Played: 23
Won: 12
Lost: 10
Drew: 1
Finished: 8th
Best and fairest: Brent Harvey
2009 IN BRIEF
Coach: Dean Laidley
Captain: Brent Harvey
Coaching staff: Darren Crocker, Darren Bewick, Anthony Rock, Daniel Daly, Dave Newett (development), John Lamont (development), Paul Turk (strength and conditioning coach)
ARRIVAL & DEPARTURES
Arrivals
Rookie elevation: Nathan Grima, Michael Wundke
NAB AFL Draft: Liam Anthony (East Fremantle), Warren Benjamin (Claremont), Nathan O'Keefe (Eastern Ranges), Sam Wright (Murray Bushrangers), Jack Ziebell (Murray Bushrangers)
International rookie selection: Conor Meredith (Laois, Ireland)
NAB AFL Rookie Draft: Luke Delaney (Geelong Falcons), Alan Obst (North Melbourne), Ben Speight (Norwood), Marcus White (Calder Cannons)
Departures
Retired: Shannon Grant, Jess Sinclair, Nathan Thompson
Delisted: Leigh Brown, Ben Davies, Blake Grima, Eddie Sansbury, James Wilsen (rookie)
FIXTURE
The Roos travel interstate six times in 2009 but don't leave Victoria until round 12.
They play 11 matches at Docklands and four at the MCG, and should look to capitalise on their Melbourne-weighted start to this season if they hope to be a major contender.
The Roos square off twice against St Kilda, Hawthorn and the Bulldogs – quality sides but ones they have a decent record against.
INJURY LIST
Matt Riggio (shin stress reaction) – two weeks
Jesse Smith (hamstring) – two weeks
MATT BURGAN’S PLAYER RATINGS
5 – Brent Harvey, Drew Petrie, Daniel Wells (3 players - 15 points)
Harvey and Petrie are the two automatic standouts at North Melbourne but Wells will be important this year and he has had an outstanding pre-season.
4 – Michael Firrito, David Hale, Leigh Harding, Hamish McIntosh, Daniel Pratt, Brady Rawlings, Adam Simpson (7 players - 28 points)
Firrito, Pratt and Rawlings may not be glamour players, but they remain very important. Club great Simpson, despite his battle-wearied body should keeping on keeping on. Harding has re-invented his game as a running defender on the back of a knee injury last year. McIntosh had a tough 2008 but is expected to bounce back this season.
3 – Liam Anthony, Matt Campbell, Aaron Edwards, Josh Gibson, Todd Goldstein, Nathan Grima, Lachie Hansen, Daniel Harris, Corey Jones, Ed Lower, Scott McMahon, Sam Power, Ben Ross, Jesse Smith, Josh Smith, Andrew Swallow, Lindsay Thomas, Scott Thompson, Gavin Urquhart, Shannon Watt, Jack Ziebell (21 players - 63 points)
Corey Jones and Harris are not certainties to play every week and will need to improve their consistency, as will Edwards and Gibson. Youngsters Hansen, Jesse Smith and Urquhart should develop into very good players. Ziebell will be a beauty, while Ross, Josh Smith and Grima need greater exposure.
2 – Leigh Adams, Levi Greenwood, Matt Riggio, Robbie Tarrant, Ben Warren, Michael Wundke, Cruize Garlett (rookie), Alan Obst (rookie) (8 players - 16 points)
Tarrant looms as a fine prospect long-term, but his first AFL-listed season in 2008 was ruined by a shoulder injury and he needs to be given time. Still, expect him to play in 2009. Adams, Greenwood and Warren will step up, if opportunities present. Second-year Garlett has impressed in the pre-season and looms as the first cab off the rank to be elevated from the rookie list.
1 – Warren Benjamin, Nathan O'Keefe, Sam Wright, Luke Delaney (rookie), Connor Meredith (rookie), Ben Speight (rookie), Marcus White (rookie) (7 players - 7 points)
Benjamin, O'Keefe and Wright – are likely to develop in the VFL this year. Meredith, the club's first Irish recruit, will be given time to hone his skills. Delaney and White have impressed in the pre-season, but Garlett and Obst remain the most likely to have the edge in terms of rookie elevation.
Total team rating – 129 points (15 of 16, league-wide)
THE YEAR AHEAD
New captain Brent Harvey and deputy Drew Petrie lead a squad that is younger again – half the list has been there three years or less. Opportunities could fall to draftees as early as round one but the contribution of second, third and fourth-year players will be more crucial than ever before. Lachlan Hansen, Todd Goldstein and Scott Thompson have done enough over the pre-season to warrant regular selection.
The Roos are healthier than most clubs too. Almost every player has completed a full pre-season and mainstays Daniel Wells, Michael Firrito, Hamish McIntosh and Daniel Harris should benefit greatly from seamless summers. Coach Dean Laidley needs them to.
With a patchy record on the road, North will want to win most of its first 11 games to revisit the top-four spot it claimed in 2007 but coughed up last year.
WHAT THE CLUB SAYS
"We've got a full list to choose from –we're very healthy at the moment. I think that's going to play a big part in the year. We see Geelong and Hawthorn as the teams that are probably the benchmark at the moment but from there down, anyone's capable of finishing in the eight and anyone's capable of finishing 14th.
"The players that made an impact last year have another year behind them. We're a very young list but we think that the youth and exuberance can help the older players strive for that next level again.
"I think top four has to be in your sights and we've shown in the last couple of years that we're more than capable of doing that.
"It's very important that we perform and take advantage of [our run in Melbourne to start the year] and give our supporters a real sense of excitement and a real want to watch us play. We can really try to set up our year."
-assistant coach Darren Bewick
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
