Season 2009 - Wrap Up
North Melbourne finished twelveth last year. 7 wins, 14 loss, 1 draw and a coaching change. It wasn't a good year for the kanagroos. Inconsistent performances, coupled with injuries did not allow them to get a run on but they have some good young players who showed they belong in the AFL. Liam Anthony and Jack Ziebell played well in their half season of footy and hope to move forward without injuries. Speaking of injuries, Brent Harvey and Daniel Wells contributions to the Kangaroos were severely limited by injuries, so look for them to bounce back. Hamish McIntosh deserved special mention for a sensational year, following injuries and being dangled as trade bait. Slowed down towards the end of the year but showed he is catching the best ruckman in the business.

Stat Leaders
Leading goalkicker: Drew Petrie (27)
Leading possession winner: Adam Simpson (442)
Most kicks: Scott McMahon (247)
Most handballs: Brady Rawlings (250)
Most marks: Drew Petrie (145)
Most tackles: Andrew Swallow (152)
Most hit-outs: Hamish McIntosh (514)
Most Dream Team Points: Hamish McIntosh (1984 - 22 games)
Most Dream Team Average: Liam Anthony (96 - 10 games)
Most Super Coach Points: Andrew Swallow (2173 - 22 games)
Most Super Coach Average: Andrew Swallow (99)

Awards
Syd Barker Medal:

1. Andrew Swallow (487 votes)
2. Scott Thompson (477 votes)
3. Brady Rawlings (476 votes)
4. Drew Petrie (469 votes)
5. Josh Gibson (452 votes)
6. Hamish McIntosh (448 votes)
7. Scott McMahon (418 votes)
8. Michael Firrito (406 votes)
9. Adam Simpson (358 votes)
10. Leigh Harding (337 votes)

Best First Year Player: Ben Warren

Who They Lost?
Josh Gibson (traded to Hawthorn)
Fifth-round draft pick No.69 (to Hawthorn)
Adam Simpson (retired)
Shannon Watt (retired)

Who They Gained?
Second-round draft pick No.25 (from Hawthorn)
Third-round draft pick No.41 (from Hawthorn)

Under The Gun
David Hale can be a goal kicking in this league, as evidenced by his 17 games in 4 games in 2008. That's why there was so much optimism in the North Melbourne at the start of the 2009 season. He ended the year kicking only 22 goals from 16 games and averaged below 57 for DT and SC. With a new coaching regime desperate to find a target up forward, it looks as though Brad Scott is keen to give Hale a good look.

Burning Question: Who takes the bulk of Adam Simpson's possessions?
At the conclusion of the 2009 preseason, there was a buzz surrounding the mature aged player who hadn't played at AFL level. Liam Anthony was a bargain basement player who was picked to play in round 1. He didn't end up debuting until round 13 due to stress fractures. But when he did, Anthony was sensational, averaging almost 26 possession a game and laying 40 tackles in his 9 games for the Kangaroos. In fantasy, he averaged 96 and 95 respectively for DT and SC with more than half his games over 90.

So if there's a number one contender to take the lion's share of Adam Simpson's clud leading 442 possessions. It's Liam Anthony.

Some fantasy football stats for Liam Anthony:
Averages DT (96) SC (95)
High DT (124) SC (148)
Low DT (61) SC (71)
90+ Points DT (5/10) SC (5/10)
Sub-70 Points DT (0/10) SC (2/10)