NORTH MELBOURNE will almost certainly extend Dean Laidley's coaching contract until the end of 2010, with the 41-year-old's current stature at the club at close to a career-high and his relationship with the Kangaroos board a far cry from the turbulent state that existed one year ago.

North chief executive Eugene Arocca confirmed yesterday that he expected to recommend a contract extension to the board that would stretch Laidley's coaching tenure at the Kangaroos to eight years.

"We are happy with Dean and he is happy with us, I believe," Arocca told The Age. "The position I will be taking as CEO is that I would look at recommending an extension and if we are all agreed, we would look at that at the end of this season."

Laidley's current deal, signed after a lengthy stand-off between the coach and former chairman Graham Duff, expires at the end of 2009 and specifies the two parties must commence negotiations before the middle of next year. But Arocca would prefer to review all crucial positions at the club by the end of 2008.

He would not say whether Laidley would be offered a new two-year deal or whether his current contract would simply be extended.

Laidley's agreement originally included a number of stipulations regarding football department and player salary-cap spending, which became irrelevant once James Brayshaw assumed the chairman's position at Arden Street. It was reported at the time that despite his conflict with Duff's board and the coach that Laidley also received a substantial pay increase in 2007.

The news of a new commitment by the club to its coach comes after Laidley's revelation on Sunday that his team's form turnaround over the past month could be attributed in part to a full and frank review of the players, team leaders and their off-field behaviour during the mid-season break.

The Sandhurst golf day debacle with sponsors aside, it is believed a number of players had shown an increasingly casual attitude, including turning up late for training on occasion and flouting off-field team guidelines and — according to football boss Donald McDonald — not a series of small matters, such as turning up to club training in incorrect uniforms.

Laidley and his coaching staff warned the players that a slackening off in attitude was threatening to wreck North Melbourne's season.

Not only was Shannon Grant suspended by the leadership group, but Corey Jones and Nathan Thompson were dropped for poor form, with other regular senior players such as Daniel Harris coming close to missing selection.

Since then, Grant has sworn off alcohol until the finish of this, probably his final, season and a number of rules have either been reinforced or put in place.

In the long term, the club has vowed to bolster its welfare resources and introduce a formal induction program for new players next season.

Last week, Arocca and McDonald addressed the players to ram home the ramifications of alcohol-related indiscretion following the Collingwood crisis involving Heath Shaw, Alan Didak and Rhyce Shaw.

The Kangaroos finished third last season — Laidley's second finals appearance as coach — and reinvigorated their push for a top-four finish with an emphatic win over the Western Bulldogs two days ago.

This is despite the North Melbourne playing list being the second-lowest in terms of total payment in the AFL and few experts rating the club close to the top four in terms of raw talent.