North Melbourne is the in-form team of the competition, having navigated through the opening quarter of the season as the only undefeated team at 6-0. The Kangaroos begun the new campaign in an impressive fashion by eclipsing Adelaide in Round 1 and have added Fremantle and most recently Western Bulldogs to their list of scalps for 2016.
After reaching the last two preliminary finals, Brad Scott has compiled one of the most even sides in the game. Aside from Todd Goldstein, the Roos don’t possess bona fide superstars who they rely on to get a result. Instead, North Melbourne’s evenness across the board is their biggest asset.
The Kangaroos midfield bats than most, with Jack Ziebell, Nick Dal Santo, Ben Cunnington, Daniel Wells, Andrew Swallow, Brent Harvey, Shaun Higgins and Sam Gibson sharing the load like few other onball departments in the AFL.
None of that group is acquiring big numbers, with only Ziebell averaging more than 22 possessions per game. The hard-nosed vice-captain has been the Roos best performed midfielder through six rounds, sitting equal 10th in the Coaches Association player of the year prize.
But whilst statistics might be an economist’s way of appreciating and evaluating football, North Melbourne has dazzled Champion Data in ways other than through individuals. Universally regarded as the best pressure applying team in the game at the minute, the Kangaroos are ranked 1st for pressure factor (pressure points per pressure chance), with their No. 1 tackle differential rating also indicative of their sublime pressure.
Scott’s men have also become capable of inflicting high scores on opposition sides this season on the back of improved efficiency on transition. The Kangaroos are ranked No. 2 for points for (112.0) on the back of their kicking efficiency differential (ranked 2nd) and disposal efficiency (3rd). They are the most efficient team with their ball use inside 50, converting 31.9 per cent of their entries into six-points, and 52.7 per cent of their inside 50s into scores (ranked 3rd).
The tall trio of Jarrad Waite, Drew Petrie and Ben Brown have terrorised opposition defences in the early part of this season, leading to triple figure scores in five of six games, with last Friday night’s low scoring affair against the Bulldogs the outlier.
Waite’s start to the year has been lauded across every media platform covering football, with the former Blue booting 22.6 and finding a level of performance and consistency he never had before. Whilst Brown has booted 13.4, kicking a bag of four and two hauls of three to become a reliable target inside 50.
Petrie, who personifies Shinboner spirit and who has been interwoven into the fabric of North Melbourne for more than a decade, plays his 300th game on Sunday afternoon at Etihad Stadium. The mobile offensive key hasn’t quite impacted the scoreboard (8.6) like the other two talls, but he still commands an important match-up and the Roos still direct plenty of forward play through the durable star.
The return of Wells this season has been akin to a new recruit entering the football club. Whilst Scott would have been hopeful the recruitment of Jed Anderson would have added the dash of speed his midfield lacked, it has been Wells who has returned to somewhere near his best. Although, the dual Syd Barker medallist has built some real grunt into his game, averaging a handful of career-highs in this area: Contested possessions (10.7 up from career average of 6.8), tackles (6.3 up from 2.6) and clearances (5.2 up from 2.9). A Rolls Royce with a bull bar attached.
Along with Robbie Tarrant, Scott Thompson has helped lead North Melbourne’s defence with vigour this season. The full back’s performance on All Australian Jake Stringer went a long way towards securing four premiership points, as Thompson completed nullified Stringer’s influence on the encounter, playing him from in front to restrict his ability on the lead.
Star:
Jarrad Waite’s start to 2016 has him in All Australian calculations for the first time in his career, belying his 33-year-old body. The athletic spearhead has kicked the third most goals in the AFL this season with 22.6 from six games. He is averaging more disposals (17.5), marks (7.3), tackles (4.5) and goals (3.7) than at any other time in his career. In three of the six games this year he has booted four goals, to go with a bag of five against Brisbane in Round 2.
Match up:
A week after limiting the influence of star ruckman Max Gawn, Tom Hickey will face another arduous task on Sunday in the form of reigning All Australian Todd Goldstein. The North Melbourne star has continued to dictate terms around the stoppages this season, averaging 36.7 hitouts (ranked 2nd in the AFL), 11.7 hitouts to advantage (ranked 3rd) and a hitout win percentage of 46.8 per cent (ranked 3rd). Since acquiring the No. 1 ruck mantle at Linen House Centre, Hickey has blossomed with the added responsibility and is the fifth ranked ruckman according to Champion Data. Gawn one week, Goldstein the next, things aren’t getting any easier for the Saints ruckman, but he is growing by the week.
