The 2018 AFL season was the 93rd season in the Australian Football League (AFL) contested by the North Melbourne Football Club.

North Melbourne were widely predicted for a second-straight bottom six finish, including several predictions which would see them winning the wooden spoon.[1][2] Strong performances by Shaun Higgins and Ben Brown meant the Kangaroos finished comfortably mid-table, finishing 9th with 48 points and a percentage of 108.9%.

North Melbourne
2018 season
PresidentBen Buckley
CoachBrad Scott
(9th season)
Captain(s)Jack Ziebell
(2nd season)[3]
Home groundEtihad Stadium (Capacity: 56,347)
Blundstone Arena (Capacity: 19,500)
AFLX
JLT Community Series		1-1
0-2
AFL season12-10 (9th)
Leading goalkickerBen Brown
Highest home attendance33,966 vs. St Kilda (Round 2)
Lowest home attendance7,194 vs. Greater Western Sydney (Round 9)
← 2017 2019 →

List changes

Main article: 2017 AFL draft

Retirements and delistings

Player Date Reason Career games Career goals Ref.
Lachlan Hansen 29 August 2017 Delisted 151 81 [4]
Will Fordham 30 August 2017 Delisted 0 0 [5]
Matthew Taylor 30 August 2017 Delisted 0 0 [5]
Aaron Mullett 10 October 2017 Delisted 85 31 [6]
Corey Wagner 10 October 2017 Delisted 8 0 [6]
Lindsay Thomas 3 November 2017 Delisted 205 325 [7]
Andrew Swallow 9 November 2017 Retired 224 80 [8]

Trades

Date Gained From Lost Ref.
19 October 2017 Pick 91 Adelaide Sam Gibson [9]
19 October 2017 2018 third round pick (West Coast) Port Adelaide Pick 46 [10]
2018 third round pick (St Kilda) 2018 third round pick

Free Agency

Gain

Player Date Free agent type Old club Ref.
Alex Morgan 1 November 2017 Delisted Essendon [11]

National draft

Round Pick Player Recruited from League
1 4 Luke Davies-Uniacke Dandenong Stingrays TAC Cup
2 23 Will Walker Sandringham Dragons TAC Cup
4 62 Kyron Hayden Subiaco Football Club WAFL
5 72 Tristan Xerri Western Jets TAC Cup
5 77 Billy Hartung Hawthorn AFL

Rookie draft

Round Pick Player Recruited from League
1 4 Tom Murphy Dandenong Stingrays TAC Cup
2 20 Gordon Narrier Perth Football Club WAFL

Category B rookie selections

Player Recruited from Note Ref.
Tom Jeffries Werribee 3-year non-registered player (rugby) [12]

Season summary

Pre-season

AFLX

Main article: AFLX
Date and local time Opponent Scores (North's scores indicated in bold) Venue Attendance Ref.
North Melbourne Opponent Result
Friday, 16 February (7:36 pm) Carlton 5.4.9 (83) 5.2.6 (68) Won by 15 points Etihad Stadium 22,585 [13]
Friday, 16 February (8:32 pm) Melbourne 3.2.4 (46) 1.9.6 (70) Lost by 24 points
JLT Community Series

Main article: 2018 JLT Community Series
Rd Date and local time Opponent Scores (North's scores indicated in bold) Venue Attendance Ref
Home Away Result
1 Saturday, 24 February (2:05 pm) Melbourne 11.5 (71) 19.10 (124) Lost by 53 points Kingston Twin Ovals, Hobart (H) 1,957 [14]
2 Wednesday, 7 March (7:05 pm) Richmond 19.14 (128) 8.10 (58) Lost by 70 points Ikon Park (A) 4,197 [15]

