North Melbourne’s youngsters star in win over Richmond in perfect start for interim coach Rhyce Shaw

North Melbourne’s players, coaches and staff have had a tough and emotional week but it didn’t prove costly as the club’s youngsters showed just how good they can be by upsetting Richmond and beating them at their own game.

Rhyce Shaw joins in with the players for the North Melbourne song in the rooms after the game. Picture: Michael Klein

The anonymous faces on North Melbourne’s board won’t figure in too many best-on-ground discussions at Monday morning’s water cooler discussion.

Yet their determination eight days ago to pull the trigger on a season going nowhere is quickly becoming one of this year’s masterstrokes.

Out: Brad Scott, free to spruik his credentials in search of another coaching job.

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In: The snarling, in-your-face attitude typical of Scott in his playing days but so sadly lacking in his final year in charge.

Rhyce Shaw’s new Roos didn’t just rip open the cracks papering over Richmond’s back six issues missing five-time All Australian Alex Rance.

They shone new light on just how much talent there is on this list as Jy Simpkin, Mason Wood, Luke Davies-Uniacke and Tarryn Thomas had a ball rubbing Richmond’s nose in the dirt.

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Clearly they missed Scott’s memo.

That presentation to the list management group identifying the lack of talent and need for a dramatic overhaul to put a premiership anywhere without shouting distance.

On Friday night, North Melbourne’s Generation Next joined interim coach Shaw in making their case to be a big part of this club’s future.

And maybe the present given the Roos will finish the round only two games out of the eight.

Cam Zuurhar’s drag-down tackle on Sydney Stack in the game’s opening moments (one of 10 for the game) was a bold signal the Roos wouldn’t be pushed around.

But the astounding tackling statistics — 39 in the first half alone after an average of 53 so far this year — were only part of the story.

Simpkin got his hands dirty with 14 of his 20 possessions contested while Davies-Uniacke pirouetted out of packs like a ballet dancer and should set his sights on never being dropped again.

Rhyce Shaw joins in with the players for the North Melbourne song in the rooms after the game. Picture: Michael Klein

Wood backed up last week’s three-goal haul with a bag of four, surely setting a baseline in effort that he cannot go back on.

Thomas took two huge contested marks, the second deep in the pocket coming with a set-shot goal that put the margin past 50 points.

Richmond was battered so badly around the contest that few defences would be able to hold up, Rance or not.

But the sign of Jasper Pittard marking a Tom Lynch 50m set shot on the line unattended summed up the feeling of the Tigers as a harried and disorganised mob.

In the radio boxes they were labelled a “shambles”.

By late next Friday night after they take on premiership contender Geelong we will find out if this was an aberration of whether they have knocked over a series of mediocre rivals.

Mason Wood booted four goals in the win. Picture: Michael Klein

IRATE ROOS

Lynch was well blanketed by Robbie Tarrant and enraged the Kangaroos players when he went down a little too easily in a push-and-shove with Luke McDonald.

The Roos players made a beeline to him to remind him to be more robust in the contest.

Tarrant smashed Aaron Naughton last week and was exceptional again on Lynch, who contributed only one goal from five touches.

AFL ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL

Why was Marvel Stadium open to the elements at all on Friday given the ball slipped around early like a bar of soap?

Thankfully the players came to grips with the conditions but it was downright bizarre that we wouldn’t have pristine conditions under the roof after a filthy Melbourne day.

The roof was closed by the first bounce, but early on the Sherrin was skidding off the turf like a frigid day at Windy Hill.

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This time it wasn’t the fault of the attention-seeking Razor Ray Chamberlain.

Dylan Grimes’ soccered kick from mid-air went at right angles and hit Chamberlain flush in the lower body.

He command-rolled, bounced up and promptly pronounced himself leg before wicket with a finger in the air.

JON RALPH’S BEST

North Melbourne: Cunnington, Brown, Zuurhar, Ziebell, Higgins, Tarrant, .

Richmond: Houli, Martin, Prestia, Cotchin, Stack

VOTES

3. Ben Cunnington

2. Ben Brown

1. Cam Zurhaar