Are North still in a rebuild phase?

[LeBronco]

They traded out of the first round of this year's draft which indicates they're no longer in a rebuild phase and expected to rise this year but that didn't go as expected. People believe they can be a finals contender next year so are North no longer in a rebuild phase? The list has a lot of top end talent with a master coach at the helm so it wouldn't surprise me to see North play finals in 2026. It's been a decade since their last finals appearance so one would hope they return to finals in 2026 or 2027.

 

[Jeremias]

Still very clearly in a rebuild. Every chance they remain in the bottom 4 in 2026.

Who believes they’re a finals contender next season? Can’t imagine that’s the case for many.

 

[Golumless]

Yes. You are in a rebuild phase until you prove that you aren't.

 

[SC_Power]

Id say it’s been that long now, North Melbourne ARE a rebuild phase.

 

[Makeshift Park]

People believe they can be a finals contender next year

Who believes they’re a finals contender next season?

If absolutely everything went right next year, and multiple kids became consistently good contributors, maybe we could sneak into 10th place.

Having said that, my pass mark for next year is a percentage in the 80s and 9 wins.

(Less than 8 wins and I reckon its time to move Clarko on.)

So yeah - those are the kind of expectations you have when your club isn't out of the rebuild phase just yet.

 

[timokane]

yep for me another 2-3 years away from finals

 

[shintemaster]

Mostly done the bulk of the heavy list work but still development time needed given in particular a young developing set of talls. There is a big list of players out of contract next year and there will be another decent cull. In my biased opinion 2026 comes down to development from the list that is already there and injuries. A good run this team has enough to now be competitive 4/5 weeks. Time will tell.

 

[Dirty Bird]

No - They're in the middle of a dynasty.
First ever back to back???

 

[Liam Boy]

No - They're in the middle of a dynasty.
First ever back to back???

Who cares about AFLM anyway, bunch of overpaid hacks

 

[Linda Lovelace]

You are 'rebuilding' until such time as club marketing teams no longer need to gaslight you into buying tickets to watch your sh*t team play.

 

[JZTIME!]

It doesn't matter. If we were 10 points a game better this year, we win another 6 or 7 and are the team ready to challenge for the 8.
For a few reasons we didn't quite get there but were much better than the year before.
If we get a similar improvement 8 or more wins isn't out of the question.
With our draw just beating the teams we did last year we could achieve that.
Once we do jump everyone will say so they should. Everything above points to us winning more, how many we wait and see.

 

[Elixuh]

They need FA or to trade in established talent at this point. And no more crazy trades like the one which delivered Richmond pick 3.

 

[Cyclops]

I think they are, circumstances have conspired against them historically. Very little margin for error atm.

 

[Obeanie1]

They need FA or to trade in established talent at this point. And no more crazy trades like the one which delivered Richmond pick 3.

So now we know the outcome why was it crazy?

IMO it wasn't at all.

Two quality talls versus Grjl, a balanced mid that they have a heap of already and didn't need another.

Looks like they knew the talent in 2025 wasn't deep. North got what they needed x 2.

 

[SSSSSS]

Been handed a piss easy draw.

They need to finish above the bottom 4 or heads will roll. It's a pretty low ****ing bar but come the **** on.

 

[Supreme_Chancellor]

wildcard baby!

 

[Farang83150]

Would be people on here that have probably only ever seen nth in a rebuild phase and plenty of us that can't remember when they weren't.

 

[the big lebowski]

Would be people on here that have probably only ever seen nth in a rebuild phase and plenty of us that can't remember when they weren't.

I mean we played you in a prelim in 2015. It’s not that long ago.

Maybe see a neurologist?

 

[Daka]

I am not saying that they need to make finals in 2026 but surely, they need to not be finishing in the bottom 4 again?

 

[The Nostradamus]

I am not saying that they need to make finals in 2026 but surely, they need to not be finishing in the bottom 4 again?

You would hope so otherwise clarko is in trouble imo

We have the 4th youngest list but that shouldn’t be an excuse

 

[bzparkes]

Not necessarily in a rebuild phase per se, how many high picks do you need after all?

