The cleanout of assistants at North Melbourne has continued, with John Blakey and Gavin Brown the most recent to depart the AFL membership.
Caretaker coach Brett Ratten introduced earlier this month that he had determined to depart the Kangaroos to pursue different alternatives.
Ratten led the aspect for 10 video games this 12 months throughout a interval during which head coach Alastair Clarkson stepped away to deal with his psychological and bodily well being.
Brown and Blakey will be part of Ratten out the door in what the Kangaroos have labelled a mutual parting of the way.
Blakey notched 224 video games for North Melbourne and featured within the membership’s 1996 and 1999 premierships.
His teaching profession took him to Brisbane after which to Sydney, the place he spent 14 seasons working underneath former teammate John Longmire.
Blakey returned to Arden St forward of the 2021 season as a senior assistant, a task he has held for the previous three seasons.
Brown departs after 10 seasons, having first joined North Melbourne in November 2013 as senior improvement coach.
He was promoted to go of improvement in late 2019 – a task he has held throughout the previous 5 seasons.
“After conversations with ‘Blakes’ and ‘Browny’, we have agreed to mutually part ways,” North Melbourne’s normal supervisor of soccer Todd Viney mentioned in a press release.
“These decisions are never taken lightly, but the time is right for all parties to move forward in new directions.
“Blakes and Browny have been excellent contributors to our membership and so they go away as extremely revered people. We want them properly as they appear to tackle new alternatives inside the business.”
As it stands, Leigh Adams, Brent Harvey, Emma Kearney, Tom Lynch and Jordan Russell remain on North’s coaching staff.
The Kangaroos only narrowly avoided a third consecutive wooden spoon this year after pulling off an upset victory over Gold Coast in the final round.
Meanwhile, Geelong have released assistant Shaun Grigg from the final year of his contract so he can link with new Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick.
Grigg played under Hardwick for nine seasons at Richmond, and has now joined his former mentor at Gold Coast after spending the past four seasons on Geelong’s coaching staff.
In other news, the Western Bulldogs announced the departure of development coach Travis Varcoe, who had been at the club for three seasons.
And West Coast have instructed defender Luke Foley that he will not be provided a contract for 2024.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
