Former North Melbourne captain Anthony Stevens has seen the highs and lows over the years at his beloved Kangaroos. Now supporting the Roos on the sidelines, Stevens is positive about what the future holds for his former club.
I can say with absolute conviction, North Melbourne are not far away from success.
Just as in the 1970s and 1990s, when premiership glory united our club, the building blocks are there.
After 16 years as a player for North Melbourne, followed by 12 years away from the club, I returned to contribute through the NMFC Past Players Association before serving a further three years on the board until mid-2024. Across this time – particularly during my board tenure – I have developed a deep understanding of our football department under Todd Viney and Alastair Clarkson, from the playing list and coaching set-up to the unwavering passion of our diehard supporters.
A recent media article by Collingwood and Carlton great Mick McGuane, one of the most astute football minds in the AFL, struck a chord with me. In his article Mick was spot-on: the modern game is built on processes and structures. If players don’t buy into them and execute with discipline, the side is on the back foot from the opening bounce.
No coach – even a four-time premiership coach like Clarkson – can succeed without that on-field commitment. Yet in today’s commentary climate, it’s the coach who often wears the brunt of the criticism.
From watching the 2025 season unfold, I believe our leadership group must take greater accountability. Leadership isn’t just about a title or an armband – it’s about setting and upholding standards every single day, both on and off the field. It’s about ensuring that our structures are more than diagrams on a whiteboard; they are lived, executed, and reinforced until they become second nature.
Can you blame our senior boys in the leadership group? No – they’ve remained loyal and committed to the club through some of its most challenging years, enduring multiple coaching changes and significant shifts within the football department. But when I watch them of late, especially with several senior players sidelined through injury, I see a tendency to slip back into old survival-mode habits. In those moments, they start chasing kicks, believing it’s what’s best for them and the team – but in reality, it’s not.
We’ve seen what North Melbourne can achieve when everyone is aligned and committed. The pathway back to the top is clear: embrace the processes, lift our standards, back our coaching team, and demand accountability from within.
To our loyal fans – keep the faith. The climb is tough, but with unity, discipline, and a fierce commitment to our values, we can return to the level of success that defines our great club.
