North Melbourne has unveiled Jaymie Graham as its next senior coach, signing a three-year deal.
Graham will cross from Fremantle to the Kangaroos after coming close to the Essendon and Carlton roles. He will fill the void left by Alastair Clarkson's sacking last month.
"I missed out on a couple of other roles, but I believe that things happen for a reason," Graham said.
"This job opened up, and I feel like it's a perfect fit. My values seemed to be very aligned with North Melbourne.
"My vision is to create an environment that guides and supports yet challenges individuals to become their best self whilst putting the team first and belonging to something bigger than themself."
The Dockers assistant has been widely regarded as a highly rated assistant during his time in Western Australia.
He also coached at West Coast during the club's 2018 premiership run, and previously spent time at St Kilda.
Graham touched on his coaching philosophies he's developed through his journey, and what he'll bring to Arden Street.
"I believe the three phases (defence, offence and contest) co-exist and they complement each other the way you set the ground up; however, I have identified some team defence opportunities for our team, and if we can turn the ball over closer to goal, we can really bring our game to life," he said.
"I'm keen to work with the coaching group in collaboration on what we want to target."
North Melbourne president Dr Sonja Hood revealed some of the reasons why Graham was appointed ahead of Daniel Giansiracusa, David Hale and Nathan Buckley, albeit the latter withdrew late last week.
"You'll learn more about Jaymie's personal and football journey in the coming days and weeks, but let me say he has the resilience to handle the relentless toils of the football environment, carrying the exact kind of grit we value at North Melbourne," Hood said in the letter to members.
"As a coach, Jaymie is a process-driven leader with a quiet, grounded presence, sharp attention to detail, and a clear football vision.
"Outside of his exceptional character, he joins us with a proven skill set. He played a key role in West Coast's 2018 premiership success, and more recently he was the line coach for one of the competition's best forward lines at Fremantle as part of a high-performing program.
"He is widely respected across the industry as a developer of talent and a connector of people - someone who builds strong player relationships instantly and earns respect through his actions.
"Our selection panel – chaired by Jennifer Watt and comprising Todd Viney, Andrew Swallow, Nick Dowling, Darren Crocker, and Steele Sidebottom – felt the alignment of Jaymie's personal values with those of our club, along with all of his extensive football credentials and clear capabilities, made him the very best person to take our club forward."
The Dockers also farewelled Graham.
“We can't thank Jaymie enough for his five outstanding seasons of service to our club,” Fremantle Executive General Manager of Football Joe Brierty said.
“Ever since he set foot in the door, he has been a highly valued member of our coaching department and respected by all players and football staff.
“Jaymie has had a significant impact not only on our player group - but the entire football department and broader club.
“It is well documented that Jaymie has had ambitions of becoming a senior coach in his own right one day, and we couldn't be prouder or happier for him to take an opportunity he's worked so hard for."
