What worked
- North set its season up with a seven-game winning streak from rounds 15-21 that took it from 11th at the end of round 14 to eighth after round 23. The Roos then hit peak form in the finals.

- The Roos had a better spread of goalkickers in 2015, with five players kicking more than 30 goals (Drew Petrie, Jarrad Waite, Shaun Higgins, Lindsay Thomas and Ben Brown) compared to two (Petrie and Thomas) last season.

- North recorded the second-best goalkicking accuracy in the competition (53.2 per cent) during the home and away season, with reigning premier Hawthorn the only team more efficient in front of goal.

What failed
- The Roos struggled with a tough fixture at the start of the season, slipping to a 6-7 record after round 14 that ultimately dashed their hopes of a top-four finish at the end of the home and away season.

- North had a 5-3 record against the other top-eight teams in the 2014 home and away season, but that slipped to 3-6 this year.

- North's biggest loss in last year's home and away season was by 43 points against Gold Coast in round seven, but in 2015 it lost by 55 points or more four times, to Adelaide, Hawthorn, Fremantle (round eight) and Gold Coast.

What we said in the pre-season
We queried whether the Roos could find the consistency required to secure a top-four finish – and a double chance in the finals – and knew by the end of round 14 that they couldn't. We had North finishing fifth but losses in the final two rounds saw it finish the regular season eighth. However, a strong finals campaign took the Roos to their second consecutive preliminary final appearance.

Overall rating: 7.5/10
North gets marked down for its poor start to the year, but marked up for its impressive finals wins over Richmond and the Sydney Swans, and its vastly improved performance in this year's preliminary final against West Coast. Overall, it was a successful season, especially given midfield star Daniel Wells was missing for all bar the opening two games, but North never really emerged as the premiership contender many predicted.

The fans' rating


The coach
Brad Scott had a tough start to 2015. If his team's slow opening to the year wasn't disappointing enough, he was sidelined by a back injury for four games after the round nine loss to Collingwood. Scott seemed to have a harder edge on his return, showing a greater preparedness to drop senior players such as Lindsay Thomas and Ryan Bastinac. Scott also demanded a stronger defensive focus from his team and it paid off. From his return in round 15, North was a far more consistent team, while Scott's decision to rest nine senior players from North's round 23 clash against Richmond was vindicated by the club's spirited finals campaign. The Roos coach is contracted until the end of 2016, but it's believed North is set to offer him a two-year extension.

MVP: Todd Goldstein
The ruckman took his game to a new level this year. Goldstein's tap work has long been outstanding and in 2015 he broke Gary Dempsey's 1982 record for the most hit-outs in a season (952), with a total of 1058 at an average 44.1 a game. But this season Goldstein also consistently influenced games around the ground, averaging a career-high 14.7 possessions and 1.3 contested marks a game. He finished second to Nat Fyfe in the AFLPA MVP award, and is odds on to win his first North best and fairest award.

Surprise packet: Ben Jacobs
Dropped twice in the first eight rounds, Jacobs turned his year – and career – around when he reinvented himself as a run-with midfielder from round 11. The 23-year-old took on opposition stars including Dan Hannebery, Trent Cotchin, Nat Fyfe, Joel Selwood, Dyson Heppell and Marc Murphy and generally took the points. A key player in the Roos' finals series.

Get excited:  Taylor Garner
The Roos' first pick in the 2012 national draft had played just two senior games ahead of his third season, with persistent hamstring and hip injuries sidelining him for all of 2014 and severely delaying his start to 2015. Garner finally made his senior return in round 15 against Geelong and soon carved a niche for himself in attack with his strong defensive pressure. But it was his performance in the first elimination final against Richmond – especially in the second quarter when North was fighting to stay in the contest – that stamped him as a youngster on the rise.

Disappointment: Aaron Black
The West Australian's breakthrough 2013 season suggested he would be a key part of North's forward line for years to come. But after an up-and-down 2014 season when he carried a shoulder injury, the arrival of Jarrad Waite this year saw Black fall out of favour. The 192cm forward kicked just one goal in three senior games and seemed to get lost at times in North's forward structure.

Best win: 17-point win over Richmond, first elimination final, MCG
North found itself 21 points down twice during the second quarter against the Tigers, but took control of the match in the second half, when Ben Cunnington, Jack Ziebell and Andrew Swallow got on top at the stoppages. Brent Harvey (31 possessions and two goals) and Jarrad Waite (four goals) were the stars.

Low point
Gold Coast had won just one game entering round 14, but with skipper Gary Ablett back from injury it smashed North by 55 points at Metricon Stadium. The humiliating loss saw the Roos slump to a 6-7 record and raised serious questions about their ability to make the finals, let alone challenge the top teams.

The big questions
- Is North's list good enough to win a premiership before veterans Harvey, Petrie, Nick Dal Santo, Waite and Wells retire?

- Having missed out on out-of-contract Giants midfielder Adam Treloar, and with Wells nearing the end of his career, should the Roos make a serious play for Suns speedster Harley Bennell to bolster their outside run?

- Is the time right for Andrew Swallow to hand the captaincy over to Jack Ziebell?

Season in a song
I still haven't found what I'm looking for, U2

Who's done?
Retirements: Forward Leigh Adams and key defender Nathan Grima have retired, while Scott McMahon is likely to follow them. Michael Firrito wants to play on but with fellow veterans Harvey and Petrie continuing in 2016, North might decide it needs to phase the 31-year-old defender out.

Will Michael Firrito continue to play and Andrew Swallow remain captain at the Roos? Picture: AFL Media

Delistings: One of North's brightest young prospects in his first two seasons, Kieran Harper has not played a senior game since round three, 2013, and despite improved VFL form in the second half of 2015 looks likely to be delisted. The Roos' first pick in the 2011 national draft, Brad McKenzie, is also out of contract and after playing just one senior game this season could be on the way out too. Max Warren also looks set to depart Arden Street after four years on North's rookie list, as does international rookie Eric Wallace after three years at the club.

Trades/free agents: Black is contracted until 2017 but is likely to request a trade in an attempt to recapture his 2013 form at a new home next season. Out-of-contract ruckman Daniel Currie has been an able understudy to Goldstein but likewise could leave in search of more senior opportunities. Forward/ruckman Majak Daw remains out of contract but his rape trial in late November makes it highly unlikely rival clubs will risk trading for him. Daw's encouraging performance in round 23 against Richmond could convince North to re-sign him.

What they need
With Harvey and Wells nearing the end of their careers, North is desperate for outside midfielders with speed and class, and is believed to have some interest in departing Gold Coast midfielder Bennell. Its other priority will be finding a key forward who can eventually replace Petrie and Waite, while a lock-down defender in the mould of Sydney Swan Nick Smith would not go astray either.

Premiership clock
Next season will almost certainly be North's last chance to win a flag with star veterans Harvey, Petrie, Dal Santo, Waite and Wells all still together. But the Roos have a solid core of players drafted since 2008, so with good trading and drafting it shouldn't take them long to regenerate.

Early call: Fourth-eighth
The Roos' 2015 finals form suggests they're not far off taking the next step into a Grand Final. However, to have a realistic chance at a flag in 2016, they will need to do something they are yet to achieve under Scott – finish in the top four at the end of the home and away season.