North Melbourne has welcomed back former player Liam Shiels as a national talent scout.

Shiels officially joined the club’s recruiting team at the beginning of November after calling time on his 288-game AFL career in August.

A three-time premiership player with Hawthorn, the 33-year-old played 255 games across 14 seasons in brown and gold before reuniting with long-time coach Alastair Clarkson at North Melbourne during the 2023 pre-season supplemental selection period.

Shiels added a further 33 games to his tally across two seasons at Arden Street, offering a wealth of experience and leadership to the Roos’ emerging midfield.  

Throughout his two playing seasons at North Melbourne, Shiels also gained experience within the club’s recruiting team, regularly taking part in internal meetings and talent scouting on weekends around his AFL commitments.

"Liam is well placed to make an immediate impact in this role with his knowledge of football and our list, combined with two years of work experience in our recruiting team," North Melbourne head of football talent Brady Rawlings said.

"We have no doubt Liam will approach this role in the same way he did his playing career – with full effort and a commitment to making our club better.”

Shiels will be part of the club’s team this week at the 2024 Telstra AFL Draft.