When Alastair Clarkson first joined the Kangaroos as coach, I distinctly remember his first address to the first-to-third year players.
He sold them hope. He told them that things turn around quickly in the AFL, and that when it happened at the North Melbourne Football Club, it might actually surprise them.
Whilst that turnaround did not happen as quickly as North fans would have preferred, the start of the 2026 AFL season has seen North jump out of the gates to sit 4-2. Had they had their game faces on against West Coast, they could have been positioned right at the pointy end of the ladder.
Wins over Port Adelaide, Carlton, Essendon, and Richmond, have already given North almost as many wins as they totalled in 2025. However, with a much tougher road ahead, the Kangaroos will now be tested against some of the better outfits in the AFL.
Over the next five rounds, we will see if the North Melbourne Football Club is experiencing a new day, or if the start to the season has been a false dawn.
When assessing what the Kangaroos have brought to the table to start the 2026 season, one only needs to look at the opponents they have faced. We are not talking about the best of the best here, are we?
Aside from the Brisbane Lions, who knocked them over by 26 points, it is likely the club has come up against teams that will not populate finals this season.
Port? They’d be lucky to hit the Wildcard weekend.
Carlton? They play three quarters every week.
Essendon? They looked lost for four and a half weeks. Wildcard, at best.
And Richmond? Their veterans are hurt and their kids are at the point the North kids were two years ago.
Coming up, they face GWS on the road, before a horror four-game stretch against the Cats at Kardinia Park, Sydney at Marvel, the Crows in Adelaide, and the Suns at Marvel, heading into the bye.
How many of those games are you pencilling in as wins?
A year ago, I’d have said none, but a team playing with confidence and belief can do amazing things.
If North are serious, a couple of upsets have to be on the cards – they cannot piss away this start by going into their shells and playing 2025 football again.
A great indicator as to where this team is at, and where it could be headed, is how the supporters reacted to their 75-point smashing of the Tigers. Apart from the flurry at the end, where North fans were celebrating, it was a subdued atmosphere… almost as though the Kangaroo supporters expected more from their team.
A 75-point win is great, but a 100+ point mauling was on the cards. The supporters wanted a heartless, merciless destruction of Richmond.
And that’s a great thing!
There was a point as little as 12 months ago that any victory would have been celebrated like it was 1975 all over again, but now… not so much. It is because the North fans see what is possible with this group.
They have a midfield brimming with elite talent. In one play during the win over Richmond, the combination of Luke Davies-Uniacke, George Wardlaw, Harry Sheezel, and Colby McKercher swept through the middle of the ground to pump the footy inside fifty.
“Ace, King, Queen, Jack!” yelled Dwayne Russell in response… though I am not sure which one of them would slot into the ‘queen’ spot.
However, it is up forward that things have looked vastly different, and the emergence of Cooper Trembath as a genuine marking forward is something as exciting as the Roo fans have had to cheer about in a long time. When you get Wayne Carey posting on X, pleading “don’t put the kid Trembath in the ruck” you know you have a gem on your hands. Carey sees what we see, and I reckon he might just see a little of himself in the 20-year-old…
… at least in terms of on-field stuff.
Nick Larkey now possesses the perfect foil for him to play his natural game. He is not now, and never has been, a contested marking player. He has had an ageing Jack Darling, and the hard-working Cam Zurhaar to draw minor heat away from him, but the high quality marking option has never really been there.
But it is now.
And Trembath has been so good in the role that Clarkson has opted to give Cam Zurhaar a new lease on life as a half-back.
Here’s something for you – prior to the move, Zurhaar was averaging ten touches and three marks per game. Within 37 minutes at half-back, guess what his numbers were.
Yep, ten possessions and three marks. He ended as one of North’s best, with 23 disposals, 11 marks, and six intercepts. He even snuck forward to hit up teammates for two direct goal assists.
That’s how you coach, for those who doubted Clarko. The life of a half-back is a good one in the modern game.
Hell, even Dylan Stephens is playing career-best footy out on the wing. Could he be the best-performed wingman in the game right now?
And still, the Roos have more to offer, with Tristan Xerri back this week from suspension, and Finn O’Sullivan almost ready after copping a whack to the jaw.
With Luke Parker settled in as a permanent defender… and a bloody excellent one, as well, could we be about to see North break the shackles and start pushing their way back into the finals picture?
It almost seems scary to think about – it’s been so long. It’s like going home after having no contact with anyone for years!
After the next month of football, we are going to have a very clear picture as to where the Kangaroos sit in relation to the 2026 season.
I remember a part from Rocky III that might best sum up where the Roos are at right now.
Rocky was riding high – champion of the world (or the first six rounds, for the sake of this article) but Clubber Lang was looming as a serious threat. Rocky’s trainer, Old Micky (played by Burgess Meredith, who was apparently one of Hollywood’s best stick men… ahem) was trying to warn his charge.
Rocky wouldn’t have a bar of it. He talks about all his wins and all his opponents.
“They was hand-picked!” screams Micky, in concession.
Is that where North are now? Have they only knocked over the easybeats of the competition and are about to run into four weeks of Clubber Lang-like lessons?
Their rise in the early stages has been one of the best stories of the season. Their fifth position on the ladder has astounded some. But now comes the test.
New day, or false dawn?
We find out in five weeks’ time.
As always, massive thanks to those who support this work. You can see the amount of care that goes into it. I love footy, I love writing about it, and I hope you enjoy reading it. Without you, this whole thing falls over. Sincerely… thank you – HB
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