North Adelaide part ways with Jacob Surjan

By ZAC MILBANK

North Adelaide has parted ways with senor coach Jacob Surjan, installing assistant Sam Mayes as an interim mentor for the remainder of the 2025 Hostplus SANFL League season.

The Roosters currently sit in sixth place with a 2-4 win-loss record, losing their past two matches to West Adelaide and Sturt at Prospect.

“We understand this news may come as a surprise, particularly early in the season,” North Adelaide president Kris Mooney said.

“However, after careful consideration, we felt it was necessary to act decisively to give our team the best chance to achieve its full potential this year.”

Guiding North’s Reserves to the premiership in 2018, Surjan assumed the top job at Menzies Crescent in 2020, steering the Roosters into a title-decider in his first season before succumbing to Woodville-West Torrens.

The former Port Adelaide defender enjoyed another strong campaign in 2022, selected as coach of The Advertiser SANFL Team of the Year before North was pipped by one point in a thrilling Grand Final finish against Norwood.

Since then, North has been unable to feature in the major round, finishing with an 8-10 win-loss record in 2023 and 2024.

In more than five seasons in charge at Prospect, Surjan finishes with an overall 53-44 win-loss record.

“We know this is an incredibly tough time for Jacob and his family, as well as our broader club community,” Mooney said.

”We sincerely thank Jacob for his dedication and leadership, and we also express our appreciation to his wife Alison and children for their involvement and support.”

Mayes, who retired from playing at North at the end of the 2024 season, is the club’s Head of Development and is also in charge of the West End State team’s defence as an assistant coach.

“We have full confidence in Sam’s ability to guide the playing group through this transition,” Mooney said.

“The board will, in due course, commence the search for a permanent senior coach for the 2026 season and beyond and will provide further updates.”