AFTER 16 years, 306 games and two premierships with North Melbourne, Adam Simpson could be excused for taking a little while to adjust to his new role as assistant coach at Hawthorn.

Simpson says the club has welcomed him with open arms but admits that embracing life as an official is something he hasn't been able to do well yet.

"The first day I started I didn't know the coaches wore the brown gear so I went out there wearing the players' gear and ended up doing a bit of training with them," Simpson told hawthornfc.com.au.

"Every now and then I had to pull myself up because I was too involved in the drill."

Simpson will look after the midfield with Rick Macgowan, who joined the Hawks at the end of last year after two seasons in charge of SANFL club Sturt.

The pair has started working on stoppage structure and ball movement, with Simpson seeking to fill the void left by Damien Hardwick, who is now senior coach at Richmond.

"Hawthorn has always been a hard-working midfield that doesn't mind sticking their head over the ball," Simpson said.

"North Melbourne and Hawthorn have always had a good rivalry and I've definitely enjoyed playing Hawthorn. It always makes for a good game.

"It's funny to coach some of the players you've played on."

Though Simpson feels like the new kid at school, there is plenty of North Melbourne flavour at Hawthorn.

Coach Alastair Clarkson and assistant Ross Smith were teammates of Simpson while Josh Gibson was traded to the Hawks just weeks after the 33-year-old's appointment.

He and Gibson are good friends, but Simpson had no influence on Gibson's decision to leave the Kangaroos.

"I stayed out of it," he said. "The only bit of advice I gave him was to be honest in what you do and you'd be OK. I didn't really get involved in that.

"It was a bit of a touchy subject so I just let that play out but I'm very glad he's come to Hawthorn, put it that way."

Retiring after round 18, Simpson spent four weeks working with North Melbourne's coaching staff and football department, which included opportunities to sit in the coach's box on match day.

He absorbed the operation of caretaker coach Darren Crocker and his team, learning a lot about what happens behind the scenes.

"As a player you think you know what's going on but you probably don't," Simpson said.

"It’s a bit like the duck on the pond. Above water it looks like you're cruising along but underneath the legs are firing away. I just wanted to get a taste of what it's like to watch a game from the box."

After spending most of his career under Dean Laidley and Denis Pagan, Simpson was coached by Crocker for his last six games.

He will bring his own ideas to the Hawks but acknowledges that the influence of those he played for will shine through.

"It's hard to tell. The way I want to teach will come from my coaches," Simpson said.

"The style of how I want the game to be played is not really up to me. I'm here to learn a fair bit.

"In terms of the way I want footy played it is probably not my area."