“Blows my mind”: King concerned by North’s coaching search

David King admits he is concerned by the North Melbourne coaching process.

The Kangaroos are on the hunt for a new senior coach after parting ways with Alastair Clarkson earlier this month.

King’s concern comes after John Longmire admitted on Fox Footy’s AFL360 that he was invited to be part of the coaching process but declined, while premiership teammate Adam Simpson had informal chats which went no further.

Both Longmire and Simpson are premiership coaches at Sydney and West Coast respectively, as well as being North premiership players.

It’s a curious case right now after SEN’s Tom Morris reported that North GM Todd Viney had held talks with former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley.

That came after SEN’s Sam Edmund reported that Viney told Simpson that “second-time coaches don’t work”.

It’s enough to blow the mind of two-time premiership Roo King.

“A month ago the idea at the press conference was we're going to get the best coach available,” King said on Fireball.

“And then to not even get these guys to the point of interview just blows my mind. At least sit them down, hear what they've got to say.

“How would they set the club up? What are they thinking? Get the information out of those guys. It's a free external audit of your footy club - ‘This is how we'd set up the org chart. This is how I'd set up development. This is how I'd set up the next premiership tilt’.

“I’m disappointed that those two guys haven't even made the process or the panel. And it just feels like they're all in for a first-timer, which is probably their choice. They're in these positions to make these decisions.

“But these two are Hall of Famers for the Kangas. I just thought you would have at least heard what they had to say about how they would win the next premiership.”

Kane Cornes asked King if he was worried about the process.

He explained the reasons why he is concerned.

“Of course I am yeah, and I think all North Melbourne fans are,” he replied.

“Because this is the prime time right now. This list is not going to get any better with the Tasmanian team coming in.

“The draft picks are going to drop off significantly, so they've got to get this one right.

“I must admit, I have lost a little bit of confidence in hearing these guys talk about the desire to disregard second-time coaches. They just know more on the way in.

“What chance has Nathan Buckley got? If Simmo and Horse are not in for it, what chance has Bucks got?”

Freo assistant Jaymie Graham appears to be the obvious choice after being in the mix for both the Carlton and Essendon jobs recently.

King commented: “He's a $1.01 (to get the job). It's almost like he's got the job off the interviews he's done at other clubs.

“It’s just bizarre. Anyway, that's the Kangas for you.”