In the final chapter of North Media’s ‘In Review’ podcast, North Melbourne managing director and CEO Carl Dilena sat down with AFL.com.au’s Nick Bowen to discuss the season that was 2018. 

While Dilena enjoyed the development of the North list, he was left somewhat disappointed by the failure to make finals. The loss to the Western Bulldogs in Round 22 the toughest one to swallow.

“Knowing you need one more win to get into the eight, and having that opportunity and not taking it was really frustrating, and I know the players and coaches felt the same way,” he said.

“There were some really good signs and I was hopeful that we would defy expectations and play finals, because that’s what we are here for.

“It was great to see the development, but there was still a sense of frustration as I’m a bit impatient and want to see us back playing finals as quickly as we can.” 

Now the focus is on building midfield depth.              

“We want to keep building on our midfield depth and add some pace to that group," Dilena said.

 “The modern game requires you to have a really deep and versatile midfield, and we will look to plug other gaps as they come about.

“Across the board we have good depth I think, but if we can bolster that midfield that will put us in good stead.”

Dilena says North is looking to make moves in the October trade period following last week's announcement that Jared Polec intends to sign on. 

“It’s pretty well known we are in the game, and we are looking at particular players," he said.

“There are plenty of clubs in the market place and the trade period is getting more and more active."

With only a small window to work within, Dilena says it can be hard for clubs to react in time if “Plan A” doesn’t come off.

“It’s difficult if you don’t find out until the back end and to be nimble and to go for someone else, because to get someone else to move clubs is a hard task, and you have to put in the effort in more than just trade week. 

“You need to keep your options open a bit during the year, but you have to remain focused and be prepared for the guys you really want to not make the move."

Whichever way the trade period pans out, Dilena believes the Kangaroos are in good shape after a promising season.

“Results were good, we got 12 wins which would probably usually get you a finals berth," he said. 

“We saw the development of a lot of our players such as Majak Daw down back and Jed Anderson in the midfield, as well as some young guys coming on like Will Walker, Paul Ahern and Luke-Davies Uniacke.

“The development of these guys has been a result of hard work, and for guys like Trent Dumont and Ed Vickers-Willis. 

“Trent knew it was a season he really wanted to step up, and you could see that with his effort in Utah (pre-season camp) and in pre-season, and I’m really pleased for him.”

 “Ed is a consummate professional and I love the way he goes about it. He was playing brilliantly earlier in the year, and it was a real shame about his injury.” 

While hard work is one aspect of the improvement seen, the availability of the club’s leading players no doubt helped. 

“You can’t underestimate the influence that having your leaders fit can bring," Dilena commented.

“You look at Shaun Higgins this year, he really took it up another notch and was brilliant this year.

“You’ve got guys like Ben Cunnington who is one of the most underrated players in the competition, but he is happy to stay out of the limelight. 

“Jack Ziebell going down forward this year was great. He leads from the front and really sets the tone for the team with his tackling and attack on the footy”.

The development of the squad and the performances from these leading players led to some memorable games. 

“There was a couple of wins along the way that were really satisfying," he recalled.

“I was really happy with how we performed interstate this year, and winning against Sydney in Sydney was a great effort in a tight game.

“And winning in the last 30 or 40 seconds in the first game against the Bulldogs was a nice one.”

'In Review" featuring Carl Dilena will be availble on NMFC.com.au and on the offical North Melbourne app on Wednesday.