Why Tristan Xerri is North Melbourne’s Shane Mumford clone

When Shane Mumford retired, JON RALPH thought we’d never see a ruckman like him again. But something is happening at North Melbourne this year that suggests otherwise.

Is Tristan Xerri North Melbourne's version of Shane Mumford?

When Shane Mumford retired at the end of 2021, we believed the football world would never see his like again.

Football has a way of surprising and delighting.

North Melbourne’s Tristan Xerri is football’s most underrated player and its most physical beast.

Don’t look now, but the Roos have found a 25-year-old Shane Mumford clone who is learning by the week that physicality is not his only trick.

As North Melbourne narrowly failed for the second week to put a finals contender on ice, there was so much to like.

Max Gawn and Tristan Xerri battle in the ruck. Picture: Michael Klein

Jackson Archer’s shut-out of Bayley Fritsch, the Luke Davies-Uniacke-George Wardlaw-Harry Sheezel midfield trio, and Charlie Comben’s continual emergence.

The Roos will quickly become everyone’s favourite underdog if they keep punching above their weight in such highly entertaining fashion.

But among all those gains the emergence of a 25-year-old bash-and-crash ruckman who sets the tone from the first bounce cannot be underestimated.

Especially one taken with pick 72 in the 2017 national draft, a year after Nick Larkey was taken at pick 73 in the 2016 national draft.

As usual Max Gawn was herculean on Saturday night but Xerri might have taken the points.

He had 10 tackles (he averages a remarkable 7.6 per game), nine clearances (he averages 6.5 a game), 17 touches (he averages 16 a game).

Tristan Xerri of the Kangaroos marks in front of Trent Rivers of the Demons on Saturday night. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images.

Gawn raved about his physicality after their contest – he is old school like Xerri.

And like Mumford, he tackles to hurt.

He impacts the game not with the kind of cheap shots off the ball that are becoming part of Zak Butters’ game, but with genuine angry big man tackles.

Butters’ attack on the footy will never be questioned, but again the weekend he whacked an opponent with a hit to the back then wondered why Jarrod Berry was upset.

Xerri brilliant running 60m chase to run down West Coast’s Liam Ryan would be on repeat in North Melbourne team meetings.

“That just showed our never-give-in attitude today, which was really important for us,” Clarkson said of that chase after the Roos’ first win of the year.

Tristan Xerri, take a bow 🤯#AFLEaglesNorthpic.twitter.com/8NGfcgjgh2

— AFL (@AFL) June 8, 2024

His four-effort, two-tackle cameo within 15 seconds against Fremantle in March would also be on heavy rotation as he simply refused to give up until the Roos had cleared the ball.

For so long North Melbourne has been so easy to play against.

They are finally playing proper footy, bashing up the Demons in close with more clearances and centre clearances and 71 more total possessions.

If we have wondered if Clarkson has lost the magic at times, the positional moves have helped as well.

Charlie Comben into defence, Sheezel into the midfield (and not before time), Will Phillips into a tagging role.

With Griffin Logue set to return from a knee reconstruction after VFL action on Sunday and Zane Duursma and Colby McKercher playing VFL alongside him, the Roos have even more room for improvement.

Footy’s easybeat is turning into a club that will shape the finals given how dangerous it has become to play against.

And their perseverance with Xerri, now contracted to 2029 after early-career interest from St Kilda, is paying off in spades.

Originally published as Why Tristan Xerri is North Melbourne’s Shane Mumford clone