North Melbourne head coach David Noble has stepped down after a run of 14 successive AFL losses.
Noble's tenure will end effective immediately, after "mutually agreeing" with the club to leave the post.
Noble has been in the top job for less than two seasons — a period that delivered just five wins from 38 matches.
Assistant coach Leigh Adams will fill in as interim coach for the remainder of the 2022 campaign for the bottom-placed Kangaroos.
At a press conference at Arden Street, North Melbourne president Dr Sonja Hood said it was a "tough day" for Noble, his family and the club.
"It's fair to say our thoughts were geared towards seeing development from our playing list … [and] the preseason sentiment internally was overwhelmingly positive.
"We set a simple benchmark, improve from last year … [and] play a brand of football that challenged the competition's best teams.
"We have failed to live up to those expectations, which is why we have agreed to end David's tenure."
An emotional Noble said he and Hood had a "mature conversation" on Monday that resulted in his departure.
"I gave [the job] my absolute heart and soul," Noble said.
"I leave the club in a strong position for ongoing success in the not-too-distant future.
"This was the right call for myself, my family and the club going forward.
"I have always worked in the best interests of the players, the staff and the football club … but ultimately, the scoreboard doesn't make for great reading."
Noble said telling the players he was leaving "is one of the hardest things I've done".
"I believe in each and every one of you, I see the hard work you're putting in, it will turn," he told them.
Noble's voice broke when talking about his plans to spend more time with his family and friends, although he said he feels he has "unfinished business" in football.
President says Kangaroos have not approached Clarkson
Hood denied the club had approached four-time premiership coach Alastair Clarkson, as it is widely expected to.
She was then asked whether the club would be looking for an established coach like him.
"I'm not even going to speculate on that," Hood said.
Clarkson, who is taking a year away from coaching, played for the Kangaroos.
The former Hawthorn mentor has spoken to GWS about taking on their vacant head coaching job but is yet to signal his intentions for next season.
Noble's tenure had become increasingly insecure after former administrator Geoff Walsh was brought in to review the football department late last month.
Pressed on whether the club would make major changes after the review, Hood said there were many "good people" working at the club already and she was "not interested in wholesale change".
"We need time … we will keep improving our list, and we'll make sure we bring in the right people to help us do that," she said.
She also rejected the notion that the AFL was heavily involved in Noble's departure.
"I have had two conversations with Gil [McLachlan] in my life," she said, admitting that they had happened recently.
"The AFL is there to offer support if we need it."
Noble, meanwhile, said he had shared a "good relationship" with his players.
"I felt our players were engaged," he said.
"High-performance environments and cultures are hard to build. There needs to be rigour and debate. Players won't be happy all the time, and the game demands that they perform their trade at a certain level.
"I'm certainly not perfect but I've tried to build relationships with every single player as best I can."
ABC/AAP
