North Melbourne announce new coach to replace Rhyce Shaw

Less than a month after their former coach walked away due to personal reasons, North Melbourne’ next man in charge was revealed.

Rhyce Shaw and David Noble

David Noble is officially the new man in charge at North Melbourne.

The club embarked on a hunt for a new senior coach after they and Rhyce Shaw “came to a mutual decision to part ways, effective immediately” last month.

Shaw’s departure came shortly after revealing he was taking extended leave for personal reasons with many pundits believing the club should look to an experienced coach to take over and lead them back up the ladder.

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On Friday afternoon however, Noble was unveiled as the man who had won the three-horse race for the coaching position.

Noble beat out Collingwood assistant Robert Harvey and new Essendon assistant Daniel Giansiracusa to win the race.

An experienced figure in the football industry, Noble was a head coach in the SANFL before moving into the AFL where he served as an assistant coach at the Western Bulldogs for five seasons.

He was also the head of football for Adelaide and more recently was the football operations boss for the Brisbane Lions.

David Noble (right) is the new head honcho.

The signing of Noble from the Roos earned the tick of approval from former Adelaide and current Geelong superstar Patrick Dangerfield.

“Nailed it @NMFCOfficial. Nobes a star!” Dangerfield wrote.

Noble only recently said his career path looked to be heading towards becoming a CEO. Just last year he was in the running to becoming North’s CEO, a role that eventually went to Ben Amarfio.

“We were very clear on what we wanted in our next coach and we have found that in David. We are delighted to appoint him the 38th coach [including interim coaches] of our football club,” North chairman Ben Buckley said.

“David has a profound knowledge of all areas of the football department and knows what it takes to win and set up club’s for success, having been part of no less than 13 AFL finals series throughout his impressive career so far.

“He is a great fit for our club and will complement our strategic direction. We are very confident he will lead our young side back up the ladder in the coming years.”

David Noble sounds like a great appointment by Norf. Good to see clubs looking beyond the star player/favourite son/next assistant in line conveyor belt. Who knows - one day AFLM might be ready for someone from AFLW!

— Richard Hinds (@rdhinds) November 20, 2020

Very good appointment by @NMFC.

David Noble is a good operator, will keep things calm and stabilise the Kangaroos internally.

I just hope they give him a real chance to succeed with ongoing board and department support.

— n 1 c k (@nicksplitter) November 20, 2020

North were forced into a head coaching hunt after Shaw stepped away for personal reasons after one season in charge. He and the club came to an agreement over the final two seasons on his contract.

The club released a statement to reveal Shaw was moving on with the former Magpies and Swans star thanking the club and the players.

“I’m immensely grateful to the North Melbourne Football Club for the opportunity it afforded me as senior coach, and want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the football department and club staff, as well as North’s incredible members and supporters, who together, endured an extraordinarily challenging season,“ he said.

“Your contribution, commitment and dedication to this club was enormous, and I am deeply grateful.

“To the players – I will forever cherish the relationships we built and the stories we shared, and I’m grateful for the courage and belief you demonstrated along the journey.

“I’d also like to extend my thanks to members of the AFL media for the care and respect they’ve shown during this time.

“Despite the challenges of the past year, my passion for football remains. The experiences I’ve had throughout my career developing young footballers to reach their potential has given me the greatest satisfaction and pride, and I hope to have the opportunity to contribute to this great game again in the future.

“For now, however, my focus is on taking time out, and I would ask that my privacy, and that of my family, continue to be respected at this time.”

Originally published as North Melbourne announce new coach to replace Rhyce Shaw