From an AFL Fantasy perspective, there was a lot to like about North Melbourne’s 44-point victory over St Kilda in the first week of the NAB Challenge.

While none of North’s players amassed huge fantasy scores, a number of young players put in performances that suggested they have some fantasy potential in 2016 and beyond.

No doubt the biggest impact was made by Mason Wood (FWD, $283,000), who after just eight AFL games so far in his career could be in for a breakout season.

He kicked 4.2 and had 13 disposals to finish the day with 73 AFL Fantasy points in what was close to a best-on-ground performance.

Wood is probably a bit more expensive than you’d like for a forward line rookie player. Still, he’ll be worth following over the next few weeks to see if he can cement a spot for Round 1.

Luke McDonald (DEF, $285,000) was one of North’s best performers on the day, getting a chance to run through the midfield a bit more than usual and picking up 18 disposals, the most of any North player, along with seven tackles for a score of 74.

A move to the midfield could be huge for McDonald’s fantasy fortunes but it’s hard to tell at this point if this was the beginning of a permanent shift, or just a bit of experimentation.

We’ll keep an eye on the rest of his NAB Challenge performances because at $285,000 he could prove to be a real backline bargain.

Jed Anderson (FWD, $224,000) and Ryan Clarke (MID, $164,000) were two key members on our NAB Challenge watch list and both coincidentally finished with a score of 49.

Anderson had a goal, four inside 50s and three clearances, but didn’t really pad his game out with disposals and tackles in the way fantasy coaches would like him to. He spent a lot of his time as a forward rather than a midfielder.

At his price, you’d want Anderson to be scoring a bit better to consider him for your AFL Fantasy side. We’ll keep an eye on him in the next two games and see if he can get more of a run through the middle of the ground, which could boost his scoring to the desired level.

Clarke may not have racked up a whole lot of stats but really impressed on the day and looks like a player of the future.

It's sure to be tough to break into North’s experienced midfield – though if he does, his cheap price will be hard to resist.