Milestone man still fan of Noble

Melbourne captain Jack Ziebell has emphatically backed coach David Noble and his coaching style ahead of his 250th match on Sunday.

It came as the Kangaroos’ tough start to the season was compounded by three key offfield staff quitting the club.

National recruiting manager Mark Finnigan and head of player personnel Glenn Luff resigned on Tuesday, a week before the AFL mid-season draft.

National recruiting officer Ben Birthisel has also left.

The recruiting team is believed to have felt undermined by management and some of the coaching staff amid pressure on the club about its direction and the speed of its list rebuild.

It is disastrous timing ahead of the mid-season draft, where the Kangaroos are in position to make one or two selections.

Speculation continues about second-year coach Noble’s allegedly deteriorating relationship with his players, but Ziebell again refuted the claims.

The 31-year-old was careful not to speak on behalf of everyone but said he had “no concerns whatsoever” with Noble’s hard-line approach.

“To me, personally, it’s a little bit amusing. … I suppose that’s the industry we’re in. It might be a slow news week, so there’s probably not much happening and they’re looking for something,” Ziebell said.

“But I understand that comes with the territory.

“When you’ve won one out of 10 games, fingers start to get pointed.”

Noble apologised to his players in the days after he delivered a stinging spray following the Kangaroos’ 108point round 3 belting to Brisbane.

There has also been a simplification of the club’s game plan but Ziebell said Noble was “fantastic” at setting the standards.

“I love ‘Nobes’ as a coach,” he said.