Eight reasons why North Melbourne has nothing to lose in 2018
NORTH Melbourne has been labelled a club with a bleak future with the “least talented” list in the competition. Are they headed in the right direction? CHRIS CAVANAGH looks at the Roos’ 2018 prospects.
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NORTH Melbourne has been labelled a club with a bleak future and has the “least talented” list in the competition according to former Richmond and Western Bulldogs coach Terry Wallace.
However, if the Kangaroos can keep a healthy list in 2018 they should show signs the rebuild is headed in the right direction.
Here are eight reasons North Melbourne can improve in 2018.
SAVAGE: NORTH’S EPIC TWITTER LADDER SERVE
CRYSTAL BALL: THE AFL STORYLINES TO FOLLOW IN 2018
THERE WERE SIGNS
North Melbourne might have only won six games to finish 15th on the ladder last year but in many ways the side was a lot better than its position indicated. The Kangaroos suffered three losses by less than a kick in the opening five rounds and finished with seven losses by less than 20 points for the season. They also handed eventual runner-up Adelaide a 59-point hammering in Round 7 and beat a Melbourne side that narrowly missed finals on two occasions. That all suggests the Roos are not far off if they can find a little improvement and consistency next year.
WOOD FIRE
The Kangaroos have always had high hopes for Mason Wood but hamstring, knee and calf injuries have crippled his past two years. Now 24, Wood still has just 26 games to his name including 10 this year. The athletic 192cm forward has shown glimpses of what he is capable of — kicking 12 goals from eight games in 2016 and booting 3.3 from 16 disposals against Melbourne in Round 9 this year — but frustratingly has not been able to string games together. North Melbourne will be hoping he can stay fit and make some further strides forward in his game next year.
STAYING FIT
North Melbourne was hit hard by injury last year. Kayne Turner and Marley Williams were first and second at the halfway mark of the club’s best-and-fairest count but went on to finish 11th and 13th respectively after missing blocks of games. Sam Wright did not play a game with ankle issues, Turner finished on 15 games, Williams played 13 games and Jamie Macmillan (13 games), Ed Vickers-Willis (seven games), Majak Daw (seven games), Mitch Hibberd (four games) and Jarrad Waite (10 games) also missed significant weeks through injury. The Kangaroos have created a new position within their football department for a high performance manager next year in a bid to address the injury issues.
FORGOTTEN MEN
After being sidelined for the better part of two years, Ben Jacobs has become a largely forgotten Kangaroo. The midfielder finished seventh in North Melbourne’s best-and-fairest as a 23-year-old in 2015 and was solid across the opening eight rounds of 2016 before being struck down by a serious foot injury which has seen him unsighted ever since. However, the signs are finally starting to look good again for Jacobs. Similarly, former No.7 draft pick Paul Ahern has missed the past two years having ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament twice, but is said to be training the house down. The Kangaroos will be looking forward to, hopefully, getting both players back up and running next year.
WAITE FACTOR
Over the past two years the Kangaroos have a 15-9 record when Jarrad Waite has played while they are 3-17 without him. The former Carlton big man will be 35 by the start of next season but he still booted 22 goals from 10 games this year between missing weeks with shoulder and calf complaints. While a full season cannot be expected next year given his age, the Kangaroos would be hopeful of seeing Waite join Ben Brown in the forward line for a few more than 10 games next year.
GOLD RUSH
The All-Australian ruckman in 2015, Todd Goldstein was down on form for much of the 2017 season. Dropped to the VFL in Round 18, Goldstein admitted post-season he had some issues “above the shoulders” over the past 12 months but was confident he was “not far off” returning to his best. The 29-year-old had only 576 hitouts and 54 marks last year, both figures almost half of his 2015 totals of 1058 and 100 respectively. Goldstein also did not poll a Brownlow Medal vote in 2017 after receiving 18 during his stellar 2015 campaign. A return to form this year would provide the Roos with a significant boost.
SCOTT STABILITY
Kangaroos coach Brad Scott put his future on the agenda last April, saying he would “keep analysing” whether he was the right man for the job in 2018 despite being contracted. It led to no shortage of speculation and commentary over the rest of the club’s campaign, which had to have been some sort of distraction. Scott was linked to Collingwood and Gold Coast but North Melbourne eventually gave him a two-year contract extension in August, a show of faith in the rebuild he is undertaking which can now be completed properly without any shortcuts.
NOTHING TO LOSE
There are no real expectations on North Melbourne this year. The club finished in the bottom-four last season, the coach is safe and everyone knows the Roos are rebuilding. All that could work in the Kangaroos’ favour, with the club essentially having a free hit in 2018. North Melbourne also has the second-easiest fixture as rated by Champion Data with double-up matches against Gold Coast and Brisbane, opening the door to really build on last season’s tally of six wins.
1. People
— Mitchell Keating (@MitchKeat) December 29, 2017
2. Really
3. Need
4. To
5. Stop
6. Predicting
7. The
8. AFL
9. Ladder
10. For
11. Next
12. Season
13. It’s
14. Still
15. December
16. Please
17. Don’t
18. North Melbourne
EIGHT REASONS:
■ CLICK FOR COLLINGWOOD
■ CLICK FOR RICHMOND
■ CLICK FOR CARLTON
■ CLICK FOR ST KILDA
■ CLICK FOR WESTERN BULLDOGS
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