Today we made the mutual decision to part ways with our senior coach, David Noble. 

It’s a tough day for David, his family, and our whole club.

David’s work ethic and commitment to this football club cannot be questioned. When I sat on the panel to appoint David, I knew I would have a very good personal and professional relationship with him. That has proved to be the case, even as I write this today, and I want to thank him for that. 

I want to particularly thank David’s family – wife Sarah and children Mark, John and Jessica for supporting David and by extension, the club, during his time with us. 

Which brings us to today’s decision. 

While we appreciate that we are at the beginning of a rebuild, it doesn’t give us a free pass in terms of expecting competitive performances.  We entered this season optimistic about 2022 because of our record in the second half of 2021 and solid off-season recruiting.

Add to that the off-field appointments, including those in our medical and strength and conditioning teams, and it’s fair to say our thoughts were geared towards seeing development from our playing list. 

The pre-season sentiment internally was overwhelmingly positive.

Resisting the urge to dream big, we set a simple benchmark – improve on last year, compete consistently against the teams around us on the ladder and play a brand of football that challenged the competition’s best teams.

Put simply, we have failed to live up to those expectations, and that is why we have agreed to end David’s tenure as coach.

'THIS WAS THE RIGHT CALL' David Noble following the decision

While we don’t hide from the fact that the success is determined by the on-field performance of our football programs, it’s crucial to remember that this football club is in the strongest off-field position in our 150-year history.

We have record membership, are free of historical debt, our relationships with our sponsors and partners are strong, and our central role in the imminent development of the Arden Precinct will cement our place in our home for the next 150 years.

Add that to a young, talented and exciting list, and we can confidently look to the future with optimism and belief. 

The next step is for Leigh Adams, our VFL coach, to take the reins as interim senior coach. 

Development coach Tom Lynch will coach our VFL team, the rest of the coaching staff will remain in their existing roles and Geoff Walsh will continue completing his work in our football department. 

As always, thank you for your support, and Go Roos!