Nick Larkey re-signs with North Melbourne until end of 2029

Several suitors came hard for North Melbourne forward Nick Larkey, yet the rising star’s belief in the club’s direction meant it was never about the bottom line.

George Wardlaw is the round 14 Rising Star nominee. (Photo by Steve Bell/Getty Images)

North Melbourne sharpshooter Nick Larkey has revealed how his belief in the club’s direction and faith in its next wave of young stars convinced him to put loyalty over money and sign on for five more seasons.

In a massive show of support for the Kangaroos, Larkey has taken himself off next year’s free agency market and locked into the club until the end of 2029.

It is understood several suitors, including a cashed-up Essendon and Sydney, came hard at the 25-year-old key forward. But he accepted less to stay with North Melbourne because he wants to play a leading part in the club’s road back to the finals.

“It was never about the dollar signs; I just needed to believe in the future that we had here,” Larkey told the Herald Sun in an exclusive interview.

“I was humbled by the reach out (from rival clubs) and I suppose it is a recognition that they see something in you. But what it came down to in the end was, if I genuinely believed the club was trending in the right direction, I was always going to stay.

“I am proud to be a one-club player. I love this club.”

Nick Larkey has committed his future to the Kangaroos. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Larkey said the form of the club’s young guns across the past month, including this week’s Rising Star nomination George Wardlaw and Harry Sheezel, convinced him the Kangaroos are on the move.

And he detailed how an interview with a Melbourne player after the club’s 2021 flag resonated with him at the time, and solidified his decision to stay at Arden St.

“Just seeing the young boys stepping up on the field in the last four weeks has been huge for me,” Larkey said.

“We might not have won the scoreboard (two of the losses have been by a goal or less), but we have definitely had some little wins as a group.

“It’s been great to see the impact of Georgie Wardlaw, ‘Sheez’ (Sheezel) has always been a jet, Bailey Scott is having a good run, Will Phillips is looking good, and CJ (Callum Coleman-Jones) has been going well playing forward. Eddie Ford has been good and Pauly Curtis up forward has been strong too.

“It’s good to have Tarryn (Thomas) back around the club. He can be a serious player.”

Larkey sought out general manager of football Todd Viney and recruiting and list boss Brady Rawlings for detailed discussions about the Kangaroos’ future direction before making his decision to stay.

It comes after his best mate Cam Zurhaar recommitted to the club last September. He hopes his decision might coax other out of contract Roos such as defender Ben McKay to stick around.

Larkey and Zurhaar will be the building blocks of North Melbourne’s forward line. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Larkey, who remains a Coleman Medal hope after booting 36 goals in his 13 games in a career-best season, hoped the recent competitiveness was a tonic for coach Alastair Clarkson, who has taken a leave of absence to focus on his well being.

“I am sure Clarko is watching us,” he said. “We all hope he is doing all right.

“It would be great to get him back. But the people he has brought into the club and the structure he has set up has also been great.

“He brought in Toddy (Viney), (caretaker coach) ‘Ratts’ (Brett Ratten) and head of ops Cam Matthews. He knows what a good football club looks like.

“Ratts is a fair caretaker coach to have in place. The boys have loved what he has been able to do in this tough period.

Larkey recalled an interview Tom McDonald had done after Melbourne’s 2021 flag, where he talked about it meaning more to him as he had experienced the hard times the Demons had gone through to reach the ultimate success.

“I remember hearing a post-game interview with Tom McDonald after they had won the premiership and he was so appreciative of the fact that he stuck fat with the club,” he said.

“The premiership meant so much more to the players who stuck around. A lot of them could have chased the money and gone elsewhere and won it, and that’s great.

“But for me, it is all about creating something here (at North Melbourne) and trying to bring success to the club that gave me a chance to play AFL football.”

Larkey has become one of the most reliable goalkickers in the AFL. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

The Kangaroos picked Larkey up as pick 73 in the 2016 national draft. While North Melbourne hasn’t played a final in that time, he has kicked 156 goals from 84 games, with 116 goals coming in the past two and a half seasons.

