North Melbourne senior coach Alastair Clarkson says Saturday's match against his former club Hawthorn will be "a little bit of a celebration", rather than a grudge match.

Clarkson spent 17 years at the helm of the Hawks, bringing four flags to Waverley, but will shape up on the opposing sideline for the Round 3 clash in royal blue and white.

And while lots of people throughout the football community are viewing it as a rivalry, Clarkson says he has no extra incentive to win against the club he departed in 2021.

"If anything, Saturday for me is a little bit of a celebration," Clarkson told reporters on Thursday morning.

"I spent 17 years coaching that footy club and I've got some wonderful memories from that time, and I'll cherish them for forever and a day.

"I've still got a heap of really, really close friends that I still spend a lot of time with away from the football world.

"So, just because of what's transpired in the last couple of years, it doesn't diminish the memories that I've got, the relationships that I've got, and we're not going to let that get in the road of just because you were working for an opposition club."

After a season away from the competition, Clarkson is also eager to make a return to Launceston and reacquaint himself with the loyal Tasmanian-based fans of both North Melbourne and Hawthorn.

"(Saturday is) an opportunity to get back to Launceston, I haven't been down there for a football game since I left the club (Hawthorn)," Clarkson said.

"And it's an opportunity for me to get down there and actually acknowledge some of the supporters that for many, many years just gave us their enthusiasm, their passion and their support over what was a pretty special era for the club.

"(UTAS Stadium) is the best ground in the league in my opinion in terms of surface … it's like a carpet, it's an outstanding surface.

"We're looking forward to the opportunity to play on a great deck, with footy-like conditions in terms of being 15 to 20 degrees and in front of a really passionate supporter base down there that just crave AFL footy.

"And this is the first game (this season) that they've got an opportunity to watch whether it's us or Hawthorn play … and we're hoping, just like Hawthorn are, that we can put on a good show."