North Melbourne key forward Nick Larkey could easily break the 50-goal barrier for the first time in 2022. Photo: AFL MEDIA

NORTH MELBOURNE
2021 record: 4 wins, 17 losses, 1 draw (18th)

THE INS
Hugh Greenwood (Gold Coast), Callum Coleman-Jones (Richmond), Jason Horne-Francis (South Adelaide), Josh Goater (Calder Cannons), Paul Curtis (Western Jets), Miller Bergman (Dandenong Stingrays), Jackson Archer (Northern Knights)

THE OUTS
Robbie Tarrant (Richmond), Trent Dumont (delisted – Port Adelaide), Shaun Atley (delisted), Taylor Garner (delisted), Dom Tyson (delisted), Tom Campbell (delisted – St Kilda), Connor Menadue (delisted), Will Walker (delisted), Charlie Ham (delisted)

THE STRENGTHS
The first half of 2021 was especially rough for the Kangaroos, with just one win from their opening 13 games as they grew accustomed to yet another whole new game plan under first-time coach David Noble, having spent the previous 29 games learning Rhyce Shaw’s style before his abrupt departure at the end of 2020. But to North’s credit, despite “winning” the wooden spoon, the Roos got more competitive as the season wore on, winning three of their last nine games, and the average losing margin of their six losses in that period 26 points, compared to 48 in their first 11 defeats. Their win over West Coast in Perth was the highlight, and their gutsy draw with GWS in Hobart was a close second. It was a bleak season overall, but they do have an exciting core of young players featuring Tarryn Thomas, Jy Simpkin, Luke Davies-Uniacke, Jaidyn Stephenson, Curtis Taylor, Bailey Scott and Will Phillips in the middle, Nick Larkey, Callum Coleman-Jones and Jack Mahony up forward, and Ben McKay and Aiden Bonar down back. The beauty about Thomas, Stephenson, Taylor, Scott and Phillips is that they have proven they can/have the potential to go forward and have an impact. Not to mention they have one of the most exciting prospects from last year’s draft at their disposal in No.1 pick Jason Horne-Francis. There is light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s going to take time. North’s recruitment of contested bull Hugh Greenwood from under Gold Coast’s nose was a slick bit of business and will only add to the leadership structure around the Kangas’ emerging mids.

THE WEAKNESSES
But before they reach that light, the Kangaroos have a lot of work to do. Having finished on the bottom of the ladder for the first time since 1972, North really is starting from scratch. In 2021, they had the second-worst attack, and the worst defence in the competition. The closest they came to beating a top-eight side was drawing with the Giants, outside of that they lost all 10 games against finalists. They’re a long way off the pace. One of the major reasons North struggled so badly for wins last year was that they just couldn’t get their hands on the football as much as they needed to, ranking 16th for disposals on differentials, last for contested possessions and 13th for clearances. Yet despite struggling to find the ball, they still came in only 13th for tackles. They were just too easy to play against too often, as evidenced by their final ladder position. The story got worse for them up forward where they were 18th for marks inside 50, largely because they just couldn’t get it inside their attacking zone. North was second-last in the AFL for total inside 50s last year, and compounding that concerning stat was that they were also 16th for goals per forward entry. So even on the rare occasion they got it up forward, they still struggled badly to capitalise. Larkey and Cameron Zurhaar aside, they’re a mess in their attacking zone. As you can imagine, it didn’t get much better down the other end, where the Kangaroos were 16th for inside 50s conceded and second-last for goals per inside 50 conceded. North really needs to improve its contested marking power too, because outside of Larkey, Josh Walker and McKay, they’re really lacking in that department, and hence they came in third last in that category in 2021. There really isn’t an area where North can’t drastically improve, and while there is plenty to get excited about regarding the Roos’ younger players, they still look fairly vulnerable in most areas on the ground. The midfield would be their strongest line heading into 2022.

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ONE TO WATCH
Larkey had been showing signs of his enormous potential in 2019 and 2020 before exploding in 2021 to kick 42 goals and also lead his club for contested marks and marks inside 50. To kick that many goals in a team that struggled so badly to put a score on the board speaks volumes about how talented the 23-year-old is. His seven-goal bag against Carlton in Round 19 was the highlight. With a midfield that hopefully shows more improvement next year, and with added support from Coleman-Jones and the developing Tristan Xerri, Larkey could easily break the 50-goal barrier for the first time in 2022.

UNDER THE PUMP
For the amount of money he’s on, Jared Polec has been a big disappointment for North Melbourne. He might be reportedly on $700,000 a season, but as it stands there’s no room for him in the Roos’ best team. The Kangaroos delisted Polec at the end of last year, despite having two years still to run on his contract, only to redraft him in the rookie draft in a bid to afford themselves flexibility with list spots. Either way, it wasn’t a good look for the 29-year-old, who only managed five games last year. North was reportedly happy to trade Polec to a rival club 12 months earlier with three years still to go on his deal. Unless something drastic happens, the Roos will be stuck with Polec for a while longer yet.

BEST 23
B: Kayne Turner, Ben McKay, Aidan Corr
HB: Jack Ziebell, Josh Walker, Aaron Hall
C: Tarryn Thomas, Luke Davies-Uniacke, Jaidyn Stephenson
HF: Curtis Taylor, Callum Coleman-Jones, Jack Mahony
F: Cameron Zurhaar, Nick Larkey, Tristan Xerri
R: Todd Goldstein, Ben Cunnington, Jy Simpkin
Inter: Hugh Greenwood, Luke McDonald, Bailey Scott, Aiden Bonar, Will Phillips
Emerg: Tom Powell, Lachie Young, Kyron Hayden

Don’t stress, North fans. The only reason Horne-Francis isn’t in the side at the moment is because he hasn’t made his debut yet and has no exposed form at senior level. There’s no doubt in this writer’s mind that that will quickly change early in the season, and by the halfway mark of the year, he’s every chance of cementing a spot in the team. Ben Cunnington is expected to make a full recovery from his nine-week course of chemotherapy to treat a secondary cancer detected in November, and will slot straight back into the team when he does so. It was a terrible year in 2021 for Cunnington, who had a testicular tumour removed in July as well. He’s still North’s best midfielder, so his presence out on the field would be enormous in 2022. Jed Anderson’s refusal to take the COVID vaccine has put his immediate playing future in serious doubt, and for that reason he has been left out of the team. A fully fit Aidan Corr will be a welcome addition down back after only managing two games in 2021, and mid-season recruit Jacob Edwards could be a smoky this season in attack. Atu Bosenavulagi and Charlie Lazzarro will be pushing for selection as well.