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Why North Melbourne should be favourites for Carlton clash
Jaiden Sciberras • April 15th, 2025 2:45 pm
North Melbourne are beginning to field significant expectations as their list continues to develop.
Following six straight seasons of negative records, combining for just 16 wins since the start of the 2020 season, the Kangaroos’ rebuild has begun to show notable signs of success.
While the results are yet to appear on paper, a talented young core and patches of top-notch football suggest that the Roos under Alastair Clarkson are not far away from making a push up the ladder.
Their Gather Round performance against the Suns was a perfect example of where North Melbourne currently stand. Falling behind in the second term, the Kangaroos pulled back the 24-point deficit to boot eight of the next 10 goals, claiming the lead and remaining ahead until the 26-minute mark of the third term.
From that point, North managed just two goals, allowing the Suns to pull away to claim a substantial 52-point win.
With a Good Friday clash against the out-of-form Blues, Garry Lyon believes that, given their clear capability to play at the highest level, the Roos should enter the contest full of belief.
“The list now is getting to the stage where they have got every right to go into each game thinking they could win,” Lyon told SEN Breakfast.
“They are competitive, they’re competitive again until they are not and that’s the question that’s being asked of (Clarkson).
“The win-loss is important for Kangaroos’ fans, I’m more concerned about what happens when the things fall apart a bit as it did against the Swans.
“They got split open and weren’t able to find a way to get through. I thought their performance against the Suns was first rate, right up until it wasn’t.
“Maybe it is part of the progression of having these kids in your team, and maybe it’s another 12 months, but they’ve got talent that is good enough to compete.”
While there remains significant progress to be made until North Melbourne can challenge the competition’s best, Lyon believes that the Kangaroos should be the favourites for their clash with the Blues.
“I don’t think (North Melbourne) are playing finals this year,” Lyon continued.
“But when big games come along, they’ve got to own that big moment. This is one on Good Friday, when everyone is watching against a team that is vulnerable.
“They should win this, North Melbourne, if they are progressing where they need to get to.
“As it stands for Friday's game, everyone should look at that and go ‘yeah, 100 per cent North should win this game.
“That’s an expectation that they should welcome, because that expectation hasn’t been there. We haven’t said that about North Melbourne for a long time.
“You go into this game, and you damn straight should be under pressure to win the game!”
Friday afternoon’s contest kicks off at 3:20pm, the first of a Good Friday double header.
