What we learned:

In a contest where a gulf in midfield personnel was always going to present a difficult task, a handful of young St Kilda midfielders stood up in the Wangaratta heat. Seb Ross was the most prolific player on the ground, collecting 26 disposals – eight more than any other player. The highly rated Blake Acres was promising through the middle part of the ground, suggesting he could take a step forward this season and play regular senior football. On the back of a difficult 2015, hardworking onballer Tom Curren was one of St Kilda’s best performers against a stacked North Melbourne engine room. And stand-in-captain Jack Newnes demonstrated why he is so highly regarded as a leader, belying his age in a typical workmanlike performance, to lead by example for a very inexperienced St Kilda outfit that was without Jack Steven and Sam Gilbert in the second-half.

With Sam Fisher missing and Gilbert playing through the midfield before departing the game, the Saints back six struggled to contain a diverse North Melbourne attack that benefited from some quality service from the Kangaroos midfield. Despite having less disposals (-8), Brad Scott’s side accumulated 17 more inside 50s (55-38) to provide North’s forward line with a plethora of chances in front of goal. Drew Petrie and Jarrad Waite were damaging, whilst Mason Wood bobbed up and booted four to be one of the best players on the ground. Alan Richardson will be pondering a few things down back after the first week of the NAB Challenge series and could be looking at a few different options before meeting Port Adelaide and their star laden forward line in round one.

Returning star:

After missing the entire second-half of 2015, classy midfielder Jack Billings followed up his impressive intra-club performance with a strong showing against the Kangaroos. The former No. 3 pick was rested after the main break as the club continues to closely monitor his workload ahead of round one, but before his exit his polish and poise was dazzling. Billings has cut his teeth across half forward in his first 25 games, but expect to see him spend far more time through the midfield this season, particularly on a wing where he looked potent at times against North Melbourne. His 55m super goal from just inside the centre square was one of the highlights of the day and demonstrated how damaging he can be within range.

Injury watch:

Former No. 1 draft pick Paddy McCartin had an impressive pre-season brought to a halt when he departed the game early in the opening quarter with hamstring tightness. Whilst the injury appears to be at the minor end of the spectrum, St Kilda elected to take a cautious approach with its budding key forward, removing him from the game. At this stage, the club remains hopeful the spearhead will return before round one, but will wait and see how scans come back before making a definitive diagnosis. Watch this space.

New faces:

First-round draft pick Jade Gresham made an eye-catching start to his career at Linen House Centre with the teenage midfielder appearing comfortable at the level. In just under three quarters, Gresham collected 11 possessions and four inside 50s and stood out with clean hands and clever decision making. The other new face was local boy Nick Coughlan who generated a little bit of fanfare heading into the game. The key defender was part of a relatively inexperienced back six that faced a strong North Melbourne forward line comprising Waite, Petrie, Wood and Lindsay Thomas. Coughlan showed some promise with his aggressive spoiling and continued to attack the contest despite being beaten several times.

Fantasy watch:

Seb Ross – Supercoach: 129 points, AFL Fantasy: 107 points
Jack Newnes – Supercoach: 118 points
Jack Billings – Supercoach: 56 points
Jade Gresham – Supercoach: 71 points 

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