A hotly anticipated fixture since the timeslots for Round 23 were announced, North Melbourne versus Richmond will now be keenly watched for a slightly different reason.
The Kangaroos have made nine changes, resting some of their biggest stars for Friday night’s clash.
However coach Brad Scott summed it up perfectly in his weekly media conference, simply stating:
“We have every intention of winning the game tomorrow night.”
Teams
North Melbourne
B: Joel Tippett, Robbie Tarrant, Shaun Atley
HB: Luke McDonald, Lachlan Hansen, Jamie Macmillan
C: Sam Gibson, Jack Ziebell, Trent Dumont
HF: Mason Wood, Drew Petrie, Taylor Garner
F: Brent Harvey, Majak Daw, Robbie Nahas
Fol: Ben Brown, Ryan Bastinac, Ben Jacobs
Int: Brad McKenzie, Aaron Black, Kayne Turner, Aaron Mullett
Emer: Daniel Currie, Kieran Harper, Scott McMahon
In: Joel Tippett, Majak Daw, Aaron Mullett, Aaron Black, Brad McKenzie, Mason Wood, Trent Dumont, Luke McDonald, Kayne Turner
Out: Nick Dal Santo, Jarrad Waite, Todd Goldstein (all managed), Michael Firrito (knee), Andrew Swallow (knee), Scott Thompson (ankle), Shaun Higgins (knee), Sam Wright (knee), Ben Cunnington (knee)
Milestone: Aaron Black – 50 games
Richmond
B: Chris Newman, Jake Batchelor, Troy Chaplin
HB: Nick Vlastuin, Alex Rance, Bachar Houli
C: Brandon Ellis, Brett Deledio, Taylor Hunt
HF: Kamdyn McIntosh, Ty Vickery, Dustin Martin
F: Trent Cotchin, Jack Riewoldt, Shane Edwards
Fol: Ivan Maric, Shaun Grigg, Kane Lambert
Int: Dylan Grimes, Anthony Miles, Ben Lennon, Sam Lloyd
Emer: Steven Morris, David Astbury, Matt Dea
In: Trent Cotchin
Out: Matt Thomas
Playing for opportunity
Although the popular belief will be North’s inclusions are merely stop gaps until the best 22 is selected for an elimination final, each has a big chance to stake their claim for a place next week.
Perhaps the best example of making the most of opportunity in 2014 was Kayne Turner. Before Round 23, the youngster had only played two games and was fighting for a spot in the finals.
However he came out against Melbourne and kicked four goals, the highest of any player on the ground. Turner then went on to play in all three finals, with his highlight being several crucial plays in the semi-final win against Geelong.
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Playing experience
Each of North’s nine inclusions has played senior AFL football, meaning the entire 22 is up to the required level.
The likes of Turner, Black and McDonald were contributors in the club’s two big finals wins last season, while midfielders Dumont and McKenzie are more than capable of finding plenty of the ball.
Mullett has multiple 30+ possession games and more than 50 matches to his name, while in Tippett’s very first game for the club he was a key contributor in the win against Fremantle in Perth.
Daw, likely to play mainly in the ruck, and Wood, playing as a third tall forward, both have the capability to influence the result of the game. Taking all of that into account, every inclusion will be able to play their role well.
The likes of Petrie, Brown, Ziebell, and Harvey are all still in the side, making it one with more than enough firepower to face a Richmond side which has been exceptional in its defending for the majority of the season.
Prior history and game styles
North will face a different Tigers side to the one it defeated at Blundstone Arena back in May.
On that afternoon, the Kangaroos kicked 14 of their 16 goals from opposition turnovers. It appeared to be the catalyst for Richmond to tighten up its method of play.
The ball movement became more considered for Richmond, the disposal distance shorter and the tempo of a match largely ruled by their own doing.
In the two sides’ first meeting, the Tigers went long with almost 39 per cent of their kicks, approximately their season average to that point. Since then the number has dropped to less than 34, a substantial decrease.
In the first six rounds of the season, Richmond averaged two more minutes in possession than opponents. From Round 7 onwards, the number has more than doubled to 4:06.
Sides have been able to enjoy success against North in the past through holding possession and controlling the tempo of the match. In that respect, it’s almost a perfect tune up for the Kangaroos, able to test themselves against a challenging game style right on the eve of a finals appearance.
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