Nick Dal Santo has backed the re-appointment of Brad Scott, saying he’s “absolutely thrilled” he’ll be coaching the club until at least the end of 2018.
Having arrived at North Melbourne from St Kilda at the end of 2013, the 31-year-old has found a new lease on life at Arden Street under the tutelage of Scott.
“I sat down with the club two years ago and when I spoke to them I wanted to know what the opportunities were,” Dal Santo explained on SEN's Morning Glory.
“Obviously Brad was a big part of that and you just want to know what you are in for. When I made the agreement to change clubs, I was really comfortable with what Brad presented, I was really comfortable with the way he coached and the way he related with his players.
“I’ve got along with Brad really well over two years. I’ve played against him, watched him from the outside when he started his coaching career and then obviously being a part of it (at North), I’m absolutely thrilled that the club’s shown that confidence in him.
“As a senior player at this footy club I couldn’t get along with him any better.”
Dal Santo agreed with Scott’s comments that “stability” is the key to prolonged success.
“Coming to a new club, first of all you want to know what you are coming into, but also that what you think you are coming into is going to be there for a little while,” he said.
“I think the club showing confidence in Brad, means that we’ve (the players) got confidence in him and I think if you’re a North Melbourne supporter, if you follow the club in any capacity, I think you should be pretty happy with that announcement.”
As the senior group returned to training on Tuesday, Dal Santo said the Roos need to find more consistency to be a force in 2016.
“Just on a little review of last year, I feel like we just need to get better in a lot of areas," he said.
“It doesn’t mean necessarily new personnel; I think everyone just needs to improve.
“I think we’ve still got a young group, particularly in some of the key positions … our midfield is still relatively young and I feel like they can improve.”
The potential of going one week further in September will no doubt drive the players going into another pre-season campaign.
“I still feel like we are a fair way off where the Hawthorn’s were last year to win the premiership. We’ve made two prelims in a row which is fantastic, but it’s not really why we are here to play footy,” Dal Santo added.
“You want to obviously get there the next week and then be consistent on that day.
“I still feel like Hawthorn and those clubs obviously do something more consistently, more often to get the results they do.
“We just need to improve a little bit across the board.”