North Melbourne has announced the selection panel which will choose the club's next senior coach, and retired Collingwood midfielder Steele Sidebottom is a surprise inclusion.
The former Magpie is only recently retired after his 375-game career in black and white.
Sidebottom will be joined by North Melbourne CEO Jennifer Watt (who will chair the committee), general manager of football Todd Viney, club director and former Roos captain Andrew Swallow, AFLW coach and premiership player Darren Crocker and vice-president Nick Dowling.
North Melbourne sacked its former coach Alastair Clarkson last week four years into a five-year contract. It was a decision that surprised the football world.
The Roos will be an appealing job prospect for first time and experienced coaches alike.
North Melbourne has a litany of talent through its midfield and up forward, while the club has already done the hard work to emerge from the doldrums for the first time in a decade.
The Arden Street based side won nine games in 2026, its best return since 2019 and will be hoping to push for finals in 2027.
Some of the expected leading contenders for the top Roos job are Fremantle assistant Jaymie Graham, St Kilda assistant Corey Enright, former West Coast coach Adam Simpson (a past North Melbourne captain) and former Sydney coach John Longmire (premiership player).