Home and away season

See also: 2018 AFL season
Rd Date and local time Opponent Scores (North's scores indicated in bold) Venue Attendance Ladder
position 		Record Ref.
Home Away Result
1 Saturday, 24 March (6:25 pm) Gold Coast 7.13 (55) 5.9 (39) Lost by 16 points Cazaly's Stadium 3,722 15th 0-1 [16]
2 Friday, 30 March (4:20 pm) St Kilda 13.17 (95) 5.13 (43) Won by 52 points Etihad Stadium 33,966 5th 1-1 [17]
3 Saturday, 7 April (2:10 pm) Melbourne 13.8 (86) 5.13 (123) Lost by 37 points Melbourne Cricket Ground 35,518 11th 1-2 [18]
4 Saturday, 14 April (7:25 pm) Carlton 18.8 (116) 4.6 (30) Won by 84 points Blundstone Arena 14,226 7th 2-2 [18]
5 Sunday, 22 April (3:20 pm) Hawthorn 14.14 (98) 11.4 (70) Won by 28 points Etihad Stadium 27,981 4th 3-2
6 Saturday, 28 April (2:10 pm) Port Adelaide 10.9 (69) 15.12 (102) Lost by 33 points Etihad Stadium 17,617 8th 3-3
7 Saturday, 5 May (7:25 pm) Sydney 9.14 (68) 9.12 (66) Won by 2 points Sydney Cricket Ground 29,214 7th 4-3
8 Sunday, 13 May (1:10 pm) Richmond 11.6 (72) 12.10 (82) Lost by 10 points Etihad Stadium 29,153 10th 4-4
16 Sunday, 8 July (1:10 pm) Gold Coast 14.11 (95) 8.10 (58) Won by 37 points Etihad Stadium 14,389 9th 9-6
17 Sunday, 15 July (3:20 pm) Sydney 15.8 (98) 16.8 (104) Lost by 6 points Etihad Stadium 25,663 9th 9-7
18 Saturday, 21 July (1:45 pm) Collingwood 20.10 (130) 9.10 (64) Lost by 66 points Melbourne Cricket Ground 50,393 10th 9-8 [19]
19 Sunday, 29 July (1:10 pm) West Coast 12.9 (81) 6.5 (41) Won by 40 points Blundstone Arena 11,176 10th 10-8 [20]
20 Saturday, 4 August (2:40 pm) Brisbane Lions 16.8 (104) 16.11 (107) Won by 3 points The Gabba 18,395 10th 11-8 [21]
21 Sunday, 12 August (1:10 pm) Western Bulldogs 12.13 (85) 13.14 (92) Lost by 7 points Etihad Stadium 27,031 10th 11-9 [22]
22 Sunday, 19 August (4:10 pm) Adelaide 12.14 (86) 11.11 (77) Lost by 9 points Adelaide Oval 41,444 10th 11-10 [23]
23 Sunday, 26 August (4:40 pm) St Kilda 14.10 (94) 17.15 (117) Won by 23 points Etihad Stadium 19,866 9th 12-10 [24]
Ladder
Pos Team
 Pld W L D PF PA PP Pts Qualification
1 Richmond 22 18 4 0 2143 1574 136.1 72 2018 finals
2 West Coast (P) 22 16 6 0 2012 1657 121.4 64
3 Collingwood 22 15 7 0 2046 1699 120.4 60
4 Hawthorn 22 15 7 0 1972 1642 120.1 60
5 Melbourne 22 14 8 0 2299 1749 131.4 56
6 Sydney 22 14 8 0 1822 1664 109.5 56
7 Greater Western Sydney 22 13 8 1 1898 1664 114.1 54
8 Geelong 22 13 9 0 2045 1554 131.6 52
9 North Melbourne 22 12 10 0 1950 1790 108.9 48
10 Port Adelaide 22 12 10 0 1780 1654 107.6 48
11 Essendon 22 12 10 0 1932 1838 105.1 48
12 Adelaide 22 12 10 0 1941 1865 104.1 48
13 Western Bulldogs 22 8 14 0 1575 2037 77.3 32
14 Fremantle 22 8 14 0 1556 2041 76.2 32
15 Brisbane Lions 22 5 17 0 1825 2049 89.1 20
16 St Kilda 22 4 17 1 1606 2182 73.6 18
17 Gold Coast 22 4 18 0 1308 2182 59.9 16
18 Carlton 22 2 20 0 1353 2282 59.3 8
Source: AFL
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers

VFL

North Melbourne
2018 season
CoachDavid Loader
(1st season)
Captain(s)Christopher Jansen
(1st season)
Micheal Close
(1st season)
Home groundAvalon Airport Oval (Capacity: 10,000)
VFL season5-4 (in progress)

The 2018 VFL season was the 1st season in the Victorian Football League contested by the North Melbourne Football Club.

Playing Squad

North Melbourne Football Club (reserves)
Playing list Coaching staff
  • 51 Tom Hotchin
  • 52 Nicholas Rippon
  • 53 Tyrone Leonardis
  • 54 Jordan McIvor-Clark
  • 55 Mitch Rodd
  • 58 Jordan Harper
  • 59 Nash Holmes
  • 60 Steven Stroobants
  • 61 Christopher Jansen (c)
  • 62 Fraser Cameron
  • 63 Koe Ngawat
  • 64 Louis Cunningham
  • 65 Micheal Close (c)
  • 66 Patrick McCarthy
  • 67 Brandon Ryan
  • 68 Quintin Montanaro
  • 69 Liam Whelan
  • 70 Nicholas Hogan
  • 71 Matthew Northe
  • 72 Christopher Peart
  • 73 Rhys Free
  • 80 Max Hayes
  • 81 Jordan Mangan
  • 82 Lachlan Mirams

