After last week’s one-point loss to the Blues, North Melbourne’s finals chances are all but over but they get the chances to begin making amends when they meet Melbourne at Etihad Stadium this afternoon. We’ll have live scores from 2.10pm AEST.
After a 14-8 season led North Melbourne to the finals last year, Brad Scott’s up-and-coming charges were expected to make the step up to becoming a genuine top-four contender in 2013.
It hasn’t panned out that way.
Scott’s side have lost fives matches by a kick or less and at 6-10 will not be in the top eight come season’s end.
It’s a path similiar to Richmond’s 2012 campaign and there is nothing to say that the Tigers’ improvement this year can’t be replicated by North Melbourne in the 2014 season.
Until then, the Kangaroos have six games left to start re-building confidence and momentum before another off-season.
They get a great opportunity to begin this afternoon against the 17th-placed Demons, who’ve managed just two wins over the course of their 2013 campaign.
The Demons were competitive in their 19-point loss to the Lions in Darwin last Saturday night, leading by two goals midway through the second term, but were eventually overrun by Michael Voss’ side.
Neil Craig has made just one change to last weekend’s side, bringing in Cameron Pedersen against his old side for Colin Garland, who makes way with an ankle injury.
North have made two changes to the side that lost to Carlton, with Cam Delaney coming in for the omitted Scott McMahon. Despite being carried off last Friday night, Jack Ziebell has been passed fit to play.
The Demons don’t go into many games fancied as a winning chance these days and nothing changes this afternoon against a side who’ve completely dominated them in recent times.
North Melbourne have won their past ten matches against Melbourne and have never lost against the Dees in six matches at Etihad Stadium.
Beating sides below them has never really been an issue for the Kangaroos under Scott and that shouldn’t be any different this afternoon.
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