Drawing on past experience, North Melbourne premiership coach Denis Pagan has implored his former side to simply focus on finishing in the top four.
Although his own Kangaroos lost two consecutive preliminary finals before finally triumphing in 1996, Pagan believes the similar heartbreaks in 2014 and 2015 don’t impact this season’s chances.
“I don’t subscribe to the theory that because North have lost two preliminary finals in the last two years, that that will help them in any way,” Pagan wrote in The New Daily.
“We like to think about the romanticism about these sorts of things but go and ask Ross Lyon about his time at St Kilda.
“It didn’t work out there and they got terribly, terribly close.
“I think of 1993 with the Bombers, who took their chance and won a flag before they were expected. The Kangaroos just need to finish in the top four. That’s crucial.”
To finish in the top four, North will likely need 16 wins. On paper it seems extremely gettable – with six more from its last 11 matches to get.
But the fixture is about to get extremely tough.
“North Melbourne’s run home is incredibly difficult. How about their next four matches? They’ve got Geelong and Hawthorn at Docklands and away trips to Adelaide and West Coast.
“Two wins would be a good result. If they can sneak three, their fans will be elated.
“But it’s a long season. And they’ve got plenty of tests to come.”
A series of players have recently returned from injury; the likes of Taylor Garner (hamstring), Lachlan Hansen (concussion) and Mason Wood (concussion) all back in action at either VFL or AFL level.
There’s one player who Pagan singles out as having the potential to cause some serious problems for oppositions.
“If there’s one thing that North don’t have a lot of, it’s outside run. Ben Cunnington, Jack Ziebell and Andrew Swallow do the grunt work on the inside but Wells needs a bit of help.
“That’s where I think Jed Anderson could be very handy. The ex-Hawk seriously injured his hamstring this year but is close to returning and he is pretty quick.
“He might need to play for five or six weeks in the VFL to get back into some form but if he can come in and play a role, it will enhance North Melbourne’s chances.”
Labelling this year ‘so open’ – coincidentally much like the general perception of 1996 – Pagan lists off a series of premiership contenders this season.
“North are certainly capable on any given day if everything goes well. But that also applies to Hawthorn, Sydney, the Bulldogs, Geelong, and even GWS and West Coast.
“Sydney’s attack on the football is very admirable. They’re ferocious. Sometimes I worry they handball too much but I’m very impressed.
“And September is about contested footy and I love the Bulldogs. No side in the comp is harder than them. I think Sydney and the Western Bulldogs, at the moment, are North’s biggest challengers.”
