NOBLE NABBED BY ROOS
PREMIERSHIP coach Paul Roos played a critical role in approaching David Noble and encouraging him to pursue the vacant North Melbourne senior coach role, according to Kangaroos chief executive Ben Amarfio.
Just over a week after Noble was announced as the Kangaroos’ new coach, it can be revealed that Roos was charged with contacting the then Brisbane Lions general manager of football, who had been favouring future roles in football administration rather a return to coaching.
But Roos, who was on the
subcommittee to appoint the new coach and who will now act in a permanent advisory role working with the football department and the club’s executive, managed to convince 53- year- old Noble to pursue the coaching role.
“In many respects, you could argue that if not for Roosy, we might not ever have got David Noble,” Amarfio told the Herald Sun.
“Roosy was the one who reached out to ‘ Nobes’ originally and it was that positive interaction between Nobes and Paul that encouraged Nobes to pursue it, take it seriously and think it was a possible option. We are grate
ful for Roosy not for just the initial introduction but for the ongoing work he did as part of the panel.”
Amarfio said the decision to appoint Noble – who beat Collingwood assistant Robert Harvey and new Essendon assistant Daniel Giansiracusa to the role – had come after an “intense” month- long search that involved thousands of phone calls and countless zoom meetings.
“We put the candidates through a rigorous process,” Amarfio said.
He said there had been three stages in the assessment – the first to narrow the field of candidates, the second zon
ing on each candidates’ competencies for the coaching role and the third involving a two- and- a- half- hour presentation on game style and strategies.
“We just think David is a great fit for us,” Amarfio said.
“He has said privately and publicly that we are a great fit for him too.”
“He has been in the game for 27 years.
And for nearly 20 of that he has been a coach across almost every level and across four states.
“He has pretty much seen it all from all the highs … even the tragedies that he has experienced when he was at the
Crows at the Walsh’s death.”
Amarfio conceded the club had not got everything right this year during a tumultuous season but said the Roos would always keep in contact with former coach Rhyce Shaw, who left the club for personal reasons last month.
“We have and will keep reaching out to Rhyce,” he said. “We hope he is taking a well- earned break.”
“He is well loved by the club, the playing group and the fans. There is a lot of affection for Rhyce Shaw. Even in his own words, one day hopefully he can do what he loves doing ( coaching) again.” time of
Phil