A question of winning habits, leadership struggles and signs of hope have all contributed to an emotional roller coaster of a season for North Melbourne, who find themselves yet again in the market for a head coach.
Now that the 2026 home and away season is in the books, it's time for a deep dive look into perhaps one of the AFL's most intriguing teams on the come up. Using the lens of a fans perspective on how the season fared in comparison to expectations for it, I'll be analysing what is working, what needs changing and just how hopeful I am for a future that was promised almost a decade ago.
I've been a passionate fan of the club for 15+ years now and have witnessed first-hand just how much the difference in coaching and development can add up to toward the rise or collapse of a club.
Clarkson's Departure and the void to fill
It's been a battle, no, a war of the Roos playing down to their opponent in the past season. Finishing with a 2-10 record against teams who were in the top 10, their only two wins came against a Michael Voss-run Carlton side and the Western Bulldogs late in the season. Clarkson may have built a culture and earned the trust of his players across the years, but a large part of coaching is a results-based job, and at what point do you stay with a coach whose premiership history becomes one of the only arguments to keep them on?
Now comes the time yet again to find another coach to steer the rebuild, one that is attuned to the coach's 'modern game' and in doing so hopefully earn a finals spot for a club that hasn't made a post-season appearance in 10 years.
John Longmire is a name highly touted in recent days to take over the reins. Playing over 300 games at the club, there's a sense of romanticism in a reunion.
A name that I could be a dark horse in the coaching race, and one with a little more risk, is that of Corey Enright. Currently an out-of-contract assistant under Ross Lyon, Enright was the head of strategy and game plan for the Saints and knows what it takes to develop and not draft talent during his five years in development and assistant roles at Geelong.
However, one of the more impressive candidates that could come in and snatch the top job is Jaymie Graham. One of the leading contenders for the Essendon and Carlton coaching jobs, the Fremantle assistant has been sought after highly in recent times. A major reason behind some of the forward development in Fremantle and has experience in development at St Kilda as well. Being aged 32, Graham is young for a head coach but can potentially grow with the rise of the young club around him.
Was the 2026 season an improvement?
It's hard to view it as a complete improvement when patterns of previous years continue to haunt a club that can't seem to wake up from them. Allowing easy scores off turnovers, being directionless from rebound 50s, and lacking any kind of effort when losing were all factors that once again derailed a season that looked to be different.
The start of the year highlighted one of the more hopeful times for a club that has faced nothing but scrutiny in their stagnation throughout the last decade.
An unexpected 4-2 start got some heads turning as the Roos had a real chance to break their finals drought. However, the second half of the season showed their true colours through their inability to compete against finals-calibre teams.
In a sense, it made the competition take North Melbourne a bit more seriously than they have previously been viewed in recent years. The AFL giving North a Friday night game may have seemed small, but it showed that at least they were getting more of a spotlight headed their way, even if they still couldn't show up on the stage.
However, it was a win for taking the small steps, snapping losing streaks from annual games such as Good Friday, keeping injury-prone players healthy and winning when you're not supposed to is all fans wanted going into the year.
No miraculous one-season turnaround was going to happen, and if it was, then we also learned that North is simply not ready for big games against big teams yet.
It will now take big steps and big changes to capitalise on a group filtered with young talent headlined by Luke Davies-Uniacke and Harry Sheezel, to make that finals leap. Even if that means turning your back on a premiership coach.
Re-signing Paul Curtis, Charlie Comben, and George Wardlaw are big steps that can help build a foundation of culture that has been the major missing piece in finding North's winning identity. While the other is the question of leadership.
A ship without a captain
A large part of the blame that can be directed toward the many close losses of the season can be attributed to one of the youngest leadership groups in the league. A simple reassurance of identity and experience across the field could have helped turn the tide in these games.
Notice I said across the field: North Melbourne's current captain Nick Larkey only really has experience impacting games from the forward line on the field. An area of his one-dimensional game style that has been exposed for one, if not, Larkey's worst season. Even his goal-kicking took a dive to a career-low 55.6 per cent accuracy from goal.
At this point in the club's timeline, it's time for actual change and improvement by raising the standards held at the club. From doing this, some uncomfortable conversations may need to be had, whether that involves placing the spearhead forward in the VFL for a week or promoting their 21-year-old 2x best and fariest to the leading position.
Priority of development over drafting
North is now at the stage of the rebuild where they need to develop the players that already have and look to make these players buy into the long-term plans, while complementing them with others who can plug in to the side and bring an immediate effect.
Past failures through the draft have compiled into what is now an overcrowded midfield, with the latest midfielder to get picked, Colby McKercher, still struggling to find a spot on the field that isn't half back.
A couple of these additions that have helped build toward somewhat of a winning mentality is through the additions of Luke Parker and Jack Darling. Parker was one of the team's best players during the first stretch of the season, racking up the most disposals (25.3 per game) since his 2021 season and doing so at an efficient rate. Darling, on the other hand, finished 3rd in goals for the team at 36, also his highest since the 2021 season.
But it's now time to emphasise defence: Trembath has risen, Zane Duursma has disappointed and is even now looking for a way out. Including the years of drafting midfielders, that has caused a positional cluster on the field.
The backline has gone ignored for too long and needs desperate reinforcement after some staggering score differentials against elite teams this year, including a 124-point loss to Fremantle which all but derailed North's season.
Trade targets to consider
A big splash in a trade is exactly the kind of move North needs to take a defensive leap, despite the future draft capital it could take to make such a move.
The acquisition of GWS' Lachie Ash is exactly the move needed to turn some heads. Ash is coming off a best and fairest season and could be the type of defensive playmaker the Kangaroos are looking for. It helps that Ash is born and raised in Victoria, which could be an aspect that may keep him long-term after his contract expires in 2027.
Jacob Weitering has been at the head of trade all season and for good reason. The stability and consistency he provides as a key defender could be a perfect and even better replacement for Corr.
Jordan Ridley is another name that has been mentioned along with Nick Murray, but personally I'd rather trade more for Ridley, knowing that he has some more years of experience.
While not a defender, Geelong's Gryan Miers is a favourite of mine to bring up to Arden Street, with his skillset as a playmaking small forward being just what North needs to help find entries into now one of the competition's highest-scoring forward lines.
