NOBLE HOPS HOME
Tassie- bred coach backs a local to star for Kangaroos
TASMANIA’S latest AFL coach David Noble says North Melbourne young gun Tarryn Thomas has the speed and football intelligence to be a star of the game and can’t wait to accelerate the development of the former Tassie Mariner.
Taken in the 2018 AFL draft, Thomas racked up 26 goals and 19 goals in his short tome at North Melbourne and the Kangas’ newly- appointed coach can see a big future for the 189cm midfielder.
“He’s clean, a good decision- maker, and he’s got great speed,” Noble said.
“You put those three parts of the jigsaw together into a midfielder, and you’ve got a guy who can really do some damage in there. In the midfield you’ve only got really short snapshots of time to get hold of the ball.
“Being clean with the ball and knowing what’s around becomes really important and Tarryn’s ability to get out of stoppages with his speed and size makes him a really dangerous weapon. And he can play a variety of roles – inside, outside, half- forward – and we need our guys to have versatility with the style we want to play.”
Appointed at the weekend, Noble wasted no time touching base.
“I’ve spoken to about half the list in the past couple of days. I planned about 20 minutes for each conversation but I’d say they’ve averaged out to about 30 to 35 minutes.
“I’ve been extremely impressed with the energy and the connection the players have given back to me.
“I’m extremely keen to get in and help those guys, not only Tarryn but the whole bunch of them.”
Noble joins a growing list of Tasmanians to coach AFL teams in recent times – Rodney Eade ( Gold Coast), Brendon Bolton ( Carlton), Chris Fagan ( Brisbane).
“I looked at the Tasmanians who have coached in the AFL and thought it would be nice to put my name up there with those guys at some point in time,” Noble said.
“It’s the fulfilment of a childhood dream – well, not so much a childhood dream, but a dream as you’re coming through and you set yourself goals.
“Tassie has had a long history of talented people in our industry, it is not something that has occurred just recently.
“There are a lot of people who have been able to achieve a lot of good things coming from Tassie.
“Coming from a football background down there, where it is embedded in our DNA, I certainly think helps.
“I would say to other people who are either down there or aspiring, keep going after your dream. Keep getting better, keep learning, keep growing and who knows.
“This opportunity popped up inadvertently for me and I was in a position where I could at least put up my hand and go for it, so never stop believing is my message.”
The son of North Hobart Football Club legend and Demons’ Team of the Century player John Noble, David, 53, said his links to Tasmania remained strong, despite leaving the state in 1991 and his son and now Collingwood player John Noble being born in Adelaide.
“I was lucky enough to get drafted by Fitzroy and make my debut on my home ground [ North Hobart Oval], even though we got a fair touch- up that day [ Hawthorn, 157 points],” he said.
“When I was assistant- coach at the Bulldogs Terry Wallace made me coach for the day in a game down there.
“To now be coach of your own team, the opportunity to go down there and coach probably hasn’t properly sunk in yet, but it’s going to be very exciting.”
Having left his role as head of football at Brisbane, Noble said his relationship with Lions coach Chris Fagan would remain strong despite now being rivals.
Noble can hardly find the words for becoming coach of an AFL team with such strong link to his home state.
“It’s hard to describe,” he said.
“To be able to integrate back into where I came from and give something back to the state was certainly part of the thought process I went through in accepting the role. So it’s very warming to be able to do that.”