Jaidyn Stephenson’s move from Collingwood to North Melbourne was one of the big surprises of the trade period.
The Magpies made the call to move on from the dynamic forward as part of their salary cap shedding, with the Roos swooping and giving him a fresh start.
Noble has been impressed with Stephenson’s work ethic cross the summer so far.
“We’ve had some open and honest conversations about what he needs to do in his game, how he wants to be coached, the output we’re going to need from him in a variety of roles, whether it’s midfield or forward,” Noble said on Sportsday.
“He’s training really well. I have to say, I’ve been really impressed with the way he’s going about his business.
“His footy intelligence in how he’s providing his help and his input into our meetings around what we’d like to do with some of our ball movement and some of our defence, I’ve been really impressed with how he’s gone about it.
“He’s been a great acquisition.”
In the immediate aftermath of the trade, Stephenson said he was keen to prove Collingwood wrong and would use the trade to drive him in 2021.
“I didn’t have the year I would have hoped either but it was quite a challenging year with glandular fever at the start and then being shipped up into a hub. It was a bizarre year all round,” Stephenson told SEN after the trade period.
“If you’re going to judge me off one year, that’s their problem I suppose, not mine.”