Is North Melbourne missing a trick when it comes to Paul Curtis?
On Thursday, the Kangaroos star slotted four goals and was pivotal to the club's 23-point win over the Western Bulldogs, which ultimately kept their Wildcard Round chances, admittedly slim, alive.
But could Alastair Clarkson benefit from Curtis playing more midfield as opposed to a permanent forward? Would it be a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul?
Yes and no. What North Melbourne has in its arsenal is a pair of midfielders in Luke Davies-Uniacke and Harry Sheezel who have forward craft and an ability to impact the scoreboard.
Just cast your mind to LDU's contested mark inside 50 halfway through the final term. He won a crucial one-on-one in front of goal, and coolly converted the important six points, gifting the Kangaroos a 12-point lead.
As for Sheezel, he was drafted as a medium forward, and could effectively hold a role like Fremantle's Murphy Reid.
The injection of Curtis into the midfield will alleviate the on-ball pressures felt by the North Melbourne pair, but also give Clarkson a different look in the forward half.
"You want them high up the ground, but you also want him deep," Clarkson said after Thursday's victory.
"But that's always the case when you've got great players. I'm sure if the Dogs had two Bontempellis, they'd have him forward and in the midfield. The really good sides are able to mix and match over a long period of time. The Tigers did that with Dusty Martin. We've seen what Kozzy Pickett has been able to do since he's gone into the middle. Zak Butters is another one who started in the forward line, then he's become a high-quality midfielder.
"I think Curtis is a guy that will play mainly forward, but he's got a capability to go into the middle of the ground and do some special things. He kicked four goals, but some of his field play was even more impressive."
So why wouldn't it work for the powerful Curtis?
Almost every club has one.
Melbourne has Kysaiah Pickett. Brisbane has Zac Bailey. Adelaide and Izak Rankine. Collingwood and Beau McCreery. Fremantle and Shai Bolton. Hawthorn are beginning to use Nick Watson.
These dine-and-dash type players who come into stoppage, immediately impact, and spit forward. Richmond and Dustin Martin arguably created the unique role, and we know how that paid dividends.
Curtis has never featured in more than 26 per cent of centre bounces in any of his 96 games. Could that be increased to 40 per cent on a consistent basis?
It's definitely something Clarkson should explore.
