RELATED: List Assessment Part 1: Age and Experience

After a successful 2014 season, there’s a heightened sense of expectation on North this year.

In the second of NMFC.com.au’s ‘List Assessment’ pieces for the upcoming season, we assess the quality of the Roos’ playing list and where the club ranks in the League.

List Quality

Champion Data has assessed the AFL playing lists for 2015, with North Melbourne ranking eighth in ‘quality’.

Of the Kangaroos' 30 rated players, 12 rank in the top 35 per cent of their respective positions.

Like 2014, three North players rank in the top 10 per cent of their position types – midfielders Brent Harvey and Nick Dal Santo have increased their ranking to 'elite' this year, joining ruckman Todd Goldstein.

Key position players Drew Petrie and Scott Thompson have both been graded 'above average' this year after last year being classified 'elite'.

How the numbers are calculated
Elite = Top 10% of position
Above average = Top 35% of position
Average = Middle 30% of position
Below average = Bottom 35% of position
Poor = Bottom 10% of position
? = Less than 10 games in 2013-2014

Players who are yet to debut or have played under 10 games aren't included in the rankings.

When compared to last year's rankings, Jack Ziebell, Daniel Wells and Lindsay Thomas have maintained their 'above average' rankings from 2014.

Jamie Macmillan has climbed from 'below average' to 'above average', while both Michael Firrito and Shaun Atley have moved from 'average' to 'above average'.

New recruit Jarrad Waite is also classified 'above average' after a solid contribution for Carlton last year.

Based on 2014 rankings, Ziebell is tipped to move into the 'elite' category, while skipper Andrew Swallow, Shaun Higgins and Ben Cunnington are expected to rise from 'average' to 'above average'.

North's highest-ranked
Elite
Brent Harvey (mid-forward)
Nick Dal Santo (mid)
Todd Goldstein (ruck)

Above average
Drew Petrie (key forward)
Michael Firrito (key defender)
Daniel Wells (mid)
Jarrad Waite (key forward)
Lindsay Thomas (gen forward)
Scott D. Thompson (key defender)
Jack Ziebell (mid-forward)
Shaun Atley (gen defender)
Jamie Macmillan (gen defender)

Champion Data player rankings

'Above average' and 'elite' players per club
Adelaide - 4 above average, 6 elite
Brisbane Lions - 8 above average, 3 elite
Carlton - 6 above average, 2 elite
Collingwood - 7 above average, 1 elite
Essendon - 6 above average, 3 elite
Fremantle - 10 above average, 4 elite
Geelong - 8 above average, 4 elite
Gold Coast - 7 above average, 3 elite
GWS Giants - 7 above average, 1 elite
Hawthorn - 8 above average, 8 elite
Melbourne - 4 above average
North Melbourne - 9 above average, 3 elite
Port Adelaide - 12 above average, 4 elite
Richmond - 6 above average, 4 elite
St Kilda - 2 above average
Sydney Swans - 13 above average, 3 elite
West Coast - 3 above average, 5 elite
Western Bulldogs - 7 above average, 1 elite

But how did the players get to that ranking?
Players accumulate or lose points – either positive or negative – in every passage of play they're involved in.

In the Player Ratings system, each action is given a value depending on effectiveness of a passage of play, the location on the ground that it took place and the distance gained towards goal or away from defensive goal.

A player's contribution is then calculated using scoreboard points – this is known as the Scoreboard Equity.

For example, a player will be given a negative Scoreboard Equity when taking a mark deep in defence because it's more probable that the opposition will score next.

Conversely, when a player takes a mark inside forward 50, the chances of his team scoring next is high, resulting in a positive Scoreboard Equity.

Champion Data's list assessment takes into account the AFL Player Rating points over a two-year period – 75 per cent of weight is taken from 2014 averages of a player and 25 per cent from 2013 averages.

The measure used to assess individual players is based on a combination of AFL Player Rating points and the average AFL Player Rating points of opponents in games played.

Champion Data gives us the following example:

Gary Ablett averaged 22.2 Player Ratings points in 2014 and Gold Coast's opponents averaged 10.1 points across all 22 players when he played.

His rating towards list assessments is then +12.1 points for 2014. To obtain a final measure we also include 2013 averages, with 2014 games carrying three times as much weight as 2013.

He was +10.3 in 2013, which gives an overall rating of +11.6 points – not surprisingly the best of any player in the competition.

This was the method that took North to eighth in the league for list quality in 2015.