North Melbourne are set to appoint a first-time coach after Nathan Buckley withdrew from the process to leave only four candidates remaining.
Buckley had emerged as one of the frontrunners for the job following the shock sacking of Alastair Clarkson two weeks after the season ended.
The former Collingwood champion and coach had met with football boss Todd Viney and was set to formally present for the role on Saturday.
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But he decided to withdraw from the process, according to multiple reports on Sunday.
The leaves highly rated Fremantle assistant Jaymie Graham as the leading contender, along with fellow long-time assistant and development coaches Daniel Giansiracusa, David Hale (both Hawthorn) and Xavier Clarke (North Melbourne).
Graham is now the leading contender. Credit: Getty Graham is universally seen as an AFL coach in waiting after completing an apprenticeship which has included stints in both development and different line groups across both the Eagles and Dockers.
He was in the running for the Carlton and Essendon jobs, but fell short both times.
Graham’s potential departure would lead to further change among Fremantle’s coaching staff under Justin Longmuir, with Peel Thunder coach Adam Read and development coach Todd Curley already having left the club.
Read has headed to Greater Western Sydney to serve as an assistant under Adam Kingsley, while Curley has been appointed to lead WAFL club West Perth.
Meanwhile, Buckley joins premiership coaches Adam Simpson and John Longmire as experienced coaches to not entering the process.
He is expected to remain at Geelong as an assistant, alongside fresh addition Corey Enright, who was also briefly linked to the North Melbourne job.
Buckley coached Collingwood for 10 seasons between 2012 and 2021, taking them to the 2018 grand final where they were beaten by West Coast in a five-point thriller.
The 54-year-old transitioned into a role within footy media after leaving the Magpies, but showed he still had an itch to scratch within coaching when he joined Geelong as an assistant ahead of this season.
Buckley was mooted as an early frontrunner for the Tasmania job, with his re-emergence at clubland seen as a stepping stone to lead the Devils, but was ultimately beaten for the job by former Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley.
It’s been a big season of change in the AFL coaching ranks with Chris Fagan joining Clarkson, Brad Scott and Michael Voss as departures.
The Lions are widely expected to replace the triple premiership coach internally with Cameron Bruce and Danny Daly the early frontrunners.