North Melbourne heads into the 2022 season with relatively low expectations, as senior coach David Noble embarks on his second year at the helm at Arden Street.
The Roos finished last season dead last on the ladder, netting them the prized first overall selection at last November's National Draft, which turned out to be highly-regarded South Adelaide midfielder, Jason Horne-Francis.
The Kangaroos were also lauded for poaching hard-nosed midfielder Hugh Greenwood from the Gold Coast Suns, as well as landing promising ex-Richmond ruck-forward Callum Coleman-Jones during the trade period.
Many pundits predict the young Roos to nestle among the bottom four teams in the competition by season's end, but veteran skipper Jack Ziebell, along with gun talents such as Jy Simpkin and Tarryn Thomas, will look to lead North to greater success in 2022.
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Ins: Jackson Archer (National Draft), Miller Bergman (National Draft), Callum Coleman-Jones (Richmond), Paul Curtis (National Draft), Josh Goater (National Draft), Hugh Greenwood (Gold Coast Suns), Jason Horne-Francis (National Draft), Tom Lynch (Adelaide Crows).
Outs: Shaun Atley (delisted), Tom Campbell (St Kilda), Trent Dumont (Port Adelaide), Taylor Garner (delisted), Charlie Ham (delisted), Connor Menadue (delisted), Robbie Tarrant (Richmond), Dom Tyson (delisted), Will Walker (delisted).
Strengths
Youth: Similar to fellow rebuilding clubs such as Hawthorn, Adelaide and the Gold Coast Suns, North Melbourne possess a ton of young talent going into the new season, none more promising than the 18-year-old Horne-Francis.
Lively midfielder Will Phillips, who will be sidelined for the opening weeks of 2022 after being diagnosed with glandular fever, has played just 14 games, while the likes of Luke Davies-Uniacke (50 games), Ben McKay (37), Bailey Scott (33), Curtis Taylor (29), Charlie Lazzaro (10) and 2021 draftee Josh Goater have Kangas diehards excited about the future.
Leadership: Despite a lack of success in terms of on-field results, North Melbourne looks to be in good shape in regard to its leadership structure.
The club unveiled a new-look leadership team for this season, with Ziebell still leading the charge, alongside co-vice-captains Simpkin and Luke McDonald.
The young Roos are also supported by the likes of long-time clubmen and role models Ben Cunnington and Todd Goldstein, as well as veterans Josh Walker and Aaron Hall.
