North Melbourne president Sonja Hood was put to the sword on Saturday over her press conference comments after David Noble’s departure.
North Melbourne president Sonja Hood has confirmed she has spoken with Alastair Clarkson’s management about the side’s vacant coaching role, while disputing David Noble was sacked by the club, insisting the decision to part ways was a mutual one.
Noble’s contract was terminated this week after just 38 games in charge of the rebuilding Roos, with the club set to canvass its options for the next coach at a board meeting on Wednesday.
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Speaking on 3AW, Hood confirmed she had touched base with Clarkson’s management to gauge the four-time premiership coach’s interest about potentially filling the void.
Hood also backtracked on comments she made regarding the current state of North’s playing list after ruffling some feathers with her remarks.
“I have, yep. I’m having a lot of conversations at the moment just to understand the environment I’m sitting in, no more or less than that,” she said.
“I’m sitting in an environment with a pretty decent list, not a great list, but a pretty decent list with a reasonable amount of talent on it and a club that’s very keen to move up the ladder.”
Hood said that the sides next coach would be “afforded time and patience”, but was pressed by the panel on whether that was also the intention when bringing in Noble, who himself said he didn’t believe he had been given enough time to rebuild the side before his departure.
“I’d like to think that we’ll reflect on what’s happened this time around and make sure that that doesn’t happen again,” she said.
Pressed on the nature of Noble’s departure, Hood refused to agree with the notion he was sacked.
“I think that David and I came to an agreement together on Monday afternoon as to what was going to happen, but I precipitated the conversation,” she admitted.
“But in the end, it wasn’t working. And we didn’t see anything that was going to change in that regard.
“We came to an agreement that we would terminate the contract or that the contract would end. Maybe it’s semantics to you but it matters to me that David and I sat down and in the end he couldn’t and we couldn’t see a way this was going to change.”
With the club suffering a raft of resignations in it list management department earlier this season, there remain questions over how the club approaches its recruiting as the end of its season looms.
Hood said the club would not bring in a new recruiting team “in the short term” and that her understanding was football boss Brady Rawlings would head up the department for the time being.
The Roos president also moved to walk back comments during this week’s press conference that the club’s list was “great”, but still showed faith in the emerging talent.
“I should also note that I think I got a fair amount of criticism for describing it as a great list. I apologise for the hyperbole in that,” she said.
“I do however think it’s a list with a fair amount of talent on it and has some holes in it we need to fill. Getting those people right is a priority for us as well.”
Originally published as Roos boss walks back ‘great list’ claim in live radio interview confirms Clarko approach
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