As the return of the footy season is only days away, North Melbourne are preparing to launch an assault on the top four.
After a stunning campaign last time round, North Melbourne managed to get themselves into to the preliminary finals.
In doing so they had to overcome an Essendon side full of desire and a Geelong side that launched a huge comeback in the final quarter, but North Melbourne managed to hold on.
Despite going out to Sydney in an embarrassing fashion, Brad Scott’s men took plenty of positives from what was a breakout season.
With winning two finals it showed this side are capable of brilliant patches of football, but with almost throwing away a huge lead to Geelong in the final quarter, they are also more than capable of brain fades.
The Roos beat every top-six team last season which showed that they can compete with the ‘big boys’ of the competition.
The style of football that Brad Scott has his players playing has slightly changed since the 2013 season.
North Melbourne were very much an all out attack side, but now we are seeing a more conservative style which still allows Brad Scott to get the best out of his attacking options.
The 2013 season saw North Melbourne throw big leads away after doing so much correct throughout the game to earn them.
They were ruining exciting performances in the space of 20 minutes, and for that we saw the change of style in Brad Scott’s men in the 2014 season.
Brad Scott made it clear that the 2013 season would either make this side or break it. From evidence last season, it is the beginning of this North Melbourne side.
The exciting part for the supporters is the fact there is still room for improvement which can surely only help mount a top four charge.
Andrew Swallow is slowly not only showing what a fantastic player he is, but also the leader that lives inside him.
Jack Ziebell showed how important he is to the midfield with his elite contested ball winning while also the likes of Daniel Wells and Nick Dal Santo showing their experience to help the younger players around the side.
Brent Harvey still remains the key to the side though. The man continues to show he only becomes a better player with age. Not only his experience but his overall quality brings the best out of the others around him.
The inclusions of Shaun Higgins and Jarrad Waite will only help the Roos in search for their top four spot.
Many people are suggesting that these are just average pick ups for North Melbourne but going by the pre season it looks anything but that.
Jarrad Waite adds another option to an already powerful forward line with the likes of Drew Petrie, Lindsay Thomas and Aaron Black.
Shaun Higgins in the other hand adds to the midfield and he was the Roos’ best performer throughout the pre season. He kicked six goals in two games which simply shows the qualities this footballer has and will be a miss for the Western Bulldogs this season.
Despite loosing Levi Greenwood to Collingwood in the summer, I feel that is an area North Melbourne are able to cover. A strong midfield with plenty of depth will leave the Roos in a good state as the season progresses.
Only days away from their encounter with Adelaide at the magnificent Adelaide Oval, North Melbourne are looking better equipped than ever to make a challenge for the top four.
Many people still question this North Melbourne side, which can only urge them on to prove them wrong.
To make the top four they will need more consistent performances come this time round. Last season we saw far too many solid and outstanding performances against the top six sides but they failed to produce it against the sides lower on the table.
They deserve to be considered a threat to the rival sides battling for the top four. They are a growing threat in the competition and we are now starting to see sides realise that.
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