Club by club preview: 6th – North Melbourne

Premiership Odds: $17 (via TopSport)

Prediction: 6th

Last season North Melbourne defied expectations once again and reached the stage that many thought would see them progress through to their first grand final appearance since they won it back it 1999. It wasn't to be and they failed at the final hurdle yet again for the second consecutive year running, falling to both the Eagles last year and the Swans the previous year.

2016 represents the last real crack at a premiership tilt for North before their ageing list becomes too old to compete at the highest level. Whilst making a third straight preliminary final should be considered a success, you get the feeling that's as much as the Roos can accomplish under coach Brad Scott. Is he really the man to break their 17 year premiership drought?

North struggled with a tough fixture list in 2015 at the start of the season that saw them slip to a 6-7 record after round 14 that ultimately dashed their top four hopes, however a late rally did see them scrape into the eight, but they need to show more consistent form during the home and away season to snag that crucial double chance come finals time. Due to that form I have them sitting just outside four, but it'll be a tight finish between third and sixth. Who knows, based on their opening couple of games this year, they might just get the clean break they didn't get in 2015.

In terms of their list, there aren't many changes and it was an off-season of stabilisation after being active in the trade market the previous years before. The acquisition of Jed Anderson is an interesting one, a player with plenty of potential but not quite there yet, probably down to the fact he had so much competition at Hawthorn. Ryan Clarke is also a decent get at pick 31, a player with incredible endurance who averaged 30 possessions in the TAC Cup last season. Watch this space as the young midfielder looks to break in to North's best 22.

Key Ins:

Jed Anderson, Ryan Clarke, Ben McKay, Mitchell Hibberd, Corey Wagner

Key Outs:

Ryan Bastinac, Daniel Currie, Leigh Adams, Nathan Grima

Key Player: Todd Goldstein

Having the competition's number one ruckman on your books is a serious coup and its not just his ruck work that makes Goldstein such a valuable player to North. His ball winning is a key element of his game, racking up disposals as well as hit-outs. There is a reason his name floated around throughout 2015 in terms of brownlow medal contention. He was the first ruckman to poll 18 votes since Eagles premiership-winning ruckman Dean Cox polled 18 back in 2011.

Goldstein's stats last season were quite incredible, averaging 44 hit-outs per game, totalling 1058 for the entire year as well as breaking the record for most hit-outs to advantage. The 27-year old was rewarded at the end of the year, taking home his first best and fairest award whilst re-signing for another three years taking his contract at Arden Street through to 2019 at the very least.

2016 should be another huge year for the big man, with the reduction of interchange rotations from 120 to 90 serving the super-fit ruckman well. Due to his elite endurance and the new rules, opposition teams may not be able to rotate as much on him as they did in the past. With support from tall forwards, Drew Petrie and Ben Brown, Goldstein could be set for another record breaking season at the Kangaroos if all goes to plan.

Rising Star: Ryan Clarke

As mentioned earlier, the young ball magnet was picked by North at no.31 and could have easily gone earlier had opposition teams fancied him. The aforementioned 31-dispoal average he registered in the TAC Cup puts him among the top echelon of ball-winners in the draft.

He can also be a threat up forward, kicking 16 goals for the Eastern Rangers last season which is an excellent tally for a near-permanent midfielder. Likened to St Kilda hard-nut Jack Steven with his relentless run and drive through the midfield and ability to hit the scoreboard when pressing forward. Clarke is probably a touch more polished consistently than the Saints midfielder.

Clarke has been the most impressive of the Roos 2015 draftees this summer and looked right at home in North's round one NAB Challenge win over St Kilda, showcasing his ability by picking up 13 possessions in an encouraging debut. The Roos' second pick in last year's draft already looks primed for senior action if called upon.

Under the Pump: Daniel Wells

2015 was yet another injury riddled season for Wells, as he was only able to put on the blue and white jumper for just two games. This followed up an injury-struck 2014 as well, where Wells could only play in ten games.

When he is on the park, Wells is able to turn games around, as he has that innate ability to take over the game that only very few players can. Yet after straight seasons with injury problems, Wells will head into the 2016 at the age of 31 and facing a crucial stage of his career.

Wells has had a solid pre-season and performed well in North's three NAB Challenge games and all signs point to a successful year for the midfielder, however another injury or loss of form could may well see him become surplus to requirements in Brad Scott's side.

Strength: Goals, goals, goals!

What worked so well for North last season was their attacking side of their game. They were the third highest scoring team in the competition, trailing none other than the Premiers and the runners-up in Hawthorn and West Coast respectively and were second-best in terms of goalkicking accuracy at 53.2 per cent with Hawthorn the only team more efficient in front of goal.

If it wasn't for North's defence which we will touch on shortly, they probably would of finished in the top four, so at the very least, they need to ensure they maintain this attacking mentality for the upcoming season.

They've certainly got the talent to do so with an even spread of goalkickers between Drew Petrie, Jarrad Waite, Shaun Higgins, Lindsay Thomas and Ben Brown. Each of them kicked more than 30 goals last season, highlighting the fact they don't necessarily need to have a number one target up front.

Weakness: Defence

North's biggest loss in the 2014 home and away season was by 43 points against Gold Coast in round seven, but in 2015, they lost by 55 points or more on four occasions, to Adelaide, Hawthorn, Fremantle and Gold Coast. Three of those sides played finals footy last year and that stat just needs to improve if they stand any chance of seriously contending for a premiership this year.

They created just 19 turnovers forward of centre per game in 2015 - ranked 14th and a clear last of the finalists with the Hawks and the Eagles ranking 1 and 2, where North really need to be come the end of 2016. Sam Wright, Shaun Atley, Jamie Macmillan, those sort of players need to have much better years if North are to turn defence into attack and even more pressure is going to fall on the likes of Scott Thompson and Robbie Tarrant who are in charge of preventing the flow of goals.

Basically, for North this year, we need to see more younger players making the step up as they begin the transition into a younger list. The reliance of Brent Harvey is still quite alarming and perhaps Jed Anderson might be the one to provide that run and carry once Boomer decides to hang up the boots.

What the fixture looks like: Tough

North's fixture starts with three of their first four games at home which provides then with the chance to jump out to a strong star, however that's as good as it gets with eight 6-day breaks and games against three of last year's finalists occurring twice.

They double up against the Bulldogs, Hawthorn and Sydney as well as Adelaide and the last month sees them play the Dogs, Hawks and the Swans.

What more do you expect given they were the fourth best side year. With a higher profile comes a tougher draw and that's what premiership winning teams need to get past in order to call themselves the best. That's the direction that North want to head in, so there should be no excuses.

Best 22

B: Lachie Hansen, Scott Thompson, Jamie MacMillan

HB: Sam Wright, Robbie Tarrant, Shaun Atley

C: Nick Dal Santo, Jack Ziebell, Ben Jacobs

HF: Shaun Higgins, Drew Petrie, Brent Harvey

F: Lindsay Thomas, Jarrad Waite, Ben Brown

R: Todd Goldstein, Ben Cunnington, Andrew Swallow

I: Taylor Garner, Kayne Turner, Jed Anderson, Daniel Wells