Season Preview: North Melbourne

Last season 

Big things were expected from North Melbourne at the start of last season, but any hope they would improve on their 12 wins in 2018 were dashed after four defeats to start the season. The Kangaroos won one of their first six games and from then on, pressure piled on Brad Scott until he resigned from his post in round 10.

Rhyce Shaw was named caretaker coach and the former Sydney premiership player's appointment had an instant impact. Shaw won four of his first five games in charge, which included big wins over Richmond and Collingwood. The upturn results saw Shaw appointed on a full time basis for the next three years.

Off-season 

In: Aidan Bonar (GWS), Charlie Comben (Pick 31, Gippsland Power), Jack Mahony (Pick 34, Sandringham Dragons), Flynn Perez (Pick 35, Bendigo Pioneers).

Out: Red Og Murphy (retired), Scott Thompson (retired), Tom Wilkinson (quit to be on The Amazing Race Australia), Sam Wright (retired), Nathan Hrovat (delisted), Declan Watson (delisted), Tom McKenzie (delisted).

Off-season grade: C-

North Melbourne had a quiet trade period compared to their 2018 off-season. Aside from recruiting Aidan Bonar from the Giants, the Roos recruited three players in the national draft.

Charlie Comben will take time to develop into his frame and is unlikely to be a regular in the Roos lineup, while Jack Mahony and Flynn Perez could make their debuts early in the season.

Defining Period

Rounds 10-16 pose as a crucial period in North Melbourne's season. The Roos face Collingwood, Geelong, Richmond, Brisbane, West Coast and GWS over the six week period. Depending on their start to the season, the Roos could be in contention for the finals and will see this period as crucial for their finals aspirations and more importantly in their development to challenge against the best teams.

Best 22

B: Marley Williams, Robbie Tarrant, Ed Vickers-Willis

HB: Jasper Pittard, Majak Daw, Shaun Atley

C: Jared Polec, Ben Cunnington, Trent Dumont

HF: Mason Wood, Nick Larkey, Tarryn Thomas

F: Cameron Zurhaar, Ben Brown, Jack Ziebell

FOLL: Todd Goldstein, Luke Davies-Uniacke, Shaun Higgins

I/C: Ben Jacobs, Jed Anderson, Aaron Hall, Jy Simpkin

Champion Data says 

"North Melbourne's attack is exciting, with the youngest forward line in the competition who have a lot of room to grow. Ben Brown is the 'experienced' campaigner of the group, rating above average, with youngsters Tarryn Thomas, Cameron Zurhaar and Nick Larkey all performing above expectation last season."

Strengths and weaknesses

North Melbourne's strength is scoring and defending turnovers. The Roos scored 60 per cent of their scores from the source, which is credit to their ability to nullify their opposition and create pressure to force the turnover.

Another strength is North's midfield, with Ben Cunnington regarded as 'elite' by Champion Data, while Aaron Hall, Jared Polec, Jack Ziebell, Shaun Higgins and Jed Anderson all 'above average'. Added to this, Todd Goldstein is considered 'elite', which makes North Melbourne's midfield one of the most potent in the competition.

For all of North's midfield strengths, they struggle to defend stoppages. The Roos have struggled with defending stoppages for five years, not ranking better than 10th for points conceded from stoppages in any year. In 2019, only Gold Coast conceded more points from stoppages, with almost 27% of their opposition's clearances resulted in a score.

Prediction: 11th

North Melbourne showed in the second half of last season that they have the quality to challenge the best teams in the competition. With a strong midfield and a potent target up forward in Ben Brown, the Roos are going to be an attacking threat. Yet it is the defensive side of the game that will prevent the Roos from taking their game to the next level in 2020 and see them miss out on the finals for the fourth year in a row.