Former North Melbourne champion John Blakey is looking forward to working with the club’s emerging talent in his new role as assistant coach.  

A host of youngsters were exposed to playing at the top level in 2020, and Blakey believes that experience will prove invaluable.  

“There are a lot of players that are 21 and under and some really good talent amongst the list,” he told North Media. 

“There’s been experience put into the younger group, they’ve got some games under their belt and they’ve got a taste of what’s required to be able to compete against the best sides.

“I’m looking forward to working with those young boys and developing and educating them on what’s required to be able to compete with the best teams in the competition.”

Blakey has tasted the ultimate success on numerous occasions; as a player in the Roos’ 1996 and 1999 Grand Finals, and as a member of the coaching team at the Brisbane Lions in 2003 and Sydney Swans in 2012.

Now he is determined to help take North Melbourne back to the top.

“I want to help the club get to where they want to get to,” Blakey said.

“You learn along the journey what it takes and what’s required to constantly compete in September and then what’s required to win a premiership … and its bloody hard, it’s not easy by any stretch of the imagination.

“You know how much work goes into each and every one of those campaigns and successors and obviously one side gets the glory each year.

“They’re (premierships) very, very difficult to win and they take a lot of work and a lot of high standards to be able to get there.

“Hopefully that’s what I can bring to the club, some really high standards and some experience in what it takes and what we need to do to get there.”

Having learned from some of the AFL’s most reputable coaches in Leigh Matthews, Paul Roos and John Longmire, Blakey knows teams must evolve and build a strong culture.

“You’re learning all the time and you’ve got to be changing all the time and adapting with the time,” he said. 

“I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some great people along the way and I think that’s really important … the people you have at your club are really important.

“I started at Brisbane under Leigh Matthews and that was a great learning curve for me. I was there on the end of their three-peat and was involved in a couple of grand finals down there and since I’ve been at Sydney for the last 14 years and we’ve also won a premiership and been involved in two other grand finals.

“It’s been a long sustained period of success and hopefully I can bring some of that down to the Kangas and get that sort of sustained success at the club.”