Roos back Noble cause
New coach says leisure is crucial to offset pressures of AFL
THAT BALANCE AND WELLBEING IN YOUR LIFE IS VERY IMPORTANT. YOU NEED SOME DOWN TIME. WE ARE VERY STRONG ON THAT.
NEW North Melbourne David Noble has implemented a hard-andfast rule at Arden Street that he hopes might ultimately fast-track the Kangaroos’ long-term revival. A day off is a day off. Having built a reputation as one of the AFL’s hardest-working individuals, the 53-year-old is no stranger to rolling his sleeves up and working long hours.
But he believes a strict adherence to this day-off rule — for players, the coaching staff and indeed himself — might provide the best work-life balance to ensure they get the most out of each other.
It might even help fast-track the Kangaroos as the club looks for a fresh start after experiencing an extraordinarily tough 2020 season.
“I’m big on that ... a day off is a day off,” Noble said. That balance and wellbeing in your life is very important. You need some down time. We are very strong on that.”
Finding the right work-life balance has been a vexed question for AFL coaches and players in recent seasons, but was even more heightened by last year’s hub experiences.
The all-encompassing nature of the game inside the hub impacted on Noble’s predecessor, Rhyce Shaw, and it played a part in his decision to leave the role late last year.
Noble’s previous administrative roles — most recently as Brisbane Lions general manager of football — have provided him with a unique management perspective and he intends to put that to good use.
“We understand the balance that is required, especially with us being an older group of coaches,” he said.
Noble agreed to take on the job late last year knowing that his family life would be impacted.
His wife, Sarah, initially won’t be joining him in Melbourne. She will remain on the family’s property at Tamborine, about 50km from Brisbane, where his father, John, also lives. The separation won’t be easy, as Noble is closely connected to his family.
He is about to become a grandfather for the first time in April, with his daughter Jessica and her partner
DAVID NOBLE - KANGAROOS COACH
Dean, expecting their first child.
His sons, Collingwood defender John Noble, and Mark, who had been set to play for Werribee in the VFL before the pandemic hit last year, are living in Melbourne.
“Sarah has been enormously supportive of me; she has been a rock to our family,” Noble said of his wife.
“When this opportunity popped up, she was very bullish that I should do it. She will stay up there on the property initially because my dad is on the property.
“Dad was a bit of legend (as a footballer) in Tassie. He played in the old carnivals in the ’60s and won a Lefroy Medal as the best player in the carnival.”
Three months into the role he undertook after some prompting from Paul Roos — who will join him in the coaches’ box in 2021 — Noble couldn’t be more pleased with what has transpired and the plans he and the club have put in place.
It’s a position he has been preparing for most of his life.
“If you had looked at my overall journey, a big chunk of it early was coaching,” he said.
“But even in the way I managed (in other roles), I was still probably coaching staff to try and improve them.”
Noble’s decision to accept the Kangaroos’ coaching role came after a family meeting to discuss the pros and cons. It prompted a unanimous response.
They all wanted him to chase his AFL dreams.
“We made the decision as a family,” he said.
Noble’s other interests outside of football and his family, and the things that will keep him fresh away from coaching, include playing tennis and bike riding.
He says one of the key reasons why he couldn’t say no to the Kangaroos’ coaching role was the alignment he felt between the club’s values and his own values.
“I have always felt that clubs and coaches need to fit and I just felt for
the right reasons this club fitted me,” he said.
“I thought of (North Melbourne) as genuine, honest, loyal, trustworthy ... it felt like there was a good synergy.
“(The coaching panel) asked:
‘What is it about us (that excites you)?’. I said: ‘I love the authenticity, I love the history, I love the understatedness, I can’t wait to roll our sleeves up and get the job done’.”
Somehow the union just seemed right.