triumph at the MCG on Sunday.
Now coach of North Melbourne, Clarkson figured prominently in the pre-match ceremony, back in brown-and-gold for the day after being estranged from the club since his 2021 exit.
The 57-year-old joined retired greats Luke Hodge and Jordan Lewis, among others, to present the spoils of last decade's three-peat when the Hawks' 13 premiership cups were paraded for the crowd.
Hawks coach Sam Mitchell, who took the reins from Clarkson in a messy handover, admitted it had been daunting to have so many greats around the club during the build-up, but welcomed back his former mentor.
"He's a four-time premiership coach of the club and hasn't been around for a while, so it's great that he was able to go out and spend some time with the guys that he coached from Hawthorn," Mitchell said.
"Then on the other side he's coaching an opposition team, so there's always going to be some complexities around that side of things."
Sunday's scrappy win won't be remembered as fondly as any of those grand final triumphs, but was another box ticked on the path to a possible 14th flag.
The Hawks are 6-2 ahead of a clash with Melbourne in round nine, while Richmond (2-6) will look to bounce back against winless West Coast.
Hawthorn's superior class and dominance at the contest meant they proved far too strong for the Tigers, pulling away after halftime to post their biggest win of the season to date.
Jai Newcombe (27 disposals, five clearances), Massimo D'Ambrosio (30 touches, two goals), Josh Battle (33 disposals, 12 marks) and Tom Barrass all shone, though the Hawks had many contributors.
Special scenes as Jack Gunston kicks his 500th goal 🙌#AFLHawksTigers pic.twitter.com/rv51wkrozn— AFL (@AFL) May 4, 2025
After a dull opening, tempers flared in the second term when James Sicily caught Maurice Rioli holding the ball and threw the Tiger to the ground.
Tim Taranto flew the flag for Rioli - gifting Sicily a 50-metre penalty and goal by shoving him over - while most players were involved in the ensuing melee.
Sicily's goal helped Hawthorn to a 34-point lead before Richmond kicked their first major through Seth Campbell after more than 52 minutes of action.
Gunston reached his milestone in the third quarter, snapping his second goal for the day as the margin grew to 49 by the final change.
It blew out when Hawthorn finished full of running, kicking five goals to two in the last quarter.
Gunston and Hawks cult hero Nick Watson were the best of the goalkickers with three each and Jack Ginnivan added two from 14 disposals.
"Five hundred goals for Jack is phenomenal," Mitchell said.
Taranto (26 disposals, four clearances) and Jacob Hopper (28, five) were Richmond's busiest on a tough day.
The Tigers were beaten 117-84 in contested possession and kicked their lowest score of the season.
"I can't fault their effort and intent, but it was just our polish (that let us down)," Richmond coach Adem Yze said.
Tigers defender Noah Balta returned to the sound of boos from Hawthorn fans after a week on the sidelines because of his court-imposed curfew.
It was Balta's first match since being sentenced last month for assaulting another man on December 30 last year, and he limped off in the final few minutes after appearing to roll his right ankle.
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