The issue is, they need to keep getting games into the kids currently on their list but they picked their KPPs mostly last, who always take longer to develop. Bit of a weird situation to be in. Obviously they have Xerri and Larkey as 2 elite KPPs but the surrounding cast isn't much chop/too inexperienced, although Comben does show promise.

Despite that, they should realistically be aiming for Wildcard round at the very least. The fact Clarkson's admitted his defensive plan was no good and has handed it over to someone else more capable is good but also highlights that the past 3 seasons were essentially wasted with a shitty game plan.

Their best looks elite, their worst is seriously bad, so they need to obviously cull those bad losses and be competitive in most games, at the very least.

If they have another year the same as 2025, I can see Clarkson getting the tap on the shoulder.

 

[eastfreo75]

Not necessarily in a rebuild phase per se, how many high picks do you need after all?

The issue is, they need to keep getting games into the kids currently on their list but they picked their KPPs mostly last, who always take longer to develop. Bit of a weird situation to be in. Obviously they have Xerri and Larkey as 2 elite KPPs but the surrounding cast isn't much chop/too inexperienced, although Comben does show promise.

Despite that, they should realistically be aiming for Wildcard round at the very least. The fact Clarkson's admitted his defensive plan was no good and has handed it over to someone else more capable is good but also highlights that the past 3 seasons were essentially wasted with a shitty game plan.

Their best looks elite, their worst is seriously bad, so they need to obviously cull those bad losses and be competitive in most games, at the very least.

If they have another year the same as 2025, I can see Clarkson getting the tap on the shoulder.

Clarkson thought he could redo his success at Hawthorn.

You can never do the same thing again and instead rebuild something new.

 

[ferball]

Not necessarily in a rebuild phase per se, how many high picks do you need after all?

The issue is, they need to keep getting games into the kids currently on their list but they picked their KPPs mostly last, who always take longer to develop. Bit of a weird situation to be in. Obviously they have Xerri and Larkey as 2 elite KPPs but the surrounding cast isn't much chop/too inexperienced, although Comben does show promise.

Despite that, they should realistically be aiming for Wildcard round at the very least. The fact Clarkson's admitted his defensive plan was no good and has handed it over to someone else more capable is good but also highlights that the past 3 seasons were essentially wasted with a shitty game plan.

Their best looks elite, their worst is seriously bad, so they need to obviously cull those bad losses and be competitive in most games, at the very least.

If they have another year the same as 2025, I can see Clarkson getting the tap on the shoulder.

2025 was our best year since 2019 and we were unlucky not to beat the eventual Premiers.

If we have another year the same as that, then by definition it'll be better than last year because in 2026 we'd need to improve to have our best year since 2019. But really we should be aiming to have a better year than 2019.

Our list balance is probably good now, its just a matter of replacing the poorer players, mostly KPPs. Alot of the younger players just need time. That includes Sheezel, Curtis and the younger KPPs. Should be the last stage of the rebuild.

 

[spicerFanClub]

Not necessarily in a rebuild phase per se, how many high picks do you need after all?

The issue is, they need to keep getting games into the kids currently on their list but they picked their KPPs mostly last, who always take longer to develop. Bit of a weird situation to be in. Obviously they have Xerri and Larkey as 2 elite KPPs but the surrounding cast isn't much chop/too inexperienced, although Comben does show promise.

Despite that, they should realistically be aiming for Wildcard round at the very least. The fact Clarkson's admitted his defensive plan was no good and has handed it over to someone else more capable is good but also highlights that the past 3 seasons were essentially wasted with a shitty game plan.

Their best looks elite, their worst is seriously bad, so they need to obviously cull those bad losses and be competitive in most games, at the very least.

If they have another year the same as 2025, I can see Clarkson getting the tap on the shoulder.

Good take and agree except to the last 3 years being a waste. 2022 was genuinely rock bottom, we had a VFL level performance across forward, defence and midfield. Now I'd say we have an AFL standard mid and forward, with the ability to be elite, albeit inconsistently, which is significant process. Our defence and midfield defensive structure are still bottom barrel though, which makes it impossible to compete properly - here's hoping Littlejohn can bring in some better strategy and get some genuine buy in.

 

[Sprint Artisan]

Remember when people were saying their rebuild was two years ahead of Hawthorn's..?