‘That’s 12 months ago’: North Melbourne has moved on from Good Friday thrashing

The Bulldogs monstered North Melbourne on Good Friday last year but the side won’t be haunted by memories of the thrashing ahead of the rematch.

North Melbourne senior coach David Noble has shut down suggestion the Kangaroos will be haunted by last season’s Good Friday shellacking as they head into this year’s fixture.

In last year’s Good Friday SuperClash, eventual runners-up the Western Bulldogs put Noble’s Kangaroos to the sword, triumphing by 128 points in what turned out to be the biggest winning margin of the entire season.

But Noble’s Kangaroos bounced back towards the end of 2021 and look to be on the improve again this season, most recently leading top four hopefuls Sydney midway through the fourth quarter last week.

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Noble said North Melbourne wouldn’t be haunted by last year’s thrashing when it met the Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium on Friday.

“That’s 12 months ago, to be fair,” he said of last year’s Good Friday SuperClash.

“We’ve moved on, I think our back half of the season was significantly better.

“We think we’re in much better shape than what we were this time last year. I think the players have a better understanding of our game plan from that side of things.”

Things are looking up at Arden Street. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

The Bulldogs have endured a turbulent start to the 2022 season, recording just one win from four starts, but Noble said his troops wouldn’t underestimate the fight in the Dogs.

“We need to bring effort and energy, no doubt, as a starting point,” he said.

“We know the Doggies like to play with high energy, they like to play fast, and we’ve got to be prepared for that.”

Noble said the Kangaroos were looking forward to being part of such a big-ticket fixture as the Good Friday SuperClash, which will coincide with Jy Simpkin’s 100th game.

“You’ve got to respect the occasion,” he said.

“That’s the essence that I think our players understand, that in these marquee games, there’s a bigger meaning to them than just being out there and playing footy.”

Noble is in his second year coaching the Kangaroos. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)

Forward Cam Zurhaar will miss the clash with the Bulldogs through concussion protocols but Noble said the Kangaroos had a handful of replacement options at their disposal.

“There's a couple that will come back into the calculation for us, whether it’s Eddie Ford Tommy Powell, Paul Curtis. They’ve been around the mark,” he said.

Former first round pick Will Phillips is expected to play in the VFL on the weekend, having recovered from a bout of glandular fever.

Noble said he had “bounced back pretty quick” in the past fortnight.

Jed Anderson is also expected to line up in the VFL for his first game of footy since becoming fully vaccinated against Covid-19 in February and returning to North Melbourne training.

Originally published as ‘That’s 12 months ago’: North Melbourne has moved on from Good Friday thrashing