YOU DON'T go through footy thinking about losing coaches. If anything, I worry about getting delisted or traded or something horrible like that.

So when the news rolled around last Tuesday, it was a big shock.

Dean was fantastic for us and it was very sad to see him go, but I thought the handling of it was really professional by him and the club.

It put North on a pedestal in terms of how we treat people, which is a massive part of this club's culture.

We have so much respect for Dean. He got us to some finals series and coached through what was a tough time off the field as well.

That showed when we all had the get-together at his house that Tuesday night. There was a really good vibe and it wasn't like we were losing someone.

It was almost as if a mate had just chosen to follow a different path.

Dean did a lot for me and our relationship had gone to the next level this year. After the first two games I was pretty distraught with my performances and he helped me through it.

I've spoken with him since he's left and I'm confident we'll stay in touch. He might not be in charge but he's definitely not forgotten.

What we can't afford to do now is get involved in the debate on who should coach us next year.

Our focus isn't even there.

We're only thinking about what we're planning to do over the next 10 weeks under Darren Crocker: back his new program in, win games and try to give ourselves another chance of playing finals footy.

I've never experienced this before but when a new coach takes over, lots of little things are affected. Even something as simple as the time we have a meeting can change.

It almost feels like the start of a new season and the next few weeks will be both interesting and exciting. Every bloke will have his take on the differences between Crock and Dean.

This is my fifth year at North now and Crock has been my backline coach the whole time. He's played a massive part of my development – as all of the coaches have in one way or another – but his say has been the strongest.

Motivation, on and off the field, is where he's been best for me.

For the guys who have had the best relationships with Crock, having him as coach will be a real positive.

He's got such a good reputation and is loved by the playing group.

You could see that at our session at Trinity last Thursday. Earlier that morning, Crock had come in and given his first address as well as a brief outline of what he wanted for the rest of the year.

There was plenty of enthusiasm and the boys trained really well.

We know he's put his hand up for the job and has definitely got the runs on the board in terms of experience when you consider he was at Port Melbourne then Richmond before here.

And for those who think he might not have a hard edge, don't worry about that. I've copped it plenty of times.

It's all good to have a positive and friendly side but Crock can definitely lay down the law.

A couple of years ago we were playing Carlton on the Gold Coast and Brad Fisher had probably had a little bit too much of the ball in the first quarter.

Dean came out and sprayed me and, once we broke up into groups, Crock came over and gave me his fair share as well.

Hopefully we don't see too much of that and can really get the most out of what's left of this season.

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.