The North Melbourne Football Club is signalling a palpable shift in attitude as they gear up for the upcoming season, with key figures expressing a collective sense of urgency and heightened expectations. President Sonja Hood, captain Nick Larkey, and senior coach Alastair Clarkson have all publicly articulated an “impatient” outlook for the year ahead, signalling a departure from the club’s recent struggles.
After enduring six consecutive seasons finishing in the bottom three of the AFL ladder, a wave of restlessness and anticipation is building among the Kangaroos faithful, particularly as Clarkson enters his fourth year at the helm.
A Player’s Perspective: The Urgency for Improvement
Captain Nick Larkey, speaking on Triple M, highlighted the internal drive within the playing group. “Since ‘Clarko’ has come on board, the stability part of the club is right,” Larkey stated. “The players are impatient. We want to prove to the fans there is some promise and genuine improvement. Internally, we felt like we did improve last year as a team, but it didn’t equate to the wins we wanted.”
Larkey candidly admitted the difficulty of maintaining morale when results don’t reflect perceived progress. “It’s hard to keep telling yourself you’re improving when you see the win-loss [record],” he confessed. “This year is about building on that again and taking a big leap.” This sentiment underscores a collective desire to translate hard work and development into tangible on-field success.
Clarkson’s Strategic Outlook: The Brisbane Blueprint and Realistic Ambitions
Coach Alastair Clarkson acknowledged the prevailing impatience but drew parallels with the Brisbane Lions’ remarkable resurgence as a model for how significant improvement can be achieved, even amidst the complexities of a club-wide rebuild.
“We’ve pretty much got to rebuild through the draft, but that mechanism is as hard as ever, so we’re on our way,” Clarkson explained at his weekly press conference. “We’ve got some good young players and we’re really optimistic about further growth and development we’ve had over the last three or four months – it’s hopefully going to be a group of players that look a little bit better than they were last year, and hopefully that leads to some more wins for us.”
While acknowledging the expectation for a significant step forward after a five-win season, Clarkson remained measured in his pronouncements, steering clear of setting concrete top-10 targets. He previously hinted at September finals action as a clear ambition in a Channel 7 interview, but on Friday, he elaborated on the unpredictable nature of AFL fortunes.
“Who knows where the spike comes,” Clarkson mused. “If you look at the scribes eight to ten years ago…there wasn’t a person who thought (Brisbane) was going to spike like that. I’ve seen it happen many times in footy. Now no-one really wants to tip against Brisbane. You just can’t see them not winning. But strange things happen in footy, and so that’s why I’m always reluctant to put a number on anything, because it can happen really, really quickly.”
Despite his measured approach to specific benchmarks, Clarkson was unequivocal about the ultimate goal. “But what we can’t escape is we want to be playing finals footy, and we’re working our darnedest to get there.”
President’s Firm Stance: Shifting from Build to Performance
President Sonja Hood conveyed a stronger, more resolute message to club members in a letter released on Friday morning. Her conviction about the season ahead was evident, signalling a clear transition in the club’s narrative.
“As we embark on season 2026, that energy is underpinned by a harder edge of expectation,” Hood wrote. “We aren’t starting over anymore. The foundations are well and truly laid. We’ve focused on the ‘build’ and ‘process’ for long enough. Now the conversation, and critically our performances, must shift.” This statement clearly indicates that the era of solely focusing on development is drawing to a close, with a demand for immediate results.
Addressing Defensive Woes: A Summer of Focused Preparation
A significant area of focus for North Melbourne during the pre-season has been its defence, a point of external discussion given the club conceded the second-most points in 2025. Clarkson reiterated the club’s commitment to tightening up their defensive structure.
“We leaked far too many goals last year,” Clarkson stated. “We tried to do a hell of a lot of work on this over the summer. Really, you’re not going to win too many games of footy if you consistently leak 14-15 goals or more in a game.”
He expressed cautious optimism about the work undertaken. “We’ve done a lot of work on that, and the proof will be in the pudding if that transfers into really good performances for us, or we need to continue to put some more work into it.” The success of these defensive strategies will be a critical determinant of the Kangaroos’ fortunes.
Injury Updates and Player Returns
In terms of player availability, Clarkson provided an update on George Wardlaw, suggesting his return to the field is imminent. “Clarkson all but confirmed that George Wardlaw would return in Round 2 after a strong session on the track where he integrated well and completed high-speed running.”
Conversely, Charlie Spargo remains sidelined as he continues his recovery. “Charlie Spargo was away from the main group as he continues to recover from concussion.” The gradual return of key players will undoubtedly bolster the Kangaroos’ efforts to meet their elevated expectations.
The Kangaroos face a challenging yet opportune opening to their season, with matchups against Port Adelaide, West Coast, Essendon, Carlton, and Richmond in the first six weeks. This demanding schedule will provide an immediate test of their pre-season preparations and their ability to deliver on the newfound impatience for success.
