Hard, tough and unrelenting; terms used regularly in recent days to describe North Melbourne’s brilliant performance against Collingwood.
While Jed Anderson, Jack Ziebell and Cam Zurhaar spring to mind when you hear those words, one player sneaking under the radar has been Tarryn Thomas.
North fans have become familiar with Thomas’ brilliance with ball in hand, but it’s his work defensively that really sets him apart.
Remarkably, Thomas’ 84 pressure points against Collingwood ranks third all-time for players his age.
“He’s a star, he’s a beauty,” former Brisbane champion Jonathan Brown said on Fox Footy’s On The Couch.
Thomas received a NAB Rising Star nomination in Round 12, and has played a key role in a team that’s been labelled the ‘hardest team in the competition’.
“They put the fear of god into the Collingwood Footy Club,” former Melbourne star Garry Lyon said on Fox Footy.
“Old North Melbourne people would tell you that they are most proud when they are a hard, tough, contested footy team.
“Right now, they can put their chest out and walk around town … they are the hardest team in the competition at the moment.
“That’s a great thing to be able to wear as a team. How good is that for your reputation as a footy club?”
Magpies’ captain Scott Pendlebury added to the chorus of praise for the Roos’ uncompromising style.
"They (the Kangaroos) were the best side I have played against this year,” he said.
“With their pressure, but also when they got the ball they had time and space and numbers to be calm in the way they moved, it made them hard to play.”
Opposition coaches also taking notice of the Roos' rise.
“They are playing incredible football,” St Kilda coach Alan Richardson said.
“I spoke to a coach who played against them only a couple of weeks ago and he said it was the way they attack the opposition, it was as hard as they had seen.”
North has won four of its past five games, and now sits 11th on the AFL ladder, just one game outside the top eight.
For interim coach Rhyce Shaw, the message to his players has been, ‘keep it simple’.
“The type of footy we are playing at the moment really suits our group,” Shaw said on SEN.
“We’ve got some real beasts on the inside that love going at it.
“Hopefully we’re giving them the opportunity with the way we are playing and the way we are defending, to really go at the opposition, and come forward and put pressure on them.
“It’s really working and the boys have sustained that effort.
“The challenge is for us to continue to do that and be consistent in our effort.”
