A painful lesson under the scorching Perth sun three years ago made Brad Scott’s decision to rest players against Richmond an easy one.

“In 2012 I made a massive blue in hindsight,” Scott explained in his media conference on Thursday.

“We’d secured a finals spot, we were travelling up to play GWS in the last round of the year.

“I didn’t rest anyone, I played players who had niggles, who were overly fatigued. Then we proceeded to travel to West Coast the next week and get absolutely obliterated.

“I swore to myself then; if we were in the same position I wouldn’t make the same mistake, so I’m not going to do it this year.”

The form line of the 2012 and 2015 sides are remarkably similar.

The Roos were in trouble at the half way mark of both seasons. Although there were good wins early in each year, there were some disappointing losses along the way.

Then, in both years, a heavy interstate thumping was the catalyst for a sustained run of good football.

In 2012, North had won nine of 11 matches heading into the final home and away round. Against a Giants side which had only won two games for the year, the Roos struggled to get going.

Even with a Melbourne final potentially up for grabs if it won by enough, there was little of the run and carry that symbolised a fresh Kangaroo outfit.

The following week, North was no match in an elimination final against West Coast in Perth, falling by 96 points.

It’s a similar story this year, with a loss to the Suns followed by just one hiccup, against the Bulldogs, in the back half of the year. But this time rest is on the cards before a final tilt at September.

But it isn’t the first year the club has rested players, with a handful also sitting out the finale against Melbourne in 2014.

“One of the most important points to make on this move is that history’s not necessarily going to be a predictor of the future, but you do learn some lessons from it,” Scott explained.

“It’s probably lost on a lot of people that we left four to six players out in Round 23 last year. We make no apologies for launching an assault on a finals series.

“That being said, we have every intention of winning the game tomorrow night.”