The only way has been up for most of North Melbourne’s season, and after Saturday’s win against Carlton, the potential of this young group is starting to really shine through.

Along with the returning Ben Cunnington, North’s young midfielders have really come to the fore in 2021, not least Tarryn Thomas who put in yet another thrilling performance against the Blues.

Finishing with 23 disposals and 4 goals from midfield, Thomas says there’s a special feeling around the playing group at the moment.

“The team’s been going pretty well over the last month, we’re playing good footy, we’re trusting our approach and believing in ourselves … it showed today,” Thomas told North Media.

“We’ve got a tight group. I’m loving the boys and I’m loving the team.

“It’s nice to get on the board and get a few touches but it’s a team thing. I love playing for his team [and] hopefully going into the last four games we can play alright.”

Nick Larkey has been building towards a huge performance in recent weeks, kicking multiple goals in five of the six games leading up to the Carlton clash.

Carlton’s key defensive pair of Liam Jones and Jacob Weitering couldn’t contain Larkey, who finished with 20 disposals and 7 goals in a performance that announced his key-position credentials to the AFL.

While he was the one to finish the goals off, Larkey says he was the beneficiary of some quality midfield play.

“I don’t think I did too much different to what I’ve been doing in previous weeks, but when the ball movement flows like that you reap the rewards as a key forward,” Larkey told SEN.

“We were so good at scoring off turnovers, the ball was whipped back down the other end really quick and it’s really hard to defend that. It was awesome to be a forward down there, you live for days like that.

“I was on the end of a couple of really nice kicks inside 50 from ‘Phillo’ (Will Phillips) … on the weekend it clicked for quite a few players and it makes my job easier especially when it’s kicked beautifully like that.

“We’re finally seeing some of the reward of sticking to the process that we’ve been talking about all year … we’ve wanted a driven group and it’s nice for it to finally start turning.”

Good culture breeds good results, and good results breed good culture. The two undoubtedly go hand in hand, and according to Jaidyn Stephenson, the culture North is building is special.

“David (Noble) makes it a really friendly environment where everyone is open. We’re big on building culture and having the ability to tell anyone, whether it be ‘Ziebs’ (Jack Ziebell) or a first-year player, they’re doing something wrong and how they can improve it,” Stephenson told the Sunday Footy Show.

“There’s no hierarchy at the club and that’s really helped. I’m settling in playing that high-forward role and getting a few minutes playing on ball each quarter which certainly helps get me into the game and involved.

“I’m happy where we are. Obviously, we didn’t start the season how we wanted to but we’ve started really building something since the bye and I’m very bullish about next year and the possibility of playing finals.”

While the more attacking players like Thomas, Larkey and Stephenson may be receiving the bulk of the praise off the back of Saturday’s win, the ability of North’s defenders to create turnovers and kickstart attacks was crucial in the victory.

Kayne Turner continues to impress in his new defensive role, restricting the always dangerous Eddie Betts to just 2 disposals for the game, while registering 11 touches and 5 intercepts himself.

Having cemented himself as the go to defender for the opposition’s most dangerous forward, Turner says the quality of the whole team’s defensive effort helped him complete his role.

“He’s a great player Eddie, he has been for a really long time so I was a bit nervous pre-game,” Turner told North Media.

“What helps me the most is the team defence, the guys up the ground … make my job a lot easier when they’re winning the ball out of there, so it was a really team effort on the defensive side today. 

“I’m happy to play whatever role the team needs. I fell into that role a bit at the start of the year but I’ve really enjoyed it down there, playing alongside some of the older guys like ‘Ziebs’ and ‘Taz’ (Robbie Tarrant) has really helped me.

“The growth of the team led by those younger guys … to see their growth and development makes you proud as one of the older boys in the team.

I’m just really looking forward to seeing what that next generation of boys can do.”