Jaymie Graham has been officially named North Melbourne’s new senior coach, with the Kangaroos confirming the Fremantle assistant as Alastair Clarkson’s successor on Tuesday 6 October.
North Melbourne president Dr Sonja Hood announced the news in a letter to members and supporters on Tuesday morning. “I’m delighted to announce that Jaymie Graham is the new senior coach of our AFL team,” Hood wrote.
The 43-year-old has signed a three-year deal, AFL.com.au reported.
What North said
Hood described Graham as “a process-driven leader with a quiet, grounded presence, sharp attention to detail, and a clear football vision”.
She said the selection panel, chaired by Jennifer Watt and also made up of Todd Viney, Andrew Swallow, Nick Dowling, Darren Crocker and Steele Sidebottom, “felt the alignment of Jaymie’s personal values with those of our club, along with all of his extensive football credentials and clear capabilities, made him the very best person to take our club forward.”
“Jaymie will get to work straight away, engaging in our trade and draft activities,” Hood added.
Fremantle farewell
Fremantle thanked Graham on Tuesday as he departs to join North as senior coach. He joined Justin Longmuir’s coaching team ahead of the 2022 season and was credited by the club with the development of its forwards.
“We can’t thank Jaymie enough for his five outstanding seasons of service to our Club,” Dockers executive general manager of football Joe Brierty said.
“It is well documented that Jaymie has had ambitions of becoming a senior coach in his own right one day, and we couldn’t be prouder or happier for him to take an opportunity he’s worked so hard for.”
Who is Jaymie Graham?
Graham played 37 games for West Coast, then began coaching at St Kilda under Scott Watters, returned to the Eagles under Adam Simpson and coached East Perth in 2016, 7NEWS reported. Hood said he “played a key role in West Coast’s 2018 premiership success”. The Dockers reached the 2026 grand final, where they lost to Brisbane as the Lions completed a three-peat.
He went deep in the Essendon and Carlton coaching searches in 2026, missing out to Mark McVeigh and Josh Fraser respectively. His path at North opened up after Nathan Buckley pulled out of the race on Sunday 4 October.
What’s next
North parted ways with Clarkson in September with a year left on his contract. Graham’s first job is the trade period, which is already under way, before he turns to the draft and his first pre-season at Arden Street.
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