North Melbourne's reserves team will be strengthened by four senior players and an ex-Carlton defender for Saturday's game against Richmond.

Having stepped up as interim senior coach following David Noble's departure by mutual agreement on Tuesday, coach Leigh Adams has handed the reins to development coach Tom Lynch.

Jason Horne-Francis is headed for the seniors with Adams, having won a recall on the back of a strong performance against Collingwood in which he accumulated 31 possessions, seven clearances and a goal.

While they will be missed, reinforcements are on the way.

Jack Mahony will once more feature up forward, having been the substitute for the senior team's narrow defeat to the Magpies.

At the opposite end Josh Walker will take a key forward, while Kayne Turner (concussion) and Jackson Archer (hip) will play their first competitive minutes since the seniors' trip to Tassie late last month. 

Former Carlton defender Tom Williamson has also been named in the back pocket, having this week put pen to paper with North Melbourne.

Williamson took a leave of absence from the Blues in early June, and earlier this month the two parties came to the mutual decision that he would step away from his AFL career.

The 23-year-old represented Carlton in 44 games at senior level, and won a reputation with Blues fans for his tackling, intercepting and appetite for risk with ball in hand.

Richmond sit on the fringes of the eight, and will be fresh having seen out their scheduled bye.

Steve Morris' side is lined with emerging talent such as Riley Collier-Dawkins, Thomson Dow, Bigoa Nyuon and Sydney Stack.

Tom Lynch takes the reins

With Leigh Adams pressed into service as North Melbourne’s AFL interim senior coach for the remainder of the season, first-year development coach Tom Lynch has been handed the reins of the VFL side for the remainder of 2022.

A former player with St Kilda and Adelaide, Lynch only retired at the end of the 2021 season and has already twice led the reserve side already this campaign - the Round 5 clash against Frankston and the Round 6 clash against Carlton, and while the Kangaroos lost both games they did look strong in patches of each contest.

Lynch will by no means be forced to take on the brunt of the job by himself. Long-time North Melbourne head of development and Collingwood legend Gavin Brown will continue to support Lynch in the same way he supported Adams during his tenure in charge of the side.

The chance for Lynch to take on his own team, even just on an interim basis, so early in his coaching career speaks volumes about his ability as a teacher and a leader. These next few weeks will offer him an invaluable chance to progress his coaching career and learn important lessons on the job.

If Adams’ development as a coach over the last two seasons is anything to go by, Lynch has been presented with a brilliant opportunity to broaden his own horizons.

Fantastic Ford

After establishing himself as a strong VFL talent over much of 2021, second-year forward Eddie Ford has spent most of his time at reserve level this year hammering home the fact that he looks ready for a consistent run in the senior side.

Earlier this year Ford looked to have found that opportunity, and a well-taken goal against the Western Bulldogs on Good Friday indicated his quality to those who hadn’t seen his performances in the VFL.

An ill-timed ankle injury saw him sidelined for a number of weeks, but he looks on the cusp of returning to the senior fold, and a strong performance against the VFL Tigers will only strengthen his case.

Ford has kicked eight goals in four games since his return, converting everything from snaps, to long range set shots, to goals on the run. He’s also clunked some impressive contested marks in that time.

While he still has a lot to learn he’s been a joy to watch this season whether he’s been at AFL or VFL level.

Saturday, July 16

North Melbourne v Richmond at Arden Street, 2.35pm AEST

B: 15. A Bosenavulagi, 34. J Archer, 42. K Dawson
HB: 41. M McGuinness, 19. J Walker, 28. K Turner
C: 31. J Goater, 22. P Walker, 51. T Williamson
HF: 40. E Ford, 1. J Mahony, 49. H Jones
F: 50. H Dick, 54. K Answerth, 61. M Mitchell-Russell
R: 32. J Edwards, 46. D Tyson, 70. J Watkins

I/C: 53. M Hore, 58. Stevens, 60. N Beattie, 62. S Collins, 64. Z Monkhorst
23rd player: 60. N Beattie

EMG: 55. C Hinkley, 57. C Smith, 59. J Lipscombe, 68. J Guthrie

IN: 1. J Mahony, 19. J Walker, 28. K Turner, 34. J Archer, 51. T Williamson, 60. N Beattie, 62. S Collins
OUT: 6. J Horne-Francis, 37. K Hayden, 57. C Smith, 59. J Lipscombe, 64. W Doquile, 68. J Guthrie, 75. C Weightman

North Melbourne has suffered a heartbreaking two-point loss to Richmond in the VFL on Saturday afternoon, with the Tigers coming out on top in a heavily contested, wind-affected game.

