North Melbourne hell-bent on making sure elimination final against Adelaide is not a farewell

NORTH Melbourne is hell-bent on making sure Saturday night’s elimination final against Adelaide is not a last hurrah for its four departing greats.

This could be Brent Harvey’s final match for North Melbourne. Picture: Getty Images

NORTH Melbourne is hell-bent on making sure Saturday night’s elimination final against Adelaide is not a last hurrah for its four departing greats Brent Harvey, Drew Petrie, Michael Firrito and Nick Dal Santo, according to tough midfielder Ben Cunnington.

Cunnington said each of the four Kangaroos, who have all been told this will be their last year at the club, had played a significant role in his development.

“At first the news hit us, now we are using it as (extra) motivation for the finals,” Cunnington said. “Those four boys are like your brothers, so you just want to do all that you can to give them as much footy as they can get.

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“They have been huge for us, each and every one of them. Each of them has been an icon of the game in their own right.

“We know that is part of the game, it is ruthless and we have got to back ‘Scotty’ (Brad Scott) with the call. But we will definitely be working hard for those boys.”

The 25-year-old said he can’t wait for the finals to start after the bye following Round 23, saying the chance to take on Adelaide’s midfield brigade provided a massive challenge.

This could be the final game for Drew Petrie. Picture: Getty Images

“Adelaide has been one of the best teams this year, so we are looking forward to it,” he said. “We are just grateful to be back in the finals. Ideally, we would have loved to have finished in the top four. But we have shown in the last couple of years that if we are in this position, then we can still win finals.”

“We feel we have got a good midfield group, with ‘Goldy’ (Todd Goldstein) leading the way. But they’ve got (Sam) Jacobs, (Rory) Sloane and (Scott) Thompson.

“It is going to be a huge battle. It is exactly what you want in finals footy, a contested match.”

Cunnington expects to spend some time on Thompson, having long admitted his attack on the football.

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He is confident the Kangaroos can cause a big upset, saying the club is getting back on track after a disappointing second half of the home-and-away season.

“We know what we have been doing wrong, but we still feel as if we are doing a lot right,” he said.

“Just look at the Sydney game, we were OK in that, and we feel as if we are not that far off. Footy is such a fine line these days, you need a four quarter effort to challenge, and hopefully that’s what we will bring.”

Originally published as North Melbourne hell-bent on making sure elimination final against Adelaide is not a farewell