AFL 2022: North Melbourne coach David Noble apologises to players for being too critical post match

The way David Noble communicates isn’t the only thing that’s changed at North Melbourne, with the players forcing him to relent on his game style. Here's why.

David Noble addresses their players at quarter time during the 2022 AFL Round 08 match between the Fremantle Dockers and the North Melbourne Kangaroos.

North Melbourne coach David Noble apologised to his players after going “too hard” in a stinging verbal spray delivered after their demoralising round 3 loss to Brisbane.

The Herald Sun and Fox Footy’s On the Couch can reveal Noble reflected upon his conduct in the days after the 108-point loss and told them he had gone too far in condemning their efforts.

Several younger players were visibly shocked by the raw feedback from Noble, who in past weeks has softened his communication methods and provided a more positive environment.

The players have provided feedback to Noble that his criticism had become a pattern.

Stream every match of every round of the 2022 Toyota AFL Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free In-Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >

The North Melbourne coach has also since simplified a game plan players believed was too complicated and difficult to execute and did not give them room to maximise their talents.

North Melbourne general manager of football performance Daniel McPherson confirmed Noble had agreed he had been too forceful in his post-match address after that round 3 loss.

But he told the Herald Sun Noble had taken the feedback on board and adjusted some of his methods of feedback.

North Melbourne coach David Noble simplified his game plan after player feedback.

The club also believes it could have better supported an angry and emotional Noble immediately after that game given his frustration at the performance.

The Roos had hoped they might make an improved start to the season but lost to Hawthorn in round 1 then fell in against an understrength West Coast before the trip to the Gabba.

Playing against his old side the former Brisbane football boss said of the loss: “It was a really simple, basic game today that we let ourselves down enormously and we should be embarrassed.”

In that Gabba rooms post-match, he made clear the loss was unacceptable but while players are no stranger to honest feedback he later accepted the tone of that address was unacceptable.

Some players were visibly emotional given his tone but the club on Monday denied reports at least one younger player was in tears.

McPherson said of the incident that Noble “reflected for a couple of days afterwards and then said to the boys that he had gone too hard so he did apologise”.

The Roos have tried to simplify a game plan that at some stage might be cutting-edge but had too many moving parts for a young, undermanned side to execute effectively.

Senior players Jack Ziebell, Kayne Turner, Aidan Corr, Jaidyn Stephenson and Hugh Greenwood have all failed to have a significant impact.

Jack Ziebell leads the Kangaroos onto the field for the round 3 clash against Brisbane.

The club also lacks on-field leaders with Turner and Corr members of the leadership group along with Ziebell, Jy Simpkin, Ben Cunnington, Luke McDonald and Nick Larkey.

The club’s high-priced recruit Callum Coleman-Jones has also struggled, playing only three games for 25 total possessions, despite being secured from Richmond on a deal of nearly $500,000 per season.

But Noble, contracted until the end of 2023, has the backing of chief executive Ben Amarfio and new president Sonja Hood to continue the rebuild that could still take some seasons.

The Roos believed they had turned a corner when Ben Cunnington helped them win three games late in the 2021 season before being sidelined to testicular cancer that could see him miss all of 2022.

Without their best clearance player their senior players have so far failed to fire in 2022, which has exposed the Roos’ youngsters to too much responsibility.

Noble has accepted the tone of his round 3 address was unacceptable.

McPherson conceded on Monday the inconsistent performances from the senior players have made it harder for the younger players to exhibit their wares.

The club’s No. 3 draft selection from 2020, Will Phillips, battled glandular fever over summer and is now being laid low with a virus that saw him miss in the VFL on the weekend.

Last year’s breakout midfielder Tom Powell, the No. 13 pick in 2020, won 23 possessions in the VFL after only four AFL games this year.

But the Roos believe they are not far from turning training form into on-field progress, having reviewed their recent games forensically.

A series of simple mistakes during games has seen the Roos miss the chance for elementary goals or seen the defensive structures break down with end-to-end goals.

Jed Anderson’s handball into the back of Jason Horne-Francis saw the Roos miss the chance at a score as the ball rebounded in an instant and turned into a Fremantle score.

The Roos take on Port Adelaide on Saturday afternoon without their best defender in Ben McKay, who will miss at least a week with a medial ligament sprain.

Larkey will return from suspension after being banned for tunnelling Carlton’s Lewis Young in round 8.

Originally published as AFL 2022: North Melbourne coach David Noble apologises to players for being too critical post match