North driven by finals failure

NORTH Melbourne captain Jack Ziebell says the heartbreak of falling painfully short of a finals berth last season is driving the Kangaroos to attack their 2019 campaign.

The Kangas finished one game out of the top eight in ninth spot in 2018 after dropping two of their last three games.

Ziebell said the team knew it was capable of more and was determined to take the extra step next season.

“Missing out on the finals last year was disappointing for the senior team and we’re really motivated to make sure that we can go that one step further next year,’’ Ziebell said. “With a few additions in the trade period this year, it was really exciting to be able to get those guys into the football club and get them transitioning into the way we like to play and I think they have done that really well so far.

“We were all fully aware of what we were capable of as a football team and it was disappointing to not make the finals last year, but I think that just adds a bit more motivation for this year.’’

North Melbourne added Aaron Hall, Jasper Pittard, Jared Polec, and Dom Tyson to its playing list during the October trade period and Ziebell said the recruits had made an instant impression.

“They are all very good players and you can see that the way that they apply themselves at training,’’ Ziebell said. “They’ve come straight in and hit the ground running from day one and they have set a really good example. They have only been here for two weeks but from what I’ve seen they are, one, quality people which is what we want at the footy club and, two, very professional and very hard working so I think they are going to set themselves up for quality years.’’