Archer one of four on North's coach panel
North Melbourne legend Glenn Archer will be a key player in the appointment of the club's next senior coach, with the Shinboner of the Century joining Kangaroos chairman Ben Buckley and two other club officials on the selection panel.
Archer, already one of three club figures appointed to complete an in-depth review of North Melbourne's entire operations, will also be on the panel that recommends their senior coach for 2020 and beyond, with Buckley, North chief executive Carl Dilena and football operations chief Cameron Joyce also part of that panel.
The Age cannot confirm yet whether there will be a fifth person on that coach selection group, which is yet to be announced and may not be finalised.
Archer has emerged as one of the most important figures in North Melbourne's evaluation of their club, despite having stepped down from the club board, where he was the director responsible for football.
Buckley, a former chief executive at Football Federation Australia, has extensive experience in assessing coaches due to his experiences at the helm of Australian soccer, where he was involved in the appointments of Socceroos coaches.
While Joyce's own position as head of football is expected to be reviewed by the whole club review βand he is believed to be under pressure β the board have still opted to stick with conventional practices and have him on the panel.
Neither Dilena nor Joyce are formally part of the three-man group undertaking the review of all club operations, though CEO Dilena will obviously lend expertise. The club review, announced on the day of Brad Scott's resignation and departure, will be conducted by Archer, board member and consultant Brian Walsh and ex-KPMG chairman Peter Nash.
If they haven't already, the Roos are expected to sound out the likes of Sydney coach John Longmire, Hawthorn's Alastair Clarkson and West Coast's Adam Simpson β all former North players and premiership coaches who have contracts for next year or beyond.
While Longmire is contracted only for 2020, the Swans have signalled that they wish to extend his tenure, with chairman Andrew Pridham indicating he would like Longmire to continue on for a long term. It is understood that the Sydney board have not yet formally taken steps to secure the 2012 premiership coach beyond next season.
North's caretaker coach Rhyce Shaw has staked his claim to keep the position with two consecutive victories and is said to have fostered excellent bonds with the playing group, both as an assistant under Scott and since taking over the job.
Clarkson is contracted for a further three years after 2019, effectively making him a longshot for both the North and Carlton positions. Simpson is contracted until the end of 2022 and has ruled himself out.