Croke has been absent for the past two rounds, having missed the Perth SuperSprint due to an overseas holiday, before returning to news that his services were no longer required at the squad before Darwin.
That spelt the end of a lengthy stint at DJR for Croke, who rose as high as team principal for the 2021, 2022 and 2023 seasons before being shifted back to the team manager role this year with the return of Dr Ryan Story.
Croke’s departure followed a difficult run of form for the powerhouse squad, particularly since the introduction of the Gen3 rules at the beginning of last season.
While keen to stress that the Croke decision wasn’t based on direct blame for the patchy form, Noble admitted to Speedcafe that it did come as part of a push to return DJR to the front of the field.
“Over the last 12 months, internally, we’ve been assessing which is probably no secret,” said Noble.
“We’re continuing to assess the direction where we need to go, and unfortunately at times there are difficult decisions that you have to make.
“We haven’t been overly happy with performance as an organisation, and that’s not necessarily the fault of anyone who has left.
“But we’re in elite sport, we’re competitive, we want to return to the top, and it means you’ve got to assess and make difficult, tough decisions in order to move the organisation forward.”
Noble added that there was “possibly” an element of the team becoming too top heavy with Story’s return, however outlined that his own growing experience was a more significant factor in the decision.
“I think me having 12, 14 months under my belt, there’s that element of me having a better understanding of everything,” he said.
“And I’m still learning on a daily basis, I don’t think I’ll ever stop learning about the sport, but from a structural and directional perspective, that’s my strength, that’s one the strengths I think I bring.”
Croke’s duties are now being shared between Josh Silcock and Mikey Flynn, an arrangement that will continue in the short-term. However Noble is also not ruling out further structural changes, citing an internal change that has already been made as an example of what could be to come.
“I think initially we feel we can cover Ben’s departure with those two guys,” he said. “And then, again, we’ll assess.
“It might be that the structure looks completely different going forward. It doesn’t mean [Croke] could be replaced by someone similar, it might be that the way we do it is what changes.
“Ed Williams, at the moment, we’ve got him as data performance manager, so it’s a broader view, taking on the engine shop as well. So that role has expanded without too much fanfare internally.”
The Shell V-Power-backed squad sits third in the teams’ standings heading to Townsville next month.
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