Head coach

  • David Loader

Assistant coaches

  • Ben Dyer (forwards)
  • Gavin Brown (backline)
  • Robbie Waters (midfield)
  • Ben Davey (forwards)
  • Jordan Doering (backline)
  • Chris Jansen (Playing/Assistant Coach)(midfield)
Legend:
  • (c) Captain(s)
  • (vc) Vice-captain(s)

Updated: 13 June 2018
Source(s): Playing list, Coaching staff


Ladder

Pos Team
 Pld W L D PF PA PP Pts Qualification
1 Richmond 18 14 4 0 1911 1198 159.5 56 Qualification to Finals series
2 Casey Demons 18 14 4 0 1593 1128 141.2 56
3 Geelong 18 13 5 0 1574 1074 146.6 52
4 Williamstown 18 13 5 0 1496 1171 127.8 52
5 Collingwood 18 12 6 0 1628 1220 133.4 48
6 Box Hill Hawks (P) 18 12 6 0 1634 1288 126.9 48
7 Port Melbourne 18 10 8 0 1536 1436 107.0 40
8 Essendon 18 9 9 0 1502 1237 121.4 36
9 Footscray 18 8 10 0 1378 1442 95.6 32
10 North Melbourne 18 8 10 0 1436 1696 84.7 32
11 Werribee 18 7 11 0 1488 1680 88.6 28
12 Northern Blues 18 6 12 0 1256 1643 76.4 24
13 Sandringham 18 5 12 1 1317 1593 82.7 22
14 Frankston 18 2 16 0 964 2068 46.6 8
15 Coburg 18 1 16 1 1116 1955 57.1 6
Updated to match(es) played on 23 August 2018. Source: SportsTG
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.

References

  1. ^ "Duff's crystal ball for AFL season 2018". 6 January 2018.
  2. ^ "The Roar's 2018 AFL ladder prediction - as voted by you!".
  3. ^ "North Melbourne unveils leadership group for 2018, Jack Ziebell reappointed captain". 15 January 2018.
  4. ^ Bowen, Nick (29 August 2017). "Rebuild forces big Roo out after 11 years". AFL.com.au. Telstra. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  5. ^ a b Bowen, Nick (30 August 2017). "Kangaroos cull two rookies after Hansen delisting". AFL.com.au. Telstra. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Aaron Mullett, Corey Wagner depart". nmfc.com.au. Telstra Media. 10 October 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  7. ^ Navaratnam, Dinny (3 November 2017). "Veteran Roo free to explore options after delisting". AFL.com.au. Telstra Media. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  8. ^ Bowen, Nick (9 November 2017). "Sun sets on North veteran after failed move". AFL.com.au. Telstra Media. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  9. ^ McGowan, Marc (19 October 2017). "Discarded Roo given surprise lifeline at Crows". afl.com.au. Telstra Media. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  10. ^ Lerner, Ronny (19 October 2017). "Ablett, Hodge, Gibbs and Stringer all find new homes". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  11. ^ McGowan, Marc (1 November 2017). "One-year deal could become two for new Roo". AFL.com.au. Telstra Media. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  12. ^ Ralph, Jon (22 November 2016). "North Melbourne sign former rugby player Tom Jeffries as a Category B rookie". Herald Sun. News Corp. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  13. ^ Schmook, Nathan (16 February 2018). "AFLX Friday wrap: How each club fared". AFL. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  14. ^ Ben Guthrie (24 February 2018). "Match report: Dees win with ease over Roos". AFL.com.au. Telstra Media. Archived from the original on 23 February 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  15. ^ Nathan Schmook (7 March 2018). "Match report: Tigers on song in big win". AFL.com.au. Telstra Media. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  16. ^ AAP and Michael Whiting (24 March 2018). "Suns shine after rain to down Roos". AFL.com.au. Telstra Media. Archived from the original on 2 November 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  17. ^ Ben Guthrie (30 March 2018). "Roos shock woeful Saints". AFL.com.au. Telstra Media. Archived from the original on 27 December 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  18. ^ a b Ben Guthrie (30 March 2018). "Roos shock woeful Saints". AFL.com.au. Telstra Media. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  19. ^ "AFL Fixtures and Results". Archived from the original on 8 April 2018.
  20. ^ "AFL Fixtures and Results". Archived from the original on 4 April 2018.
  21. ^ "AFL Fixtures and Results". Archived from the original on 13 July 2018.
  22. ^ "AFL Fixtures and Results". Archived from the original on 23 March 2018.
  23. ^ "AFL Fixtures and Results". Archived from the original on 4 November 2017.
  24. ^ "AFL Fixtures and Results". Archived from the original on 17 May 2018.
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