Four wins in a row. It’s an effort only achieved three times since 2009, and it’s on the cards if North Melbourne wins on Saturday night.
The opponent will be Carlton; the Blues attempting to rebound from their heavy loss to Hawthorn last week.
The sides will play outside a Friday night for the first time in six years.
Teams
North Melbourne
Backs S.Wright 19 R.Tarrant 25 M.Firrito 11
Half Backs N.Dal Santo 15 S.Thompson 16 B.Jacobs 5
Centreline L.McDonald 21 J.Ziebell 7 S.Atley 18
Half Forwards B.Harvey 29 D.Petrie 20 S.Higgins 4
Forwards K.Turner 40 J.Waite 30 B.Brown 50
Followers T.Goldstein 22 B.Cunnington 10 A.Swallow 9
Interchange R.Bastinac 3 L.Thomas 12 T.Garner 27 S.Gibson 43
Emergencies B.McKenzie 2 R.Nahas 28 A.Mullett 41
No change
Carlton
Backs S.Rowe 17 M.Jamison 40 Z.Tuohy 42
Half Backs S.Docherty 15 C.Yarran 13 D.Buckley 7
Centreline E.Curnow 35 M.Murphy 3 K.Simpson 6
Half Forwards T.Bell 28 A.Everitt 33 J.Tutt 22
Forwards T.Menzel 2 L.Casboult 41 L.Henderson 23
Followers M.Kreuzer 8 S.White 43 P.Cripps 9
Interchange B.Boekhorst 12 A.Carrazzo 44 C.Smith 25 C.Wood 36
Emergencies K.Jaksch 18 T.Fields 37 B.Walsh 34
In: A.Carrazzo , C.Wood , T.Menzel , C.Smith
Out: L.Jones (Omitted) , N.Holman (Suspension) , B.Walsh (Omitted) , B.Johnson (Omitted)
Building momentum
In the last three weeks, North has steadily improved its play. Coming off the defeat against Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium, the Kangaroos have kicked at least 14 goals in each game during their current winning streak.
It’s the highest three-game scoring block of the season, and points to a forward line approaching good form as a unit. A look at the club goal kicking leaderboard reveals an even spread of contributors.
Five members of last week’s team have kicked more than 20 goals for the season and with fitness and form permitting, there is every chance all will reach the 30 goal mark in 2015.
To find a similar achievement, you have to go all the way back to 2008. Four players (David Hale, Corey Jones, Lindsay Thomas, Matt Campbell) kicked more than 30 with a further two (Shannon Grant, Nathan Thompson) finishing on 29.
The spread of options will make North an extremely dangerous side to defend if the group clicks, something which appears close to happening.
Importance of a strong start
The value of striding out of the blocks quickly was demonstrated at the Gabba last Saturday night.
North completely dominated the opening quarter and its reward was a healthy 28-point lead at the first break.
It created a buffer that allowed the Roos to withstand the inevitable surge from the home side. When the Lions’ best shot was only able to cut the margin in half, a late goal from Ziebell effectively snuffed out any challenge and North was able to kick away in the third and fourth quarters.
A similar first quarter could have a destabilising effect on Carlton. After its loss to Hawthorn, falling behind early once more might create a task too tough for the Blues to fight back from.
Defending inside 50 entries
Earlier this week, NMFC.com.au detailed the reasons behind the side’s defensive improvement in the last two months. It becomes even more important on Saturday night due to Carlton’s recent performances.
In the last four weeks Carlton has averaged only 38.3 inside 50’s per match, only ahead of Brisbane. While there is little doubt the Blues will look to open play up in an attempt to break the shackles of a low scoring month, North has the ability to dictate the game with its defensive structure.
If the Kangaroos can do that and then lean on their capacity to restrict scores when the Blues do go inside 50, it should result in another quality performance.
The run home
From now until the end of the regular season, North only has to leave Victoria once. Considering the trip is only to Hobart and Blundstone Arena, it’s the perfect platform in which to launch towards a potential finals run.
On form lines, North will be favoured in each of the next three games. If it can do the job and stretch its winning streak to six games, it will approach the Round 21 clash against Fremantle brimming with confidence.
It then leads into the final fortnight which potentially could feature two games between sides battling for finals positioning.
Both the Western Bulldogs and Richmond have been inside the top eight for the majority of the season and look to be on the verge of finals berths. It would be the perfect preparation for September.
