Hugh Greenwood set to leave Gold Coast Suns, move to North Melbourne

North Melbourne coach David Noble has revealed he almost landed Hugh Greenwood for Brisbane Lions, while shedding light on the midfielder's shock switch. 

A Tasmanian triumvirate played a crucial role in North Melbourne’s shock recruitment of the Gold Coast’s Hugh Greenwood.

The Roos were stunned when the Suns delisted Greenwood with the proviso of picking up the big bodied Tasmanian midfielder in the upcoming draft.

That’s when the Roos’ Tasmanian trio kicked in.

Senior coach David Noble had strong connections with Greenwood from his time at Adelaide, football manager Brady Rawlings was also a big fan, while the Roos list manager Scott Clayton went to school and played football with Greenwood’s dad, Michael.

Hugh Greenwood has joined North Melbourne.

It is understood Clayton had been following Greenwood since he dominated the under-16s national championships before pursuing a basketball career.

Noble was involved in the recruiting of the former New Mexico Lobos basketballer to the Crows as a Category B rookie in 2015 after he had signed for the Perth Wildcats to play in the NBL.

Then, when Noble was Brisbane’s football general manager, he also attempted to bring Greenwood to the Lions before the onballer joined Gold Coast in late 2019.

“I’ve known Hugh now for the best part of 10 years and put a lot of time and effort into Hugh,” Noble told SEN radio.

“Myself and Hamish Ogilvie (former Tasmanian under-18s coach Crows recruiting manager) a fair few years ago flew over to the (United) States and tracked him for a long time. I worked with him closely at Adelaide.

Greenwood was delisted by the Suns, allowing North Melbourne to swoop.

“People may not know that Brisbane were pretty close to getting him when he went to the Gold Coast. I’d spoken to him there as well, so I think it only happens as quick as it did because I’ve got such a strong relationship with Hugh and I know him so well, I know his character, I know what he brings.

“I love his footy, he’s elite in tackling, contested ball and clearances. It’s a great fit for our football club.”

Former Melbourne champion forward Garry Lyon lambasted the Suns for allowing Greenwood to walk for nothing through their own list management blunder.

“Hugh Greenwood is everything that the Gold Coast Suns aspire to be and have never been in their short period of existence,” Lyon said on SEN.

“He is hardworking, he is consistent, he is uncompromising, his standards don’t alter from week to week, he’s tough, he wins contested ball, he tackles, he plays his guts out every single time he takes the field, and he’s the one player they think that no one else is going to want to take?

“It is just, on every level, unthinkable.

“It’s an embarrassment on this football club.”

Greenwood, 29, has signed a two-year deal with the option of a third at Arden Street and has 83 AFL games experience (51 with the Crows and 32 with the Suns, including finishing fourth in Gold Coast’s 2020 best and fairest count).

Greenwood will slot alongside fellow inside bull Ben Cunnington and assist a highly talented, but still young and developing midfield consisting of Jy Simpkin, Tarryn Thomas, Luke Davies-Uniacke, Will Phillips, Tom Powell and almost certainly Jason Horne-Francis after next week’s national draft.

GREENWOOD CONCEDES TWITTER POST DIDN'T 'AGE WELL' 

Shock North Melbourne signing Hugh Greenwood has admitted his Twitter post that mocked “clickbait” articles about him being delisted by Gold Coast did not “age well”.

Greenwood hit out at media outlets over the weekend for questioning the Suns’ decision to delist him with the intention of redrafting him as a rookie next week.

But little more than two days after the social media post in which Greenwood said “still at the Suns, still see everyone in Round 1” the midfielder had agreed to join North Melbourne.

The Kangaroos “saw an opportunity” to pull off a brazen heist by convincing the 29-year-old big-bodied midfielder to move to Victoria.

pic.twitter.com/OhYsI7VWzH

— Hugh Greenwood (@HGreenwood3) November 15, 2021

The deal will see him earn $500,000 a year across two seasons at Arden St, with the chance to trigger a third season by playing just five games in the next two years.

“Both parties (myself and North) agreed on a deal that we felt comfortable enough ticked the many boxes required for us to consider, and ultimately move our young family to Melbourne,” Greenwood tweeted on Monday night.

“If I’m prepared to put myself out there then I’ve got to be prepared for everything that comes with it and clearly without the right facts and right information this scenario can be seen as a dreadful look.

“However, from what I’ve now learnt, and what I hope people can understand is that 24 hours can be a very long time in footy.”

Hugh Greenwood has decided to leave Gold Coast and join North Melbourne. Picture: AFL Photos/Getty Images

It was a massive U-turn from Greenwood’s initial online insistence that he was going nowhere when the Suns temporarily cut him from their list.

He indicated that he backed the Gold Coast’s strategy to add him back onto the primary list to help the Suns fulfil league rules of taking three mandatory picks in the national draft.

“Still On The Primary List. Still On The Same Contract. Still Been Medically Cleared To Train/Play For Over A Month. Still At The Suns. Still See Everyone Round 1,” Greenwood posted over the weekend.

“Was happy to cop the odd clickbait article & social nuff if it meant assisting the club’s overall list strategy.”

Still On The Primary List
Still On The Same Contract
Still Been Medically Cleared To Train/Play For Over A Month
Still At The Suns
Still See Everyone Round 1
Was happy to cop the odd clickbait article & social nuff if it meant assisting the club’s overall list strategy. 🤙🏼

— Hugh Greenwood (@HGreenwood3) November 11, 2021

Greenwood’s manager, Michael Oakes, told the Herald Sun the player now “feels silly” about the post.

“He feels silly but he was only being open and honest about his situation,” he said.

Greenwood added: “Safe to say that tweet didn’t age well.

“At the time of my tweet … everything in it was sincere and true and its intended purpose was to simply put to bed any chatter around my ‘delisting’.”

Oakes said North’s opportunistic plan to approach Greenwood over the weekend had been driven by coach David Noble.

Greenwood to norf… wtf just happened 🤯

— Mitch Robinson (@MitchRobinson05) November 15, 2021

Greenwood has been among the Suns’ best players since his move from Adelaide. Picture: Michael Klein

He said the one-year Kangaroos coach had been a huge fan of former Adelaide player Greenwood since he was 16 and had been keen to secure him even when he was the football boss at Brisbane.

“North Melbourne initially inquired about taking him early in the pre-season draft and I rang him and he said he would alway listen,” Oakes said.

“It progressed over the weekend. He has a very long history with David Noble.

“Brisbane tried to recruit him when Nobes was there, so we jumped into a few meetings and we only decided this morning.

“He decided it was the best opportunity for him. It’s a good parting, it’s good for Hugh and good for North.”

Originally published as Hugh Greenwood set to leave Gold Coast Suns, move to North Melbourne