David King says addition of outside runners makes North Melbourne a fast, dangerous side
A revitalised North Melbourne has the need for speed as it looks to return to finals action. DAVID KING writes coach Brad Scott now has the icing to top his cake.
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The Kangaroos have been a no-frills, contested ball team for years — they are prepared to play the game at its most brutal.
Last season the Roos won 15 of their 22 head-to-head contested ball battles, a major reason behind their 12-win season. They were 0-6 when they lost the contested ball battles, which raises the question of whether they can win in other ways.
North Melbourne has always had the cake, but now it has recruited the icing. Coach Brad Scott can transition the game from inside the congestion to the outside space, where the damage is done.
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The Shaun Higgins effect on North has been profound. He has won successive best-and-fairest awards, but he’s also one of their few players who possesses game-breaking kicking skills.
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It is the first-handball-receiver-type of player who will make a big difference to how the Kangaroos play in 2019. Enter Aaron Hall, Jared Polec, Jasper Pittard and Tarryn Thomas. All line-breaking, elite kicking talents who will take this team into the finals.
Ben Cunnington remains unrecognised by the pundits, but only Sydney’s Josh Kennedy and Geelong’s Patrick Dangerfield have won more clearances or contested possessions than him in the past five seasons. Cunnington’s consistency and contested ball production, combined with Jed Anderson’s first full season since his arrival, has given Scott the luxury of playing Jack Ziebell deep forward.
Ben Jacobs plays a crucial role in this midfield, but he has missed more games than he has played in the past two seasons. Expect Jy Simpkin to play more midfield minutes as North transforms from a dour, slow midfield to a unit with an abundance of speed.
Ziebell’s role change was an outrageous success. In 2017, he played 25 per cent of game time as a forward and contributed 13 goals. Last year he played more than 80 per cent as a deep forward for a career-high 35 goals.
Full-forward Ben Brown’s 61-goal season was only a hip complaint away from his first Coleman Medal.
Until Brown reaches full fitness after hip surgery, expect to see youngster Nick Larkey given the chance as a deep forward early in the pre-season and possibly the start of the home and away year, after winning the 2018 VFL goalkicking award.
Kangaroos fans, wait until you see Thomas strut his stuff. He is Daniel Wells Mark II. He can play deep forward, a goalkicker bursting from the centre bounce, and has sublime kicking skills and vision that will have key forwards salivating.
The team defence improved by an outstanding 20 points last season, largely on the work of key trio Majak Daw, Scott Thompson and Robbie Tarrant. What does Daw’s absence present?
It’s time for Sam Durdin and Ben McKay to stake their claim.
Daw’s health is the main concern, but the momentum will build with each small step he takes back, in much the same way it did with Jason McCartney in 2003.
This is a new-look North Melbourne — a faster model, which will play an exciting brand of football that will include a finals campaign.
* Footy19 is available from March 2 while stocks last at participating newsagents and IGA and Woolworths stores in Victoria/Riverina. Cost is $4.95 plus purchase price of that day’s Herald Sun.
LAUREN WOOD’S SNAP CHAT WITH TRENT DUMONT
LW: What’s the one AFL rule you would change?
TD: The 10m protected area. But I’m happy to leave the game alone for a while.
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
Creepin’ Up Slowly, Taxiride.
What’s your go-to meal when the club dietitians aren’t looking?
They read the Herald Sun …
Who is the coach’s pet at your club?
Shaun Higgins.
Who is your pick for this year’s Grand Final entertainment?
Foo Fighters.
Most hated/loved pre-season drill?
Love the captain’s run for Round 1, hate anything without a football.
CHRIS CAVANAGH’S YOUNG GUN — LUKE DAVIES-UNIACKE
The Kangaroos’ top draft pick in 2017 at No.4, “LDU” showed enough to suggest he can be a key cog in the midfield for years to come after a seven-game debut season in 2018.
Davies-Uniacke developed across the season and finished with three dominant VFL performances, providing a solid springboard for 2019.
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1 Tarryn Thomas — $175,800 MID
One of the most talented prospects in the draft, the Tasmanian has all the tools to make an impact. He wins the ball in the middle but is also strong overhead and kicks goals when pushing forward.
2 Aaron Hall — $389,200 MID
A new lease on life at Arden Street could bring the best out of ex-Gold Coast speedster Hall, who is likely to start forward and rotate with Shaun Higgins through the midfield.
3 Jy Simpkin — $358,300 FWD
Only a slip of a thing, but don’t be fooled by Simpkin’s size. The hard-nosed crafty goalsneak could be the tonic the Kangaroos need with hit-and-run midfield missions.
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