Vice-captain Drew Petrie concedes North missed an opportunity to make the Grand Final this season, but says the current playing group has the potential to reach new heights next year.
The 32-year-old, who last month extended his AFL career into a 16th season after signing a one-year contract extension, played 24 games this season and complemented fellow talls Jarrad Waite and Ben Brown up forward.
Petrie said the Roos were capable of winning a premiership sooner rather than later, especially after featuring in consecutive preliminary finals.
“The group we’ve got at the moment, I believe, can make a Grand Final,” Petrie told NMFC.com.au on Tuesday.
“That’s what has hurt the most about this season is that maybe (in) 2014, when we played in the prelim we got beaten by Sydney convincingly so maybe we weren’t quite capable of winning a flag, but this year we were right amongst it.
“We were good enough to be there [in the Grand Final] this year and we’ll be good enough to be there next year providing we have that hunger and that determination that you saw this year.”
Petrie finished first at the club for overall marks (162) and marks inside 50 (62) this season, equal first on the club’s goalkicking tally alongside Waite (42 goals apiece) and second overall in contested marks (39).
The 293-gamer missed just one match this season through suspension, serving his ban for striking Geelong defender Andrew Mackie in round 15.
Petrie said he enjoyed playing in North’s new-look forward line this year.
He added it took some time to jell with Waite and Brown in the early rounds, but the trio developed a strong rapport as the season unfolded.
“It was great to work with ‘Waitey’ and Brown this year. The first part of the year, it might’ve taken us a little bit of time to all get that synergy required to function as a forward line,” Petrie said.
“We all had hopes that’d click from round one and it took a few weeks.
“And then (in) the second half of the year, we all saw the benefits of having played some footy in the first half of the year and it looked a bit more seamless.”
Never one to shy away from a contest, Petrie collided head-first with Sydney Swans speedster Gary Rohan in the final quarter of the semi-final after latching onto a courageous mark.
Petrie said he emerged from the game with nothing more than a cut and a headache.
“I had a couple of staples put in my head after running into Rohan; he showed some enormous courage running back with the flight,” he said.
“He was a bit of a sorer boy after that than I was.
“It looked as though I had a bit of a tough game but I came away basically unscathed in the scheme of what footy presents.”