One of the first things he was attracted to when he started at Arden St was the mosaic in the foyer featuring some of the club’s most famous characters and moments – and he wants to make his own imprint with the team.

“I have loved every minute I’ve had at the club … but at times it has been tough with the coaching changes, the staff changes and the losses.

“It hasn’t turned quickly for us in the past six years, but we are getting to the stage where I really think it can now. We’ve got genuine belief now.”

Larkey said the group was pushing hard for its first win since late March, with the next challenge against Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.

“The Dogs have smashed us for years and they did it in the pre-season, but we’re a different side now,” he said.

“We will go to work and keep looking for that win and if we stick to how we have been playing consistently over the past four weeks, we will get the job done soon.”

From WOW to Warlord: Wardlaw bags Rising Star nod

– Scott Gullan

George Wardlaw‘s father was clearly onto something.

He wanted to name his youngest boy Walter Oliver Wardlaw so his initials would be WOW. Given the impact his son has already had on the AFL in a short space of time it would have been appropriate.

According to George, thankfully his mother Rachel intervened and some sanity prevailed.

“He (father Jay) doesn‘t shut up about it,” Wardlaw explained.

“Luckily my mother caught on and she said absolutely not and my middle name is Anthony so GAW is a bit better, more normal.”

But there has been a hangover with the name after North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson picked up the story when he met the family prior to last year‘s national draft.

George Wardlaw is the round 14 Rising Star nominee. (Photo by Steve Bell/Getty Images)

“Because my Dad wanted to call me Walter back in the day when I was born, nowadays he calls me Wally and Clarko picked that up in the home interview and has run with it so now I‘m Wally around the club,” Wardlaw said.

North Melbourne fans have already created their own nickname for the midfielder who has taken the competition by storm in the first four games of his career, earning a Rising Star nomination off the back of 22 possessions, nine tackles and a goal against the GWS Giants.

“I think ‘Warlord’ is catching on a bit,” he says.
“It’s a bit strange to hear it and I don’t know how to take it but they’re running with it.”

While his mate Harry Sheezel, who the Roos took one pick ahead of him at No. 3, played straight away, Wardlaw was forced to wait because of troublesome hamstrings which had plagued his draft year.

“It was a bit frustrating at the start but they did the right thing now in hindsight, holding me back and building me up and I‘m glad they did it in the end,” Wardlaw said.

Harry Sheezel and George Wardlaw were drafted together. (Photo by Morgan Hancock/Getty Images)

“There were little tweaks in there and they (the hamstrings) kept pulling up sore so they thought we‘d hit the reset button, hit the gym, build some strength up again.

“It was a bit tough (to watch other draftees play) but when you have someone like Harry who is on your team you get inspired by it, throughout the whole way I was really happy for Harry and how he was doing.

“He kept telling me how much he wants me there as well so to have him doing that helped me, inspired me and now I‘m lucky to play with him.”

The pair played junior football against each other, Wardlaw with St Peter‘s East Bentleigh and Sheezel at Ajax.

Since his debut against Sydney in Round 10, Wardlaw had endeared himself to fans for his ferocious attack on the ball which has North‘s legendary Shinboner spirit all over it.

“It was good learning a lot about the Shinboner spirit early and what it all meant,” he says.

“I like to pride myself on the contested stuff, the hard stuff and luckily that‘s what the fans like.

“If I can implement half the Shinboner spirit in my games I think I‘ll be doing OK.”

Asked where it came from, Wardlaw said: “It is hard to describe or think of the route. All I can imagine is playing footy, cricket, rugby in the backyard with my brother (Harry) and my neighbours who were all a fair bit older than me and just cracking in as hard as I can to get the win in the backyard.

“I guess it‘s just the will to win, you try your best and do whatever you can to try and get the win.”

An Essendon supporter growing up, he admired defender Michael Hurley but some similar contested ball beasts are the players he‘s followed recently, including one he’ll line up against on Sunday when the Roos take on the Western Bulldogs.

“More recently I like the looks of (Tom) Liberatore and Clayton Oliver, both players who win the hard ball and also play on outside and can be explosive,” Wardlaw said. ”Those two players I kind of watch and model my game off.”