North Melbourne blueprint: Kangaroos primed for premiership tilt, writes David King

NORTH Melbourne won five games against fellow finalists in 2014. That appears the perfect stepping stone for a premiership tilt, writes David King.

AFL second semi-final: Geelong v. North Melbourne Goal Nick Dal Santo Picture:Wayne Ludbey

THIS season was about delivering on a foundation built on and off the field late last year.

There were to be no alibis and no excuses in 2014. Coach Brad Scott and chairman James Brayshaw had beefed up the football department spending and the results were almost immediate.

Last year North Melbourne lost eight games by 17 points or fewer. The addition of assistant coaches Leigh Tudor and Gavin Brown combined with more on-field direction and leadership from recruit Nick Dal Santo helped the Kangaroos lose only one game decided by less than 20 points this year. Dal Santo was an outrageous success.

BLUEPRINT: KANGAS’ CASE OF WAITE AND SEE

After a 14-win home-and-away season and two finals victories, North must believe it is in premiership contention, given the recruitment of Jarrad Waite and Shaun Higgins.

The Kangaroos’ tough stance on Levi Greenwood’s contract is one that strong clubs make. Time will tell if it proves correct, but North needs more proficient players by foot as it has many accumulators and clearance types like Greenwood.

Nick Dal Santo had an excellent first season with North Melbourne. Picture: Colleen Petch

Pros

THE four preliminary finalists had the most 0-15sec counter-attacks from defensive 50 to inside 50.

The Kangaroos play fast counter-attack football better than most, generally off the back of the AFL’s No. 1 intercept player, Scott Thompson.

North led the competition at converting a forward-50 entry into a score.

Drew Petrie’s season was up and down. He kicked 50 goals for the second time in his career but had 12 games in which he kicked one goal or none.

Ben Brown quickly gained cult figure status during his 11 games and Jack Ziebell was dangerous when he went to the goalsquare, with nine goals in his last five games. That’s a weapon to be used more next season.

North Melbourne's Ben Brown provided an excellent target inside forward 50. Picture: George Salpigtidis

The midfield is where premierships are decided and the Roos have the depth and quality to compete. They have lacked class on the outside of the contested ball and clearance areas as they rank fourth for clearances but eighth at scores from clearances.

Higgins and Waite won’t need to carry the load for North, but their impact is all about the timing.

While Aaron Black and Brown find consistency, Waite must stand tall, especially in big games.

Higgins must make every possession count and allow Scott the flexibility to throw him back or forward.

North Melbourne’s recent draft success.

Cons

THE recent acquisitions will give North the oldest list in the competition next year, which means it is now “all in” in its quest for flag No. 5.

Can Brent Harvey, at 36, and Petrie, 32, keep on keeping on? Will Waite’s body hold up?

North still has no match-up for a star power forward, the big-bodied gorilla type.

Tom Hawkins, Travis Cloke and Kurt Tippett all averaged four goals a game against the Roos this year. Can Nathan Grima step up to do that job?

The problem was highlighted in the semi-final when Hawkins almost won Geelong the game, after the Cats were 32 points down midway through the last quarter. The Tomahawk kicked three goals and monstered undersized backmen.

North Melbourne veteran Brent Harvey is on the verge of playing his 400th game.

Until the key-post defender problem is corrected, North will not get further than a preliminary final, nor will it be able to move away from the extra defender, loose man assistance that allowed the opposition at times to play keepings-off further up the field. In Round 1, Essendon had a staggering 86 more marks than North.

Are the Kangaroos there? They played the other finalists eight times in the home-and-away season for five wins. That appears the perfect stepping stone for a premiership tilt.

Scott and the North bosses have made their intentions clear — it’s Roo time.

blueprint: KANGAROOS | Create Infographics