Tassie games crucial to Roo

Blundstone the key to North finals plan

NORTH Melbourne’s Tasmanian fortress will be crucial to the side making a finals bid, according to Roos on-baller Trent Dumont.

The Kangaroos have won 79 per cent of their games at Blundstone Arena since 2014, making finals on three occasions and finishing ninth once.

Last season the Kangaroos went 2-2 in Hobart — their only non-winning season at the venue since 2014 — finishing 12th on the ladder only thanks to a late surge under new coach Rhyce Shaw where they won three of their final four games of the season.

A return to their usual Tasmanian form will be crucial to meeting the club’s goal of reaching the top eight.

“We’ve faced a lot of good sides down here and done well in the past,” Dumont, 24, said.

“We love coming down, feeling like this is our home ground, our home away from home. Not a lot of teams have that advantage — it’s why we really enjoy coming down.

“Sometimes you might have to change [game style] because of the wind off the water, we might put a spare behind the ball or look to run into the wind a bit more, [and] sometimes opposition sides aren’t ready for that.”

The 82-gamer has been among the Kangaroos’ best performers over the past two seasons, missing only one game. Entering his seventh season and newly elevated to the club’s leadership group, finals are firmly in the South Australian’s sights.

“We look to play finals this year. That’s the goal,” Dumont said. “We know it’s going to be a lot of work to get there but if we play our brand of footy, and the way we finished off last year, and three good quarters of how we played against Sydney [on Monday at Kingston’s Twin Ovals], that’s what we’ll look to bring each week.”

Dumont was unfazed about a potential interruption to the AFL season thanks to the coronavirus. “I’m prepared to play all year — whether that’s with a crowd or without a crowd,” he said.

“I do a lot of work on the mental side of the game, keeping focus when there’s big crowds or heated moments, so it would be interesting not having the big crowds there.

“I’m happy to play no matter what.”

The Kangaroos open the season against St Kilda at Docklands Stadium on Sunday, March 22.