Leigh Matthews says North Melbourne is likely to be the first club to take a big gamble in the era of the soft-cap.

He says he’d be surprised if the Roos weren’t spending 20 per cent of their soft cap on new coach Alastair Clarkson and Todd Viney alone, should he join the club as Clarkson’s right-hand man as expected.

“Desperate clubs do desperate things … I reckon North did what they probably had to do,” Matthews said on 3AW.

Press PLAY below to hear Leigh Matthews explain