Luke McDonald's return to action was interestingly marked by a new role on the wing. David Noble's post-match comments on it revealed some fascinating possibilities.
For how the round looked on paper leading in, it turned out to be quite entertaining in reality. A draw, two more games decided by a kick, Nathan Buckley’s Collingwood farewell and a ripper in Adelaide which kicked things all off.
A largely uneventful afternoon at Hobart, only featuring North Melbourne jumping out to a five-goal lead at three quarter time, getting reeled back in, plenty of notable talking points from siren to siren and it all ending with North’s first draw since Round 16, 2009 ... actually, maybe there's a fair bit to talk about.
Instead of the usual team focus in the Notebook, today's edition will be all about some individual player analysis.
At the halfway point of North Melbourne's season, it feels like a natural time to reset and reflect on what we've learned so far.
The halfway point of the season! It's a large edition of the Notebook to mark the milestone, with a number of topics covered.
For the game which marked the halfway point of 2021, a focus on three topics – Bailey Scott’s role, Tom Campbell v Tristan Xerri, and what the forward setup could (or should) look like down the road.
How do you defend against fast play? That was the task which confronted North Melbourne on Sunday, and one they ultimately failed on route to a 72-point loss against Essendon.
On the agenda this week: Gold Coast's terrible third quarter, the Western Bulldogs' maturity, and a starting point for Melbourne's forward trio.
Forgive me if I’m a little bit rusty today, I looked up the manual on how to write about a North Melbourne win and it had been so long all the ink had faded out.
