North Melbourne Captain Nick Larkey Admits Club's Rebuild Has Taken Too Long
Freshly appointed captain Nick Larkey has delivered a stark assessment of his struggling club, North Melbourne, just days before their opening match against Port Adelaide. Larkey, who assumed the captaincy this off-season after former skipper Jy Simpkin's unsuccessful departure bid, conceded that the club's arduous rebuild has dragged on "too long" and expressed sympathy for the long-suffering supporters.
The candid remarks were made during an interview on Triple M's The Rush Hour with JB & Billy, hosted by James Brayshaw, the former chairman of North Melbourne from 2007 to 2016. In Brayshaw's tenure, the AFL proposed relocating North Melbourne to the Gold Coast with a lucrative $100 million package, draft incentives, and a favourable fixture, but the club resisted the move.
A Decade of Struggle and Frustration
Fast forward to 2025, and the contrast is stark: the Gold Coast Suns have surged into finals contention with a star-studded lineup, while North Melbourne languishes near the bottom of the ladder, managing only five wins last season. In fact, North's recent history is bleak, finishing second bottom in 2020, bottom in 2021, bottom in 2022, second bottom in 2023, and second bottom in 2024.
Larkey, drafted in 2016 and now 27, has endured this entire period without playing in a single final. "Our fans have every right to be impatient, the rebuild has taken too long, to be frank," he stated on Triple M. He highlighted the rapid turnarounds of other clubs, noting that Adelaide finished bottom in 2020 but topped the ladder last year, and Gold Coast, after being bottom in 2019, won a final recently.
"It hasn't been easy watching rival teams rise," Larkey told ESPN. "Now Gold Coast has made it, every other team has played finals since I was drafted. So yeah, it's been tough."
Pressure Mounts on Coach Alastair Clarkson
Meanwhile, scrutiny intensifies on coach Alastair Clarkson, who is entering his fourth season at North Melbourne. Under his leadership, the club has never finished above 16th, and Clarkson himself has reportedly indicated he would step down if results don't improve within four years.
Caroline Wilson revealed on The Agenda Setters that Clarkson told North Melbourne greats he would leave after four years if things didn't work out. She added, "One of Luke Hodge's former premiership teammates at Hawthorn made the point at a function I was at over the summer that he thinks this will be Alastair's last year."
Hodge, who captained three flags under Clarkson at Hawthorn, suggested North needs "seven or eight" wins in 2026 to be considered a pass mark, with Wilson noting that club president Sonja Hood has been told eight to ten wins are necessary.
Larkey Backs Clarkson Amidst Impatience
Despite the challenges, Larkey remains supportive of Clarkson. "Since Clarko has come on board, the stability part of the club is right," he said on Triple M. "But the players are impatient. We want to prove to the fans there is some promise and genuine improvement."
He acknowledged that internal progress last year didn't translate into desired wins, making it difficult to maintain confidence. "It's hard to keep telling yourself you're improving when you see the win-loss record. This year is about building on that again and taking a big leap. Stick with us."
Reflecting on his new role, Larkey described the captaincy as a huge honour, voted by peers, staff, and coaches. "It was a special few weeks after I got it. In terms of the captain that I want to be? I'm under no illusions that you want to play well on the weekend and play my role as best as I can for the side."
