AFL Supercoach 2026: North Melbourne Kangaroos 2026 Squad Analysis


<p>It feels as though something has changed at North Melbourne this year, as they look to finally make their rise up the ladder after years dwelling in the doldrums.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The Roos cashed in at the draft, landing Lachy Dovaston, Blake Thredgold and Hugo Mikunda, plus some experience in former Dee Charlie Spargo via free agency.</p>



<p>But it&#8217;s an internal improvement that Alastair Clarkson and his coaching staff will be banking on in 2026, as the Roos look to make their move.</p>



<p>Let’s take a look at North Melbourne’s SuperCoach prospects for the upcoming season.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Predicted Round 1 starting team</strong></h2>



<p>FB: Griffin Logue, Toby Pink, Luke McDonald</p>



<p>HB: Colby McKercher, Charlie Comben, Riley Hardeman</p>



<p>C: Jy Simpkin, George Wardlaw, Finn O’Sullivan<br>HF: Charlie Spargo, Cam Zurhaar, Tom Powell</p>



<p>FF: Lachy Dovaston, Nick Larkey, Paul Curtis</p>



<p>FOLL: Tristan Xerri, Luke Davies-Uniacke, Harry Sheezel</p>



<p>I/C: Luke Parker, Cooper Trembath, Jacob Konstanty, Caleb Daniel, Jack Darling</p>



<p><strong>Analysis:</strong> This is the year the Roos will really need to get serious and Dovaston and Spargo will add plenty in attack as new recruits. McKercher looks like he’ll begin the season off half-back which is great news for our SuperCoach sides, while Harry Sheezel looks set for a full-time midfield role. </p>



<p>Jackson Archer has been ruled out for the year with a knee injury but there’s still plenty of competition for places in North Melbourne’s defence, which has scrapped zone defence for one-on-one. Zane Duursma, Wil Dawson and Cooper Harvey are youngsters on the fringe who will want to establish themselves as best 23 players. </p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Fixtures</strong></h2>



<p>Round 1: Port Adelaide (H)</p>



<p>Round 2: West Coast (A)</p>



<p>Round 3: Essendon (A)</p>



<p>Round 4: Carlton (H)</p>



<p>Round 5: Brisbane (H)</p>



<p>Byes: Round 12</p>



<p><strong>Verdict: </strong>The Roos have been given a pretty tasty fixture by AFL HQ this year, which is great news for SuperCoach players as well. The Roos should give themselves a decent start to the year and establish a platform to launch from, while their month following the bye is also pretty nice. The Roos share a bye with the Crows, Suns and Power.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>LOCK</strong></h2>



<p>Just pick young gun <strong>Harry Sheezel ($580,400 MID/FWD)</strong>. The superstar Roo broke all sorts of records last year and he would be the short-priced favourite to finish the year as F1 in 2026. Sheezel is a ball magnet, hits the scoreboard and steps up when his side needs him most. </p>



<p>Last year he posted 14 SuperCoach tons and his enormous ceiling means he’s often worth considering as your captain. </p>



<p>Speaking of players you can select as your captain, ruck <strong>Tristan Xerri ($687,300 RUC)</strong> is one you can look at weekly. Xerri’s ability to find the footy, tackle and link up in transition means the new ruck rules shouldn’t affect him too much. </p>



<p>Xerri had 12 scores over 120 last season which makes him the elite of the elite. </p>



<p>Young gun <strong>Colby McKercher ($449,600 DEF)</strong> will begin the year off half-back which makes him an intriguing mid-priced defensive option. We know when he plays in that role he can score really well, from round 13 onwards last year he averaged 103.2 points per game. </p>



<p>He’s got speed and dash and loves to take the game on. If he can sustain that average for the duration of the season, expect him to be right in the mix as a top 8 defender. </p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>POINT OF DIFFERENCE</strong></h2>



<p>There aren’t a lot of options in this category for the Roos, but you could have a look at <strong>Luke Davies-Uniacke ($526,900 MID)</strong>, who is in less than two per cent of teams. ‘LDU’ had a down year last year, but averaged 109.1 and 113.6 points per game in his two years prior. </p>



<p>He’ll have a point to prove this season and if the Roos are to rise, he’ll need to have a big year.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>CHEAPIES</strong></h2>



<p>Small forward <strong>Lachy Dovaston ($136,000 FWD)</strong> is the pick of the bunch but he’ll probably be a slower burn cheapie. Dovaston has been compared to Hawthorn’s Nick Watson throughout his draft year, he loves to impact the scoreboard and should slot straight into the Roos’ front half. </p>



<p>There are a handful of other Roos cheaply priced who you could consider, but they’d need to string together some strong pre-season performances before we seriously consider them for our sides.</p>


AFL Supercoach 2026: North Melbourne Kangaroos 2026 Squad Analysis

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