North Adelaide rise from bottom of the ladder to challenge for SANFL flag

NORTH Adelaide’s emergence as a serious premiership threat has not surprised the Roosters, but they were forced to rise from opening-round trauma to climb into the preliminary final.

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NORTH Adelaide’s stunning rise from the cellar last year to being just one win from a grand final has surprised only those outside the club.

Roosters chief executive Greg Edwards claimed they were one of the best clubs to win only four games last season and they were “not a bottom team”.

The Roosters will challenge Woodville-West Torrens in the preliminary final at Adelaide Oval on Sunday with the rich prize being a grand final clash against Norwood.

The emergence of the Roosters as a title contender has also been an incredible response to the emotion and trauma which engulfed the club when long-time volunteer trainer Vaughan Taylor collapsed and died in the doorway of the visitors’ changerooms at Elizabeth Oval after the opening-round loss to Central District.

North Adelaide players wear black armbands in April after the death of trainer Vaughan Taylor. Picture: Tait Schmaal

So popular was the Bute farmer in his 15 years at the club, there were players who refused to let anyone else strap them before a game.

Edwards admits the first training session following the drama was extremely difficult and said it would have been hard for coach Josh Carr to get the players to focus on preparing for the contest against West Adelaide the following weekend.

“A lot of the players are young kids who would not have seen that type of tragedy unfold before them,” Edwards said.

“There was a lot of emotion with those players who were close because he got them up and about, he strapped them, talked to them.

North Adelaide’s Lewis Hender celebrates a goal with Callum Wilkie during the first semi-final against Sturt. Picture: Sarah Reed

“Vaughan was a bloody good bloke and there was also a steely resolve through the group.”

Carr described the situation as similar to when he was at Port Adelaide and John McCarthy died on an end-of-season trip to Las Vegas.

“There is that closeness when something like that happens in a club,” Carr said.

Edwards has compared the huge leap by the Roosters this season to the Bloods in 2015 when they tasted premiership glory after coming from second bottom the previous year.

“We fell over towards the end of the games we lost last year,” Edwards said. “If the games had finished at three-quarter time we would have finished fifth.

Glenelg's Matt Snook tackles North's Jarred Allmond. Picture: Tom Huntley

“We just needed to get more games into Maris Olekalns, Callum Wilkie, those up and coming players who were ready to burst.

“We identified a few weaknesses and honed in on those with recruiting. Aidan Tropiano’s hardness in the middle, Jarred Allmond’s ability to get hands on the ball and kick over the lines and Robbie Young’s speed, they have been important. Brock Castree was the best player in the amateurs.

“While we have made huge strides this season, we were not a bad bottom team.”