And the veteran of 56 Tests said Clarke calling Shane Watson a "cancer" was "ironic".

Clarke released his version of what happened in the infamous confrontation between the pair in the Aussie dressing room following Australia's third Test victory over South Africa at the SCG in 2009 in his new book.

The former Aussie captain said they exchanged words, Katich grabbed him by the shirt and then Clarke left in anger, but they had since reconciled their differences and were now mates.

Katich dismissed those claims about their relationship and said they had barely spoken since.

He still blames Clarke for his axing from the Test side, which occurred around the time the latter took over the captaincy.

"It's amazing how more and more of the story comes out. I think that's a bit of a stretch to say that we're mates," Katich said on ABC Grandstand.

"It's a bit of a stretch of the imagination given that we've hardly spoken about it since it all happened and I obviously haven't played since he took over as captain.

"It's been non-existent [our relationship], so to suggest that we're mates now after everything that's happened is a bit of a stretch of the imagination, that's for sure."

Katich said Clarke was entitled to his opinion, but said he'd personally moved on.

He said at the time of his own axing he felt bitter towards Clarke for his perceived role in it, but had also put that behind him in retirement.

But he labelled Clarke's attack on Watson — where he called him a "tumour" and a "cancer" — as ironic and backed Watson's response. Watson said it was "more a reflection of the person" Clarke was.

"I don't want to be drawn into too much because it's old news, but I saw Shane Watson's comments during the week and I thought he hit the nail on the head with it, given I thought it was rather ironic that [Watson] was called the tumour," Katich said.

Haddin played in that Test at the SCG almost eight years ago and felt it should have been sorted out at the time, rather than left to fester like it has.

He said the Katich-Clarke incident didn't create a rift in the team and "was just one of those things that happened in the inner-sanctum".

"There's everyone's version of events. They probably should've just sorted it out the back, come and had a beer and got on with it. There wouldn't have been so much hoo-haa about it for the last four years," Haddin said.

He was back in Queanbeyan on Sunday at the official opening of Brad Haddin Oval, with the oval in the centre of the town he spent his teenage years named after him.

Haddin said it was "truly humbling" and he was "chuffed" when mayor Tim Overall contacted him about it.

He's also releasing a book next month, My Family's Keeper, but said it was more about his family's journey when his daughter Mia was diagnosed with cancer and he stepped away from the game for a while.

Haddin hoped it might help anyone else who was going through a similar situation.

"It's truly humbling. I've never been a big one on stats or memorabilia to keep, it's more the relationships that you made in the game and the big matches that you win with your friends," he said about having an oval named in his honour.

"I was here two weeks ago running around with my kids and it just felt funny, it felt really, really good for your kids to be running around and for Queanbeyan to recognise what you've done in your career and also the city. I'm chuffed."