IN THE 12 years since two-time premiership coach Denis Pagan's departure, North Melbourne has never been better placed to have an impact in a finals series.
So says veteran Roo defender Michael Firrito.
In fact, in a six-and-a-half-minute interview with AFL.com.au on Wednesday, Firrito made this assessment three times.
It came up unprompted when we asked Firrito about being rested from North's win over Melbourne last weekend. And, more predictably, when we asked him: to compare North's current playing group with the Dean Laidley-coached finals teams of 2005, 2007 and 2008; and about how it felt to be part of North's last finals win, in the 2007 first semi-final against Hawthorn.
Firrito is as well placed as anyone to make this call.
He joined North in the rookie draft at the end of 2002, just months after Pagan had called time on his decade-long reign at Arden Street – when the Roos played 22 finals and won 14 – to join Carlton.
By the time Pagan's replacement, Dean Laidley, had led the Roos back to the finals in 2005, Firrito had established himself in North's senior team.
Laidley was forced to give Firrito massive responsibility on the Roos' backline too. The Roos' lack of key defensive options at the time meant Firrito, despite standing 190cm, was more often than not sent to the opposition's best power forward.
They were tough times for Firrito and the Roos.
After finishing fifth at the end of the 2005 home and away season, the Roos were smashed in a home elimination final by 87 points by Port Adelaide.
After a top-four finish in 2007, Firrito was part of North's first finals win in seven years. But that semi-final win against Hawthorn was bookended by a 106-point qualifying final defeat by eventual premier Geelong and an 87-point preliminary final thrashing by Port.
The Laidley era effectively ended a year later when North threw away a top-four finish with a home loss to Port Adelaide in the final round of the home and away season, and then faded in the second half of an elimination final against the Sydney Swans to lose by 35 points.
Since Laidley's departure midway through the 2009 season and Brad Scott's appointment as his replacement, North has been patiently building towards what it hopes will be another successful finals era.
In Scott's four completed seasons, the Roos have played just one final, a 2012 elimination final against West Coast at Patersons Stadium. Unfortunately, that game played out to a familiar recent script, with the Roos overwhelmed on a warm Perth day by 96 points.
On Saturday night, the Roos will play their second final in the Scott era, against Essendon at the MCG.
This time, Firrito is confident things will be different.
"We had a really good mix of experience under 'Laids' with 'Arch' (Glenn Archer), Adam Simpson and all those guys running around, but we never really threatened the really good sides," Firrito said.
"Now I'm one of the older guys, I look at our younger guys, who have all played 80 to 100 games, and it's a good blend.
"I think we've got a better balanced and better placed to have some success. And I think our results speak for themselves – we've been able to do it on the road against the good sides.
"We know finals are going to go up another cog and at this stage this group is yet to prove anything when it matters.
"But I think we're as well placed as we ever have been in my time at the club to give a finals series a good crack."
On a personal level, Firrito is happy just to get the chance to play his seventh final.
When he was in contract limbo at the end of last season, he doubted he would ever play an AFL game again, let alone a final.
He had the same doubts when he was overlooked for North's opening three games this season.
But since earning a recall in round four against the Sydney Swans, the 30-year-old is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career.
With Scott Thompson, Nathan Grima and Lachlan Hansen manning the key defensive posts in recent seasons – and Joel Tippett now waiting in the wings – Firrito is free to pick on opponents his own size.
The veteran has also been one of North's main counter-attackers this season, averaging 16.7 possessions and 3.9 rebound 50s (ranked second at North) a game.
He is also ranked third at the club in one-percenters in 2014, equal eighth for contested marks and, despite his advancing years, has averaged more time on the ground than all bar two Roos (91.5 per cent).
Firrito is feeling fit, both physically and mentally, but won't make a decision on whether he plays on in 2015 until the end of North's finals campaign.
"The focus for the next month or so is to play finals and to play well, and I think if I can do that job everything will probably look after itself," he said.
"I've had a few discussions with Brad and at the moment things are going well, but we'll keep talking as we did last year and the decision will come at the end of the year."
