Noble chasing wins, not pity

NORTH Melbourne has 14 chances left to avoid becoming the first club since Fitzroy in 1964 to fail to win a game for in a season.

Not even Gold Coast or Greater Western Sydney, in their first seasons, suffered that fate. It has only happened 13 times.

The next chance to end the drought comes against secondfrom-bottom Hawthorn in Launceston on Saturday.

The Kangaroos hit the reset button last year, electing to leave mediocrity behind in a bid to eventually climb higher than mid-table.

It left them vulnerable to short-term pain, and a leagueworst injury list has not helped.

Robbie Tarrant, Luke McDonald, Trent Dumont, Jed Anderson, Jared Polec and defensive recruit Aidan Corr have played a combined eight games this year.

Two of the bright spots, Jaidyn Stephenson and Aiden Bonar, face extended periods out after setbacks last week, while young prospects Flynn Perez and Charlie Comben have not appeared at all.

The depth has been eaten into so badly North’s VFL team spent a brief period last week with only 16 fit players.

Even so, first-year coach David Noble is adamant that winning matches is his primary goal over early draft selections, although he is lobbying for the Roos to receive a priority pick.

“We go out every week to win. I don’t know where this discussion has come from, ‘Why are we chasing the process?’ ” Noble said.

“You’ve got to get the goddamn process right to win. A lot of football people in the industry would know that, so I don’t know why it’s been taken out of context.”

Missed in the doom and gloom are the mini-success stories.

Former Magpie Stephenson is certainly one of them, along with Bonar, who appears to have found his spot down back, where Ben McKay has also stood up well in Tarrant’s absence.

Ball-magnet Tom Powell could yet win the Rising Star, while fellow 2020 draftee Charlie Lazzaro has added genuine zip to the line-up.

As a collective, they have been more competitive in the past fortnight against Collingwood and Melbourne — and even across the past month.

Adelaide, not the Kangaroos, sits last in quarters won.

It should mean better times ahead, with North Melbourne hopeful improvement in a series of key statistics is a precursor to it joining in the chorus soon.