1. Replacement Roos take fight to Tigers
North's nine inclusions for Friday night's game had played just 43 senior games between them previously in 2015, with Aaron Mullett, Aaron Black, Joel Tippett, Majak Daw and Brad McKenzie each having managed three games or less. It was understandable then that Richmond – whose only change was to recall skipper Trent Cotchin from injury for rookie Matt Thomas – started the game a $1.07 favourite with CrownBet, with North a rank $9.00 outsider. But what the Roos lacked in experience, they made up for in endeavour. With Daw leading the way in the ruck in Todd Goldstein's absence, North lead for all bar a few minutes in the first half, taking a thoroughly deserved 10-point lead into half-time. When Kayne Turner kicked the first goal of the second half, the Roos lead by 16 points and a David-and-Goliath-scale upset – and a Richmond trip to Adelaide in the first week of the finals – suddenly seemed a possibility. But Richmond quickly got the game back on its expected course, kicking the next five goals and 14 of the last 19 to eventually cruise to a 41-point win.

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2. Riewoldt works his way into form
This loomed as the perfect chance for Jack Riewoldt to hit his stride on the eve of the finals. Although the spearhead plays further up the ground now and is happy to play selfless team roles, he has not been hitting the scoreboard with his usual frequency in recent weeks. Goalless last round against Essendon, he entered the North clash having not kicked more than two goals since slotting three in round 15 against Carlton.

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Things did not get any better for the two-time Coleman medallist in the first half as the Roos made a mockery of their underdog status. Manned by Robbie Tarrant, Riewoldt went goalless and copped an accidental head knock and sore left foot for his troubles. The Tiger spearhead was far more lively in the third term, kicking two behinds, taking a strong contested mark and setting up a Brett Deledio goal. He continued in that vein in the final term, finally adding two majors, and will be hopeful he can build on his second-half form in the finals.


3. Roos cop two late casualties
North had done everything it could to have its players cherry ripe for week one of the finals, but coach Brad Scott had a few nervous moments late in the game. First, he saw vice-captain Jack Ziebell lying face down in the middle of the ground after the midfielder copped a heavy head knock when Shane Edwards accidentally knocked Anthony Miles into him. Ziebell recovered to jog from the field but had blood streaming down his face and went straight into the rooms for treatment. Minutes later, small forward Kayne Turner was knocked out when Kamdyn McIntosh hit him high in a spoiling attempt gone wrong. Turner, who had put his name up for selection in the finals with a team-high three goals, was taken from the ground on a motorised stretcher and must now be in severe doubt for next week, although the Roos tweeted some better news on the youngster soon after the game.


4. Daw at home in ruck
Majak Daw had played 15 games for North Melbourne since debuting in 2013, but before Friday night he had never started as the Roos' No.1 ruckman. But with Todd Goldstein one of North's nine rested players, Daw took on Tigers ruckman Ivan Maric with occasional help from Ben Brown. And the athletic tall looked far more at home than he has in recent outings in North's forward line. Midway through the first quarter, he burst out of the centre, took one bounce and bombed a goal from outside 50. Then in the second quarter he showcased his aerial strength, outmarking Maric at the top of the goal square to set up his second goal. The 24-year-old ultimately lowered his colours to the big Tiger, but his 25-hit-out, eight-tackle performance won't hurt his hopes of earning a new contract with North at the end of the year.


5. See you (at least, some of you) next week
Barring a Western Bulldogs' massacre of the Brisbane Lions on Saturday, the fifth-placed Tigers and eighth-placed Roos will do it all again next week in an elimination final. North will obviously have a completely different look, with all nine of its rested players – Shaun Higgins, Nick Dal Santo, Todd Goldstein, Jarrad Waite, Andrew Swallow, Scott Thompson, Michael Firrito, Ben Cunnington and Sam Wright – likely to play. Will the Roos' fresh legs help them rebound from Friday night's loss and knock the Tigers out of the finals in week one for the third straight year? Or will Richmond take a psychological advantage out of its 41-point win and make North rue the fact it flirted with its form a week before the finals? We'll find out next weekend.

The Tigers farewell the retired Nathan Foley after Friday night's win at Etihad Stadium. Picture: AFL Media