North Melbourne mid-season report card: Are the Roos good enough to play finals in 2018?
NO one had the Kangaroos in the top eight at the half-way point of the season. But with the likes of GWS and Hawthorn hunting, can North hold on and complete the 2018 fairytale? Go inside what’s gone right and wrong in the club’s mid-season report card.
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PUT your hand up if you had North Melbourne in the top eight at the half-way point of the season.
Nobody? That’s what we thought.
The Kangaroos are undoubtedly the surprise packets of 2018, sitting at 7-5 and in the box seat to play finals. For a club tipped to take out the wooden spoon, this has been a stunning rise.
But with the likes of GWS and Hawthorn eyeing them off, can they hold their spot in the eight?
DESTINATION CLUB: HOW THINGS HAVE TURNED FOR ROOS
INJURY LIST: KANGA PAIN AS WAITE SUFFERS BLOW
BEN BROWN: WHO IS YOUR CLUB’S BEST MATURE RECRUIT?
HARRISON REID looks at everything that has gone right for the Roos and what they can expect in the run home.
GRADE: A
LADDER POSITION: 8th
PREDICTED FINISH: 9th
RALPHY SAYS
It was once said the Roos couldn’t afford to bottom out. Brad Scott’s side has chosen not to, mixing star turns from the older brigade, a new-look midfield, elite talls and Ben Brown’s reliability as an old-fashioned spearhead.
Insiders would admit it masks a soft underbelly — lack of depth, the need to add many more elite kids — yet the ride has been wild so far. At 7-5, the challengers for their position will come hard.
But if they can stay relatively injury-free, a finals performance for a team tipped to be bottom four might be dual preliminary finalist Brad Scott’s greatest coaching achievement.”
GOOD STAT
Rank fourth for points conceded, third for contested footy and have applied the second most pressure of any side.
BAD STAT
Rank 17th for centre clearance differential and 15th for points differential from centre bounces.
TRADE WINDS
After so many swings and misses in recent off-seasons, they have the most salary cap space in the competition. Very interested in Jordan De Goey but could make a play for Andrew Gaff if the former re-signs with Collingwood. Is Rory Sloane too old for them? Against all odds they have proven they’re worthy of being a destination club with finals possibly on the horizon.
The futures of veterans Scott Thompson and Jarrad Waite will also be considered in the coming weeks.
DEBUTANTS
Luke Davies-Uniacke broke into the senior team to start the season after being drafted with pick four in last year’s draft but has since been on the fringe. Paul Ahern’s form after finally overcoming multiple knee reconstructions has North recruiters feeling pretty good about themselves after they stole him from the Giants for just pick 69, while Tom Murphy has also found his way into the seniors twice.
BEST AND FAIREST
Smooth moving Shaun Higgins might be on his way to a debut All-Australian selection as well as back-to-back Syd Barker Medals if he sustains his electric form. Ben Jacobs’ growing list of scalps has confirmed his status as the game’s best tagger and is valued highly inside their four walls so he will be snapping at the heels of Higgins. Coleman Medal leader Ben Brown’s 35 goals automatically inject his name into calculations, and Ben Cunnington seldom plays a poor game.
THE RUN HOME
Western Bulldogs A
Essendon A
Gold Coast H
Sydney H
Collingwood A
West Coast H
Brisbane A
Western Bulldogs H
Adelaide A
St Kilda A
Draw difficulty for remainder of the year — 16th (3rd easiest)
GAME STYLE
Low disposal team who wins the ball in the contest and makes it a high pressure/chaos match
BROWNLOW LEADER PREDICTION
Shaun Higgins — 8 votes
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Originally published as North Melbourne mid-season report card: Are the Roos good enough to play finals in 2018?