North Melbourne are reportedly focusing their coaching search on legendary coach Alastair Clarkson, as his manager confirms a meeting with Kangaroos president Sonja Hood.
James Henderson confirmed to AFL Media that he met with Hood during North Melbourne's Round 19 loss to Hawthorn in Hobart, with the Roos reportedly set to exclusively pursue Clarkson as their next senior coach.
“I can confirm I had a conversation with North Melbourne in Hobart,” Henderson told AFL Media.
Despite several names being floated as David Noble's replacement, North have their eyes set on Clarkson, with a meeting between him and Hood set to take place in the coming weeks.
According to the afl.com.au report, the Kangaroos will be exclusively dealing with Clarkson, who would come with a big price tag, before exploring other candidates should the four-time Hawthorn premiership coach turn down the role.
Should Clarkson accept the North gig, he will become their fourth coach in as many years, with the club now conceding that the untried coach route of Rhyce Shaw isn't an option this time around.
North's approach comes in stark contrast to that of GWS, who are reportedly in talks with a host of potential candidates.
AFL Media has reported that the second round of interviews at GWS is set to get underway in the coming weeks, but highly rated Carlton assistant coach Ashley Hansen has ruled himself out of contention for the top job, citing personal reasons to remain in Melbourne. Former Essendon senior coach James Hird is also not in contention for the role.
Despite putting all of their eggs in the Clarkson basket for the time being, North do have plenty of other names to consider in their search should they fail to woo the 54-year-old. Don Pyke, Ross Lyon and Mark Williams have all been mentioned in association with the senior coaching vacancy.