Brad Scott says a combination of North’s strong culture and professional environment are the main reasons why players simply refuse to leave the club.

Asked if he is confident young-gun Ryan Bastinac will stay at Aegis Park beyond this season and reject a rumoured approach from Greater Western Sydney, Scott offered a measured response.

“What I am confident in is that we’ve got a great environment and you know traditionally, as we’ve seen from Todd Goldstein who’s just re-signed, that our players want to stay and they’re really excited about what the future holds for the football club so really that’s all we can control; the environment that the players work in and we think that’s really good.

“If we hold up our end, I’m sure Ryan will want to stay.”

As a player at Brisbane for the majority of his career, Scott says North’s reputation was further enhanced in his mind after walking through the doors at the club in 2009.

“Before I came to North Melbourne, form an outsider looking in, the culture was always something that was revered and it’s not really until you get to the club that you realise why it’s so special.

“Culture’s really only the people who exist as the custodians of the club at the present time and we’ve just got great people and we instil really strong values within the players and they generally respond.”

“If players do leave us, that tells us a bit about the people they are anyway so that’s pretty simple for us. If they like the environment they stay; if they don’t, probably in reality we’re better off without them.”

The third-year coach maintained an ‘actions rather than words’ answer when probed about the side’s prospects in 2012.

“The proof will be in the pudding, we’ve certainly improved in the off season as most clubs will have. We’re young, but we’re a side that’s really ambitious and we expect to win every game we play.”