Atu Bosenavulagi is one of many youngsters ready to become regulars at North Melbourne. Photo: AFL MEDIA
North Melbourne heads into the season desperate to put any memory of their train wreck of a 2020 campaign firmly behind them.
The Kangaroos finished a club-record low 17th on the ladder after only managing three wins, and also lost their coach Rhyce Shaw after just 29 games.
There’s been plenty of upheaval at the club with 14 players departing and another 11 calling Arden Street their new home.
The good news for North and new coach David Noble is that the only way is up, and after a year which saw them lose 14 of their last 15 games and end up with both the second-worst attack and defence in the league, the Kangaroos faithful need every sliver of positivity they can cling onto ahead of the new campaign.
And they might just get it in the form of the following five players who look primed to step up and leave their imprint on what will be a vastly different-looking best 22 from last year.
ATU BOSENAVULAGI
An unwitting part of the spectacular Collingwood fire sale during last year’s dramatic trade period, there are high hopes at North Melbourne that the former No. 77 pick continues to stake his claim as one of the big sliders of the 2018 draft.
He only played three games for the Magpies last year, but in a short amount of time, quickly became a cult figure amongst the black-and-white army, making his trade to the Kangas all the more stunning.
And the good news for North fans is that he’s already displaying good versatility in his first pre-season at his new club.
“He’s going really well, he played down back in a bit of a practice match and really looked good,” North Melbourne head of development Gavin Brown told Footyology.
“But he also, one week before, played forward. He’s just got such crazy speed and power, he’s been training really well too.”
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KYRON HAYDEN
The 21-year-old might have been taken at pick No. 62 in the 2017 draft, but after the impact he had last season, it’s quickly becoming apparent that he will likely turn out to be a steal.
Hayden played eight of his nine career games last year, and displayed what an effective defender he can potentially become with some of the jobs he did on some of the game’s most dangerous small forwards.
He’s already had to overcome adversity with an Achilles injury in 2019 and a knee injury last year interrupting his upward trajectory, but the club is so rapt with what they’ve seen from his small sample size that they’re confident he will be the biggest North bolter of the lot if he gets a clear run at it in 2021.
“He was really settling into a medium-to-small back [role] to play on all the really dangerous, zippy small forwards. He was looking really good,” Brown said.
“He’s a very athletic guy, super powerful and … will set the world alight, really. He’s been outstanding at training, he’s super fit, super ripped, kicking the ball really well.
“He’s a beauty, he will no doubt go really well.”
JACK MAHONY
In a grim year with not much to write home about for North, Mahony was a rare shining light that gave the club’s fans some hope that there might be some light at the end of the long, dark tunnel.
The 19-year-old looked right at home at senior level in his debut season, which was spent mostly away in a hub mind you, and in just 10 games, quickly showed that he had what it took to become a mainstay in the Kangaroos’ line-up.
Unfortunately for him, like Hayden, his 2020 season was cut short by injury – a shoulder complaint in his case.
“Jack Mahony is another one who’s had a really big pre-season, he’s a really smart player,” Brown said.
“As that medium-to-small forward looks really good, looks really, really sharp, a really good forward-of-the-ball player, very, very clever, high work rate, good defensive attributes, really standing out at the moment.”
WILL WALKER
The 21-year-old might be on the rookie list with just six games to his credit, but as he heads into his fourth year in the system, he looms as a potential smokey for the Kangaroos this season.
There’s a reason why North took him with their second pick in 2017 (No. 23 overall), and they’re hopeful that the faith they’ve had in him for so long will finally get repaid in 2021 with a breakout year that will likely see his roles split between wingman and inside midfielder.
“He’s been injured a lot, he’s still a little bit sore at the moment, but it’s nothing serious,” Brown said.
“He’s got a bit of a soccer background, he had a real impact when he played … we’ve had some little scratch matches/simulated games and he’s been going really well in them.”
TRISTAN XERRI
The big ruckman has had to bide his time patiently waiting for his chance at senior footy, as most big men do at North Melbourne with a guy by the name of Todd Goldstein in the way, but the 21-year-old finally made his debut last year in his third season on the list.
But with former sharpshooter Ben Brown now at Melbourne, there appears to be a real opportunity for him to cement his spot in the side this season as a tall forward who can pinch-hit in the ruck. He booted four goals in his four games, including two against the Brisbane Lions, last season.
And at 201cm tall and weighing in at 94kg, if he realises his full potential, he could give opposition defences plenty of headaches.
“He’s had a really big pre-season … he’s really jumped out of the blocks,” Brown said.
“He’s been going really well, he’s really fit, he’s been running really hard in the drills and he’s clunking a few [marks].
“Hopefully he plays a fair bit of senior footy this year.”
