Fremantle will soon learn if they will be without one of their top coaches for next season, with highly rated assistant Jaymie Graham reportedly set to meet with North Melbourne over the next week.

Graham is viewed as the frontrunner to replace Alastair Clarkson following his dramatic axing from the Roos earlier this year, having put together an impressive CV at both the Dockers and West Coast with SEN reporting he will travel to meet with the club over the next week.

It’s the second time Graham has been approached by North Melbourne, having previously been contacted following Rhyce Shaw’s resignation in 2019 when he was still at West Coast before ultimately staying with the Eagles.

The 43-year-old narrowly missed out on the top job at both Essendon and Carlton earlier this year, reportedly finishing as runner-up to both Mark McVeigh and Josh Fraser, but it could be third time’s the charm with Dockers footy boss Joe Brierty giving him a ringing endorsement.

“He’s a quality person, quality coach. He’s ready to be a senior coach,” Brierty said earlier this week.

“So if he gets the opportunity to take on a senior coaching role at North, we will be right behind him and support him all the way.”

The Roos had always planned to narrow its list of coaching candidates down to five before allowing them to present further, with Graham up against former Collingwood and current Geelong assistant Nathan Buckley, current North Melbourne assistant Xavier Clarke and Hawthorn assistants Daniel Giansiracusa and David Hale.

Hale was also an assistant at Fremantle and even coached the Dockers for one game following Ross Lyon’s sacking in 2019.