North Melbourne is currently searching for a new senior coach and Stephen Silvagni says they should go after Justin Leppitsch to fill the role.
After Rhyce Shaw and the club parted ways due to personal reasons, the Roos are in the process of setting up a panel to select their next coach, with Paul Roos widely tipped to take part in the selection process.
Leppitsch recently departed Richmond after spending four years as an assistant under Damien Hardwick, while he also coached Brisbane between 2014 and 2016.
Silvagni cited the example of Brett Ratten’s success at St Kilda after being given another opportunity as a reason why North Melbourne should seriously consider handing Leppitsch the coaching reigns in 2021.
“I look at someone like Brett Ratten who is a second time coach,” he said on AFL Trade Radio’s The Late Trade.
“He coached at Carlton, got them to finals and it didn’t end the way he wanted it to.
“But you know what, he dug in and went to Hawthorn and was able to experience success at Hawthorn and all the systems they have in play.
“You look at the assistants that have gone on under Alastair Clarkson to coach other clubs, Ratten has been able to come back again and get St Kilda to the finals … that’s a fantastic endorsement.
“You look at Justin Lepptisch, he’s a person that has coached his own team and I would think second time that he would be a much better coach.
“They’re talking about Michael Voss being one of the candidates and so he should be, he’s also a second-time coach.
“Justin Leppitsch has just come out of the most successful team in probably 10 years, as long as he’s honest and second time around that he puts people around him to (help his deficiencies).
“I think he needs to be high up in the pecking order in terms of interviewing a new coach for that job.”