Best 22 – round one
B: Marley Williams, Scott Thompson, Sam Wright
HB: Luke McDonald, Robbie Tarrant, Sam Durdin
C: Shaun Atley, Jack Ziebell, Jamie Macmillan
HF: Nathan Hrovat, Ben Brown, Shaun Higgins
F: Lindsay Thomas, Jarrad Waite, Majak Daw
Foll: Todd Goldstein, Trent Dumont, Andrew Swallow
I/C: Ryan Clarke, Declan Mountford, Kayne Turner, Jy Simpkin
Injury list
North's list is starting to look healthier at the right time of the year. Forward Mason Wood (hamstring) and run-with midfielder Ben Jacobs (foot) remain four to six weeks away from returning, but Taylor Garner (hips) and Jed Anderson (shoulder) could return in Werribee's VFL practice match on Saturday. Former Giant Paul Ahern won't play this season as he continues his rehabilitation from his second knee reconstruction, while rookie Oscar Junker (broken tibia) faces another 12-14 weeks on the sidelines.
The big questions
How big a hole will the departures of Brent Harvey, Drew Petrie, Daniel Wells, Michael Firrito and Nick Dal Santo leave?
Last year, North opted to reset its ageing list, having decided it needed to blood its raft of untried youngsters. The Roos' decision was sound but will involve short-term pain. We'll find out just how pain much this season.
How good is Mason Wood?
Wood, 192cm, seemed ready to establish himself as one of the competition's most exciting young forwards midway through last season, but injury has since stymied his development. Although he has played just 16 senior games in four seasons at Arden St, North is confident the former Geelong Falcon can become a long-term fixture on its forward line. If he can return for an extended run in the senior team, 2017 will tell us much about how bright Wood's future is.
Can Taylor Garner get his body right?
There's no doubting the talent and hardness of 2012's No.15 draft pick. When he enjoyed a rare injury-free run in 2015, he brought a manic defensive pressure to North's forward line and was influential in the elimination final win over Richmond. All too often, however, he has been sidelined with hamstring and, more recently, hip issues, regularly appearing close to a return only to break down when he ups his training intensity. Garner and North will be hoping for a change of fortune this year.
Look for …
Luke McDonald to live up to the No.11 jumper. After suffering a dose of the second-year blues in 2015, the defender bounced back to form last season before a serious hamstring injury derailed his year. When Michael Firrito passed No.11 on to McDonald after his retirement, it was a huge show of faith in the 22-year-old, especially given the jumper is most closely associated with Shinboner of the Century Glenn Archer. But McDonald is one of North's most talented youngsters and has a fierce competitive streak Archer would approve of. Barring injury, he should emerge as one of the Kangaroos' best players this year.
Who they play
North has a brutal opening month to the season, playing 2016 finalists West Coast, Geelong, Greater Western Sydney and Western Bulldogs. By the end of round eight, the Roos will also have played another two top-eight teams, Adelaide and Sydney, and Fremantle at Domain Stadium. The Roos' return clashes are against last year's premiers, the Bulldogs, 2017 finals contenders Melbourne and St Kilda, along with Fremantle and Gold Coast. They travel to Perth and Adelaide just once, Queensland twice and, in addition to their three Hobart home games, play Hawthorn in Launceston for the first time since their 115-point loss in 2012.
Fantasy cash cow
No Kangaroo is priced more cheaply than Ed Vickers-Willis ($150,000) and no one offers a better likely return for Fantasy coaches. The third-year defender looks set for extended senior opportunities this year and, at 190cm, is someone who can take intercept marks and win his share of the ball. Averaged nearly 15 possessions across North's three JLT games.
Sudden impact
Ex-Bulldog Nathan Hrovat and former Magpie Marley Williams appear likely to play in round one. Hrovat's energy and sure foot skills should help North to – at least partially – cover the canyon left across half-forward by Brent Harvey's retirement, while Williams looms as the lockdown small defender North has been crying out for in recent seasons. Last year's No.12 draft pick, Jy Simpkin, is a class act who appears the best placed of North's 2016 draftees to play a significant amount of senior footy this season.
It's crunch time for …
Lachlan Hansen. Fitness and form struggles limited the key defender to just five senior games in 2016, his lowest season tally since his debut year, 2007. North played just two key defenders – Robbie Tarrant and Scott Thompson – for most of last season, relying on veteran Michael Firrito, 189cm, to play on bigger and stronger opponents when required. Now Firrito has retired, Hansen has a golden opportunity to re-establish himself in North's backline. But fellow key defender Sam Durdin has pressed his senior claims strongly this pre-season, and youngsters Daniel Nielson and Declan Watson are also waiting in the wings.
Pressure rating on the coach
A fleeting cool change. Scott's effort to lead North to four finals series in five years and consecutive preliminary finals in 2014-15 was commendable, especially after the expansion drafts of 2010 and 2011. However, as he enters his eighth year as Kangaroos coach, Scott now faces the challenge of overseeing – for the second time – a list overhaul. Contracted until the end of 2018, Scott has two years to show he remains the best man to lead the club. The club's on-field expectations will be tempered by the pressing need to develop its stockpile of largely untried youngsters, but those expectations will rise in 2018.
The Kangaroos will have a good year if …
Senior players Todd Goldstein, Jack Ziebell, Ben Cunnington, Robbie Tarrant, Shaun Higgins and Jarrad Waite stay fit.
They’re in trouble if …
Goldstein and Tarrant, in particular, go down with long-term injuries, with the ruckman and key defender vitally important to the Kangaroos' team structure.
Pass mark
If North can win eight to 10 matches and get a significant amount of games into emerging players such as Ryan Clarke, Mason Wood, Majak Daw, Ed Vickers-Willis, Declan Mountford and Jy Simpkin, 2017 will be a success. Avoiding blowout losses will be a priority too.
AFL.com.au predicted ladder finish
16th. North is a team in transition so a slide down the ladder is on the cards after it missed the finals just once from 2012-16.
Player Ratings star
Todd Goldstein, sixth. Goldstein rose to third overall in the Schick Hydro AFL Player Ratings after a brilliant start to 2016, but slid after a mid-season ankle injury restricted his subsequent output.
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