NORTH Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson believes the club's consistent refusal to consider trading ex-captain Jy Simpkin last October has made his reintegration back into the footy club "easy" across the summer.

Simpkin asked the Kangas if he could explore his options during last year's Trade Period, despite having four years to run on his contract, but that request was continually rebuffed during the player movement window.

Clarkson said his constant message to Simpkin throughout the Trade Period was that he wouldn't release him from his contract, despite late interest from Collingwood, making it easy for the onballer to process the prospect of staying at Arden Street.

Simpkin, who is set to be moved onto a wing this season to accommodate for the club's talented young midfield group, subsequently relinquished his position as captain but has readjusted to life at North Melbourne routinely over the summer.

"It was easy, really," Clarkson told AFL.com.au.

"The conversations, even when he was going through it, were that he was contracted. We knew he was going through some tough things. He's been at the footy club a long time and he's probably frustrated with the slow burn of it as well.

"We're all in the same position. There's a big part of us that are impatient and just want to get there quick, there's also part of us where it's just the reality that it's more difficult now than it's ever been.

"There was part of that, then there's the stuff that he's best to talk about rather than me. The stuff that's going on off-field for him. There were some challenges that he needed to confront, but that's life. It's not if it's going to come your way so much in life, it's just when. When it comes, how do you deal with it?

"We could see it. Sometimes, when you're in it, you just can't see the wood from the trees. It's just like, 'How am I going to rip myself from all of this stuff that's going on?' I just knew that it would all stabilise.

"I knew that he's a really good person, with really good values, who is really embedded in the fabric in the footy club with his teammates here. So, for mine, the dialogue with him all the way through was really open and honest and easy. It was really open and honest.

"I was telling him all along, despite him saying he was going to explore. I said, 'That's fine, mate, but just letting you know we're not going to release you'. We were both on the same page and Todd [Viney] was the same. When nothing came of the exploration, it was just like … this is what I expected to happen. Let's just roll the sleeves up and get to work."

Nick Larkey replaced Simpkin as captain, while Harry Sheezel was named as a solo vice-captain, with Clarkson crediting the work his key forward had done at the football club to put himself in a position to become the skipper.

"He's probably been on this path for a long, long period of time," Clarkson said of Larkey.

"His parents and his mates would tell you that it's no surprise that he's now emerged as a leader of the footy club. He's been that way in the background for a fair period of time. It's just the way he's been brought up.

"His emotional intelligence is some of the better that I've ever witnessed in AFL footy. His reading of the room, his reading of the vibe, his absolute total suppression of ego. He'll talk to the boot studder, all the way to the president, and treat them exactly the same. He's just got a really good feel. Coupled with that, his academic intellect is pretty strong too.

"What's emerged in the last three of four years is obviously his on-field contribution. There's lot of guys that can perhaps bring emotional intelligence and are pretty smart academically as well, but can they kick the footy?

"Fortunately, for him, all of those things have been able to emerge significantly over the last three or four years, to the point where the footy club couldn't not respect the fact that this guy could have an enormous influence in terms of where we want to go over the next couple of years."

Subscribe to the Your Coach podcast to listen to Riley Beveridge's full interview with North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson in coming days.