North Melbourne Kangaroos coach David Noble laments ‘disappointing’ end to promising purple patch

A disappointing performance in the last game of the season won’t distract David Noble from the potential his side showed earlier in the year.

The Kangaroos have received their first wooden spoon since 1972. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

David Noble has urged North Melbourne fans not to let a season-ending 44-point thumping by Adelaide take their focus away from the encouraging growth in his squad in the back half of their campaign.

Despite claiming the wooden spoon with a loss to Sydney in round 22, the Kangaroos have impressed in patches after the mid-season bye, recording three wins and a draw heading into Sunday’s clash at Adelaide Oval.

But the Roos were largely outplayed by the Crows, who were just one spot above North on the ladder heading into the clash.

Noble said the performance was “extremely disappointing”.

“It doesn’t leave a great taste in the mouth to finish the season and know that we’ve got to wait six months to make amends for that,” Noble said.

“To our fans and members that came, and for those that left early I’m sure, it’s not good enough but the overall growth of our group is extremely positive.

“The one thing that we banked on in the second half of the year was our ability to bring energy and effort.

“We weren’t at that level (against Adelaide), but up until then the back half has been really good because when you get that effort you can assess your systems.

“Effort and energy, I think, is a tick.

“Our capacity to continue to be brave through the corridor is something that we wanted to stand for during the year.

“I think being able to refresh our midfield with some youth, the debutants that we had, and we taught our leaders and experienced guys some new roles so I think there are some extremely good building blocks that we can go to from here.

“You just have to be really cautious about taking that result and letting that overwhelm the growth in our year, particularly in the second half.”

Noble began coaching the Kangaroos at the beginning of the season. (Photo by James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

The Roos have the opportunity to bolster their squad with the No. 1 pick at the national draft where South Australian midfielder Jason Horne-Francis, described as a once-in-a-generation talent, looms as the top pick.

Noble was asked if his club could be tempted to part with the coveted selection if a rival presents the right trade offer.

“We will do whatever we can to build our list and play finals,” he replied.

The Kangaroos’ victory over West Coast in Perth and their demolition of Carlton in round 19 were two highlights of the 2021 season. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

As for what fans can expect from their team in 2022, Noble isn’t one to make bold claims, but he believes the foundations have been laid for improvement.

“I think now that our players have clear understanding of how we want to play,” he said.

“We’ll go really hard at it but how it pans out next year, who knows?

“I certainly didn’t take the job to take two or three years to develop and take our time.

“The club has been great, they understand that they need to be a bit patient, but I’m in a hurry. I can get impatient at times, so therefore we’ve got to balance what that looks like.

“We’ve still got some work to do on our list, we’ll go to the draft again, we’ll get the guys fitter and stronger and we’ll see how next year unfolds.”

Originally published as North Melbourne Kangaroos coach David Noble laments ‘disappointing’ end to promising purple patch