Earlier this year, North Melbourne announced its top 150 players of all time, as the club celebrates its 150th anniversary.
In the coming weeks, North Media will be profiling members of the top 150; from the most recent generation, featuring Brent Harvey, Ben Cunnington and Scott Thompson, right back to the very early days of the club, and the likes of Johnny Lewis, Charlie Cameron and Jim Adamson.
This time we take a look back at the club's first ever premiership captain, Barry Davis.
RELATED: The top 150 of all time | 150 Anniversary Hub
Few players can boast the impact of Barry Davis in just three seasons at North Melbourne.
As the club’s officially history book ‘The Shinboners’ states:
At the end of 1972, Barry Davis had done just about all there was to do as a VFL footballer.
Over 12 seasons at Essendon, he had played in three Grand Finals, won two premierships and captained his club.
Davis played 218 games for the Bombers, twice finishing runner-up in the Brownlow Medal.
At 185 centimetres and 85 kilograms, he started his career as an attacking half-back, but soon developed into a dominant ruck-rover. He won best and fairest honours in 1968, ’69 and ’71.
Considered an out-and-out superstar, Davis was still having a big impact in 1972, polling 11 Brownlow votes, after 18 the year previous.
However, he’d moved back to defence, and knew he could play a role in the midfield.
Enter the 10-year rule; the controversial policy that ran for just nine months, and famously netted North Davis, John Rantall and Doug Wade.
The then 30-year-old landed at North, was handed him the captaincy, and returned to his familiar ruck-rover role under Ron Barassi.
He was back to his very best; 25 disposals a game, 19 goals across the season, and 14 Brownlow votes as the Kangaroos came within a whisker of the finals. That result after a wooden spoon just one year earlier.
Davis won the Syd Barker Medal in his first year at the club.
As North’s rapid rise continued, he continued to prosper. Best-on-ground in two finals’ victories in ’74, and amassing over 500 disposals across the season, Davis also booted 21 goals.
But his crowning moment was yet to come.
North lost its first four games of 1975, then staged a remarkable turnaround to finish the home and away season with 14 wins and in third place.
Even so, few gave Barassi’s side any chance to have an impact in September.
An upset win over Carlton in the qualifying final saw the Roos through to a semi-final. They lost against the minor-premier Hawthorn, but Davis’ 33 disposals and a goal helped them bounce back against Richmond a week later.
It was just the club’s third Grand Final ever, but despite going in as heavy underdogs, North was dominant from the outset.
Davis has 22 kicks from his 24 disposals, leading his side to a memorable 55-point win.
He held the premiership cup aloft for the first time in North’s history.
Fittingly, Davis announced his retirement soon after; not because he was 32, and not because of poor form, but because he knew he’d be hanging up the boots on the perfect note.
In fact, he was still going strong in his final year with 23 disposals a game, and a second Syd Barker Medal.
After just 71 games, Davis was a premiership captain, and went on to be named in the club’s team of the century.
