Despite finishing one win from the bottom of the ladder, it was almost a season of 'what-ifs' for North Melbourne.
The Roos were 2-5 through seven rounds, but losses to Geelong (one point), the Western Bulldogs (three points) and Fremantle (five points) all could have been wins, given they led by at least 29 points in all three matches.
A one-point loss to the Bulldogs in round 14 and a missed set-shot just seconds before the siren by Todd Goldstein against Fremantle in round 16 saw the Roos miss out on two more victories, which could have drastically changed their season.
However, when it mattered they just couldn't get it done, and with their early season deficiencies came their late season fade-outs.
North won just two of their last 12 games, with one of those victories coming in the final round against Brisbane, a win that saw them jump from 18th to 15th.
Best win:
Not only was this the best win of North Melbourne's season, but this may have been the best win by any club in 2017.
The 1-5 Roos hosted the 6-0 Crows at Blundstone Arena in Tasmania, and they absolutely smashed them.
North Melbourne led 10.4 to 0.0 at quarter time in an unbelievable first term performance, as the Crows only managed 14 disposals in the forward half in the opening quarter.
Adelaide never got the margin back under 30 points after it ballooned out to over five goals midway through the first quarter, and ended up going down by 59 points.
Jarrad Waite returned from injury and kicked six goals, as Ben Cunnington had 29 touches and booted two goals.
Worst loss:
North Melbourne lost 10 of their final 12 games in 2017, but their round 20 loss to Collingwood was probably their worst performance of the season.
Playing at home, the Roos were touted as a genuine underdog chance given Collingwood's poor form in the back half of the season, but they never looked like challenging the Pies.
Collingwood romped home to their biggest win of the season, as the 54-point margin almost flattered North.
It was also North's lowest score of the season, as they kicked 7.15, kicking a measly 1.9 up until half-time.
It could have been much worse had Jack Ziebell not dominated in front of goal, with the skipper booting five goals straight.
Most improved: Taylor Garner
After playing just the first three rounds of the 2016 season before missing the rest of the year with hamstring and knee injuries, young Roo Taylor Garner made a massive impact in 2017.
Coming into the year he had only played 16 career games, but 18 games this season saw Garner develop into an important second forward alongside Ben Brown.
He averaged 15.9 disposals, 4.4 marks, 3.4 tackles, 2.4 inside 50s and kicked 16 goals across 2017, as this season could become known as Garner's breakout year.
Best and fairest: Ben Brown/Ben Cunnington
North's best and fairest race looks like it'll come down to two of their stars, with forward Ben Brown and midfielder Ben Cunnington two of their standout performers in a tough 2017 season.
Brown kicked a career-high 63 goals, and finished just six goals shy of Coleman Medal winner Lance Franklin.
The 24-year-old also played every game in 2017, and averaged career-highs in disposals (11.6), marks (5.5), and marks inside 50s (3.1) per game.
Cunnington was also ever-present for the Roos, and enjoyed one of his career best seasons as well.
He missed just two games, and although he didn't set a lot of career-highs, he played one of his most well rounded seasons to date.
The 26-year-old averaged 25.6 disposals, 2.9 marks, 4.9 tackles, 2.8 inside 50s and 7.0 clearances per match.
What the off-season could look like:
After missing out on Richmond star Dustin Martin, the Roos may turn their attentions to luring GWS midfielder Josh Kelly on a long-term multi-million dollar deal, although as it stands, the Giants look in the box seat for the young gun.
North Melbourne were recently linked with out-of-contract Geelong forward Steven Motlop, but should they fail to secure his services, they should strongly consider going through the draft.
While they gave up a shot at pick one by beating the Lions and instead grabbing pick four, the Roos will still likely get a fantastic player with that selection, and they should even try to move into the first round with another selection via the trade table.
Experienced ruckman Todd Goldstein may still have some trade value left in him, and with Brayden Preuss and Majak Daw still on the list, Goldstein should exit the club at the end of the season.
If they can somehow collect a first-round pick for the 29-year-old, they'll feel much better about their off-season.
2018 crystal ball:
With Brad Scott committing his future to the club for another two seasons beyond next year, you would expect the Roos will continue on their rebuilding path by allowing the youth to once again be the centre of attention next season.
From what we've seen in 2017, there is certainly talent among their ranks, but their polish still isn't there yet, and it'll take at least another year to brush that up to a level that can constantly worry other sides.
While there's enough upside in the group to see the Roos avoiding a bottom two spot, there just isn't enough class to see them as a genuine finals threat heading into the final month of the season.
