A promising pre-season for North unveiled plenty of question about the team’s potential make-up for Round 1.  

Playing against three outfits many predict to be comfortably inside the top eight – and arguably top four – the Roos certainly didn’t look out of their depth, winning two matches and leading at half-time against the Giants.

NMFC.com.au looks at some of the key points from the pre-season campaign with less than two weeks until the season opener against West Coast.

An expanded midfield

While the trio of Andrew Swallow, Ben Cunnington and Jack Ziebell will understandably take the majority of centre bounce involvements, it appears a key focus in 2017 is spreading the load and using different combinations where possible.

The likes of Trent Dumont, Shaun Higgins and Ryan Clarke were sighted in the centre more often than they were last season, while Declan Mountford was also involved.

Higgins in particular made an immediate impact through the JLT Series. Of the Roos who were at 10 or more centre bounces, the 29-year-old won the first possession more than any of his teammates.

When the ball-winning ability is combined with his elite disposal, it’s easy to see why Higgins will be such a crucial part of the North side during the home and away season.

The youngsters playing for spots

A common theme throughout the summer at Arden Street has been around the training intensity being high, with the battle for spots fierce.

It clearly carried over into competitive matches, with several Roos putting their hand up for an immediate debut.

Jy Simpkin and Braydon Preuss were arguably the two who drew the most attention.

Simpkin, North’s first selection in the 2016 National Draft, played against Hawthorn and GWS and appeared ready for AFL level – even after missing a significant amount of time with a broken leg.

Preuss, in his third season at the club, showed the immense improvement in his game over the pre-season, with his tap work in the ruck a feature.

North’s ruck division is a tough one to crack with Todd Goldstein fit and firing, but Preuss’ JLT Series suggests he isn’t far away from pulling on the blue and white jumper during a game for points.

Nathan Hrovat seems all but certain to make his first appearance for North in Round 1 after smoothly slotting into his half-forward role.

The defensive mix

North’s defensive half was the area of the field which saw the most change during the JLT Series.

As players returned from injury, the look changed from week to week and it means the composition of the backline is likely to be one of the areas most up for debate heading into Round 1.

Marley Williams impressed in his two pre-season matches; Champion Data statistics showing he conceded zero goals, often while playing on the opposition’s best small-forward.

Ed Vickers-Willis was one of the North players to play in all three matches, usually as the third tall, while Sam Durdin made an impact in his two appearances as a key-defender against Sydney and Hawthorn.

Given the Eagles’ flexibility in their forward line – their talls are capable at ground level while the mid-sized forwards are also good aerially – North’s match committee may look to select a backline able to mix and match if need be.