While the Kangaroos had the wind on their side in the final term, they couldn’t make the most of the elements to overcome the Tigers. A Matt McGuinness goal in the final minutes gave some hope, but that would be the final goal of the day as the Tigers won 8.10 (58) to 8.8 (56).

The clash was Tom Lynch’s first game in charge as interim coach. He says the result was a difficult one to take.

“It’s really disappointing in the end because the boys put in a great effort all day. It was nice to be able to be in the contest and have those tense moments of being a kick away from winning the game though,” Lynch told North Media.

“That being said, we’re not looking to escape from the fact we’re bitterly disappointed. I can’t question the players’ efforts and I was rapt with how they played today.

“It was a horrible day in terms of the wind because it so heavily favoured one end, but hopefully the boys can take a lot of confidence out of the game.”

KANGAROOS v TIGERS Full match coverage and stats

Marty Hore and Josh Walker had immense days in defence, and it was Hore in particular who played a key role in not only keeping the Tigers scoreless in the second term, but controlling the game from the back when the Tigers had the breeze.

Out of the 16 goals for the day, a whopping 13 of those were kicked at the city end of the ground, with Dom Tyson’s third-quarter snap the first goal of the day against the wind.

Lynch said it’s obvious how much of an impact the wind had on proceedings.

“Our ability to defend against the breeze and keep having repeat entries when we had it was really pleasing. We also managed to keep competing ahead of the ball when we were outnumbered,” he said.

“The conditions meant that so many contests came down to the ability to fight and bring the ball to ground. It wasn’t an easy day to take marks ahead of the play. The boys were the first to move which created a lot of scoring shots when we had the breeze.

“We outscored Richmond two goals to one against the breeze for the day, and that shows that we were still able to move the ball how we wanted to despite the disadvantage which is another good sign.”

>> MORE VFL NEWS

Jack Mahony put in a strong performance as he rotated through the midfield and forward positions, while Dom Tyson was an immense presence at the contest with 25 touches and seven clearances.

After starting the season as a mainstay in the senior side, Mahony has found himself in and out of the team in recent weeks but has impressed whenever called upon at VFL level.

While he’s traditionally a pressure forward, Lynch appreciates the number one’s presence at the stoppage at reserve level.

“‘Mahns’ played a bit of a blend today. He was predominantly forward with a bit of time in the midfield. He’s obviously a great young player who is really clean over the ball,” he said.

“So much of the game was played through repeat stoppages, so to have him up around the ball gave us a really good look.

“As much as it felt like he was in the midfield, a lot of his stoppage moments happened when he came up as a forward. He had a really good game today."

The highlight of the day was Jackson Archer’s third-term goal, his first in royal blue and white. The first-year defender battled against the wind as he classily converted a set shot from the left pocket, while Kallan Dawson was once again a good marking presence in the back line.

Josh Goater continued his good form and provided drive and speed through the wide areas of the ground, while Max Mitchell-Russell was once again among the goals.

North Melbourne will have an extra week to dwell on the narrow loss thanks to the bye next week.

NORTH MELBOURNE     0.3     3.6     5.7     8.8     (56)
RICHMOND                    4.3     4.3     7.9     8.10     (58)

AFL-listed

Jackson Archer: Eight disposals, one goal, two tackles
Atu Bosenavulagi: 17 disposals, three marks, three tackles
Kallan Dawson: 18 disposals, three marks
Jacob Edwards: Four disposals, fifteen hitouts, three tackles
Eddie Ford: 11 disposals, five marks
Josh Goater: 19 disposals, four marks, one tackle
Jack Mahony: 22 disposals, one goal, five marks, four tackles, four clearances
Matt McGuinness: 15 disposals, one goal, two marks, three tackles
Kayne Turner: Four disposals, three tackles
Pat Walker: 14 disposals, four clearances
Josh Walker: 22 disposals, eight marks

Best of VFL-listed

Kade Answerth: 12 disposals, two goals, eight tackles, two clearances
Sam Collins: Nine disposals, one goal, five marks, three tackles
Marty Hore: 31 disposals, nine marks
Dom Tyson: 25 disposals, five marks, six tackles, seven clearances