It’s exciting times to be a North Melbourne player, and a North Melbourne fan.
While a record of one win and eight losses is far from ideal, statistically, the signs are there for everyone to see … the future at Arden Street is bright.
One man who can vouch for that fact more than most – the skipper Jack Ziebell.
“I can see us growing, week in, week out, and I think the members and supporters … with their support it’s going to be one hell of a ride for the rest of this year and into the future,” Ziebell told North Media.
“We’ve got some exciting young kids coming through and everyone’s just growing in confidence.”
Coming back from a 32-point deficit, North recorded a memorable seven-point victory against the Hawks on Saturday.
It hasn’t been an easy journey, but that made the win all the more enjoyable for Ziebell and his teammates.
“It’s been a long road this year, we’ve gone through quite a bit. We definitely earnt the win on the weekend,” he said.
“The boys actually played, after quarter-time, a really solid game of footy and a good brand of footy that’s going to hold us in good stead.
“We’ve heard a lot about process over the first half of the year, but to 'Nobes'' (David Noble) credit we’ve really stuck to that process, and that’s the reason we’ve got the win. We’ve been building really nicely over the last month.
“We’ve actually got quite a few boys who haven’t experienced that with our footy club, so it’s really important we sit back and enjoy the hard work and process that got us to a position to win that game.
“In the last month we’ve made some really important gains in our footy areas and KPI’s have really been improving.”
Ziebell said the unwavering support of North’s fan-base had been unbelievable, with the club ticking over 41,000 members over the past week.
“We’ve had nothing but seriously some of the best support we’ve had in my time at the club, over the last nine or ten weeks,” he added.
“They’re so loyal our supporters and so passionate, but also I think so understanding of the process we’re in, the phase we’re in as a footy club and where we’re going.”
