It would come as no surprise to most, but North Melbourne will come into the 2019 season with more top-end talent than it did this time last year.

Jared Polec, Ben Cunnington, Trent Dumont, Aaron Hall and Majak Daw have been rated ‘elite’ by Champion Data, which means they rank in the top ten per cent of their respective positions.

The Roos’ list currently has the second-most elite players in the competition, alongside the GWS Giants and reigning premiers West Coast, and just one less than Adelaide and Richmond.

North’s recruitment of Hall (28-years-old), Tom Campbell (27-years-old), Jasper Pittard (27-years-old), Polec (26-years-old) and Dom Tyson (25-years-old) has also boosted its overall age average, despite the departure of Jarrad Waite.

The club’s list is now made up of 17 players between 25 and 28 years of age. With the continued development of players from within, that number is nine than the beginning of 2018.

With this increase in age comes an increase in experience, with the club moving from the least experienced list in the competition in 2018, to the ninth most experienced.

Last year the club averaged 53 games of AFL, but in 2019, it averages 65.

Hall, Pittard, Polec and Tyson have all played in excess of 100 senior games, which has moved the number of players who have appeared in 100-199 matches, from eight to 11.

With these recruits, plus the natural development of some younger Roos, North has strengthened its on-ball brigade over the summer, currently holding seventh spot in the midfield rankings, according to Champion Data’s rankings.

This time last year, North was ranked 13th.