Todd Goldstein has full confidence North Melbourne’s crop of exciting youngsters can help the team go to another level in 2020.

Having resisted interest from rival clubs to sign a new three-year deal, the Roos’ big man has been a consistent performer for the past decade, alongside experienced stars like Brown, Cunnington, Tarrant and Ziebell.

But he believes an emerging group of players under 23 holds the key to future success.

“It is what is going to make the difference. We know what Benny Brown will give us, we know what Ben Cunnington and Jack Ziebell will give us. It’s those guys (the young players) who can really drive this group forward,” Goldstein told The Herald Sun.

Queried as to whether North’s up-and-comers were as good as any in the league: “I don’t see why they are not,” Goldstein said.

“They need to keep working to get better, but that’s the impressive thing, they are all doing that. They all want to be stars.

“You look at Cam Zurhaar, he has that inner arrogance, but he wants to get better.

“Tarryn Thomas has been nothing but impressive since he came here as an academy kid three or four years ago, so I think they have got a lot of potential, but they need to keep working hard and hopefully that drives this group along.”

With the likes of Zurhaar, Thomas, Luke Davies-Uniacke, Paul Ahern, Jy Simpkin, Sam Durdin, Ben McKay, Curtis Taylor, Bailey Scott, Nick Larkey and new-recruit Aiden Bonar all under 23, Goldstein believes the club is in good hands.  

“We are headed in the right direction, we have got a lot of young players, we had four Rising Star nominations last year so I have got great confidence in the group we have got,” he added. 

North’s entire playing group returned to the track on Monday under a new-look coaching group, led by Rhyce Shaw.

Jade Rawlings, Heath Scotland, Leigh Adams, Jared Rivers are among those to join the Roos’ panel.