2018’s surprise good news story North Melbourne got away with a win at the Gabba via the Lions snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Cameron Rayner, the number one draft pick from 2017, with only 37 seconds on the clock made the bizarre decision to play on after winning the ball from a free kick and his snap floated past the face of goal allowing the Kangaroos to hold on after running out of legs on a hot Brisbane afternoon.

North Melbourne now sit in ninth with 11 wins equal to eighth placed Geelong. With their remaining three games against the Western Bulldogs, Adelaide, and St Kilda, all teams below the Kangaroos on the ladder, they have the easiest run home on paper of clubs in their ladder neighbourhood.

Many had tipped the Shinboners for this year’s wooden spoon but massive improvements in players like Jed Anderson, Majak Daw, Todd Goldstein and Jack Ziebell has seen the club return to being competitive sooner than most expected. Midfielder Shaun Higgins and eye-catching full forward Ben Brown look set for All Australian positions while clearance beast Ben Cunnington and full back Robbie Tarrant are rarely beaten. Coach Brad Scott still plays a predominantly mature team without many young players starring but looks to be following a recipe for success that clubs like Geelong and Hawthorn made famous with stability and strong leadership.

With two key midfielders likely to return to the side in Higgins and Ben Jacobs, and spearhead Jarrad Waite surviving his in Brisbane today after calf issues North Melbourne still have upside to expose this season. All they need to do now is keep winning and one of the most unlikely finals berths in years seems likely.

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