Just try wiping the smile of Rhyce Shaw’s face; North Melbourne’s 36th senior coach delighted with the opportunity to lead the club into the future.

“To get the opportunity I have now, and over the last seven or eight weeks has been amazing,” Shaw said during a media conference on Thursday.

“Now to be the senior coach of the North Melbourne Football Club, I’m honoured and really privileged to be in this position.”

The former Magpie and Swan took the role as the club’s interim coach between Rounds 11 and 19 following the departure of Brad Scott. He quickly formed strong relationships with the Roos’ players and won four of his first five games in charge.  

“The guys put in some amazing efforts and even though the last couple of weeks we’ve lost games, you can see the ‘never beaten’ spirit we all believe in here. I’m rapt to be part of that,” Shaw said.

“It’s something I’m really proud of … the way the players are going about it, and if I’ve played a part in that it’s fantastic.”

Shaw admitted his chance in the head coaching role came a little quicker than expected, but it’s an opportunity he simply can’t wait for.

“I’ve been in the industry for 20 years now and I think I know it pretty well,” he said.

“I’m still learning each and every day, and that’s the great thing about being a senior coach, is that you are always learning and you’ve got 45 or 46 players to look after, along with a lot of staff that you’ve got to make sure are your number one priority.

“I think I started to realise that I actually enjoy this job pretty early, and I really enjoy the ability to change people’s and players’ perspective on both football and life and guide them in the direction that I’d like them to go.

“I’m confident in my own ability to provide the best opportunities for this football club to be successful. I really want to achieve that.”