He may have only been at the club for one day, but new North Melbourne development coach Anthony Rocca is feeling excited about the players he will be working with.
“What I've really noticed is the amount of the young players around the place," Rocca told North Media.
“And that's really exciting because it's a base that everyone can work with.
“The one who really caught my eye was Nick Larkey. Just the size of the man. He's huge. Him with (Cam) Zurhaar and Stevo (Jaidyn Stephenson) who plays forward, it looks really exciting and promising.
“To be able to work with those guys is really good because they're still raw.
“So we can impart some of our knowledge onto them, but more than anything, we'll learn off them - what they like, what they can't do well and what we can help them with.”
When Rocca was stood down after 10 years at Collingwood as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, he feared his coaching career might have come to an end.
“I thought that I was done and dusted to get another role, another job in coaching,” Rocca said.
“So when I got the call from Brady, I actually didn't pick up the phone because I didn't know whose number it was.
“He left a message and I got back to him and yeah, the rest is history.
“It was a really good conversation around if I wanted to keep coaching and be a part of a coaching panel. And I said, ‘Yes’. I'm really looking forward to working with the big guys around at the club.”
Wednesday was Rocca’s first day at Arden St, but he is feeling at home already.
“Everyone's made me feel really welcome,” Rocca said.
“It's the first time I've been away from the Collingwood Football Club in 25 years, so I was a little bit anxious and nervous coming in, but everyone's made me feel really welcome.
“I'm really excited to get to to work.”
