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Larkey: The "special" Kangaroo ready for the next level
Jaiden Sciberras • March 15th, 2026 11:19 am
North Melbourne is in desperate need of a positive season, and according to newly appointed captain Nick Larkey, the club’s young talents are ready to elevate the side to new heights.
Mounting an undesirable streak of six consecutive finishes in the bottom three, the Kangaroos have failed to find any sort of consistency for quite some time, with the legendary Alastair Clarkson seemingly without answers as the crisis continues.
However, approaching the 2026 campaign, Larkey is confident that the side’s collective of young talents are ready to contribute to the side’s success, building on years past as they eye off a rise up the table.
“That’s the exciting part about our list; all the uncovered young talent we’ve got, and what their potential is,” Larkey told SEN Breakfast.
“At the end of the day, it’s all potential at the moment. We’re under no illusions – we’ve got to actualise that and put it into real form.
“All of the young guys will continue to grow, and they have over pre-season. It has been a really good pre-season for us; a lot of the young guys are looking like they’re taking control of their own careers and see themselves really impacting in the side and not just finding their feet at the level.
“I think that’s the process you go through as a young player. When you first get to the club, you just want to earn the respect of your teammates and just want to get a game.
“When you get a game, you just want to stay in the side and once you stay in the side and you’ve got your spot, you want to do everything you can do to help the team succeed.
“We’re at that last step in those young guys’ development, so hopefully it comes out in a few more wins this year.”
Of the club’s multitude of young players, Larkey identified two specific talents that he believes will play a crucial role in North Melbourne’s season.
“I reckon Finn O’Sullivan (is ready for the next level) – he’s had a great pre-season,” Larkey said.
“Just the way he moves, his size, what he can do with the ball… he just looks like a really special player.
“He has been touted like that his whole early career all the way into the system. You can see it in the way he moves with the ball. Hopefully he will get a bit more exposure and time in the midfield, get him around the footy even more.
“He had a good year last year, but he was playing at half back. Now, in the guts, he might get his hands on it a little bit more. He can do some special things with it.
“I’m looking forward to playing with Lachy Dovaston up there. He’s a bit of a livewire, had a ripping game against the Pies in trying conditions and he’s shown plenty.
“Goal nous – that stuff you can’t teach. He’s just a goalkicker, pops up at the right time and it’s hard to find guys like that. Really looking forward to those two.”
When asked of Dovaston’s likeness to Hawthorn’s Nick Watson, Larkey concurred.
“He does (remind me of Watson), he’s got some spunk about him!” he said.
“He’s not shy, getting into the opposition already even in these couple of praccy matches. It’ll be interesting, putting up some little spot fires.
“My captaincy on field might be put to the test a bit early with him getting a bit lippy, but that’s alright. As long as we’re on top, that’s all that matters.”
Larkey, O'Sullivan, Dovaston and the Roos host Port Adelaide this afternoon to kickstart their campaign.
