Prominent reporter Caroline Wilson believes North Melbourne coach David Noble has repair work after reports of a "disturbing" and "disenchanted" relationship between the senior coach and his troops.
The suggestions emerge after Noble apologised for a vehement spray towards his players following their 108-point loss to Brisbane in Round 3.
Speaking on Nine's Footy Classified, Wilson said multiple murmurs have placed Noble in a dark light.
"The stories coming out of the club about the relationship between the coach and the players are disturbing... I'm hearing more and more about players just being disenchanted with the coach... with his temper on occasions," Wilson said.
Wilson went on to point out that there are fractures within the club.
“We hear reports about David getting very, very frustrated during some performances. The coaches are sort of 'we', the players are 'they', some of the language you're hearing about," she added.
She explained that this is never a good sign early on in a tenure, and stated that she heard similar stories about David Teague around the end of 2020.
“These are the stories I was starting to hear at the end of 2020 with David Teague. It's just a bit of a worry to me. I'm not saying David Noble's gone; he's only a season and a half in. But he's got a lot of work to do to win back some players.”
Noble has won five of his first 32 games at the helm for North.