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Roos stand firm: Why North was never worried about Simpkin
Andrew Slevison • October 15th, 2025 9:04 pm
The North Melbourne Football Club has stood firm regarding captain Jy Simpkin.
The 27-year-old will not be leaving for Collingwood after the Kangaroos continually batted away approaches.
The Roos were steadfast in their decision to keep Simpkin at the club with list boss Brady Rawlings making clear the club's firm stance.
“Jy will be staying at North Melbourne. We thought that was going to be the case the whole way,” Rawlings told AFL Trade Radio.
“We put a massive price on Jy as a person and a player. We never thought it was going to be realistic this week, and it turned out that way.”
There were reports of frequent negotiations between the Roos and Pies, but Rawlings suggests it was mainly one-way traffic.
“I wouldn’t say back and forth,” Rawlings added.
“It got to a point where there was an offer there but it was never going to be anything that we would look at for a player that has done so much for our club
“He’s 27 and he’s the captain of our footy club.”
North's asking price stood at two first-round picks - well over his projected value - but given his importance to the club they were determined to keep him in royal blue and white.
It's believed the Pies offered a 2027 first-round pick for Simpkin and pick 46, which was flatly rejected.
Simpkin will stay put at the Roos despite exploring his options which was confirmed by his teammate Harry Sheezel on SEN a few weeks ago.
The Roos skipper is a two-time Syd Barker Medallist who has played 173 games over nine seasons. He finished fifth in this year's best and fairest.
