NEW ROOS BOSS TO GIVE MEN FREE REIN

LEIGH Adams won’t be overwhelming his North Melbourne players with “too many instructions” in his first game as caretaker coach.

He will release the shackles so they can express themselves and find some enjoyment against Richmond on Saturday.

David Noble’s departure this week after just 38 games in charge has thrust Adams, the club’s VFL and development coach, into the main chair in an emotional week that he said would affect everyone differently.

But he also said “footy doesn’t stop for anyone” and put his focus on adjusting to the requirements of getting a playing group that has won just one of 16 games in 2022 ready to front up to the Tigers.

Adams said Noble had implored him to “do things my way” in a chat this week, and while he hasn’t completely thrown out the playbook, he’s asking the players to play “exciting football”, especially when it comes to attack.

North’s average of less than 10 goals a game this season is the worst in the AFL.

“We’re going to try to free the guys up a little bit more on offence and let them play what they see in front of them,” Adams said on Friday.

“We’re not going to have too many instructions in that part of the game. We want to score, we want to score as fast as we can and as much as we can and not let defences get set behind the footy.

“It might mean at times that we make a few mistakes, but we’re just going to encourage the boys to keep going after it.”

After a week in the VFL, No.1 draft pick Jason Horne-Francis has been recalled for the match at Marvel Stadium and Adams has looked to lighten the mood at the club, which also won just four games last year.

“It’s going to be about the environment that we can provide,” Adams said.

“We’re going into every game thinking that we can win.

“But we just want the guys to be able to express themselves on the field and play some really exciting football.”

Adams, who played 104 games for North Melbourne before his premature retirement in 2015 because of concussion issues, said he was going to lead from the front when it came to enjoying the rest of the season, unwilling to put his name in the frame to be Noble’s successor.

At least not yet.

“You can see the pressure that comes with this job and I haven’t made any decisions,” Adams said.