A HOST of young North Melbourne forwards put their hands up for round one selection on Friday morning, with the athleticism of the Kangaroos' blossoming attack shining through during a lively intraclub at Arden Street.
Third-year youngster Charlie Comben was among the standouts, flying for everything through the air as he looks to add to his one AFL appearance made late last season, while Nick Larkey was also strong despite being a touch wayward in front of goal.
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The pick No.1 from last year's NAB AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft, Jacob Edwards, was another to catch the eye and took a number of impressive grabs on the lead playing as a predominantly deep forward.
Ruck duo Todd Goldstein and Callum Coleman-Jones also spent large periods playing as forward targets, with the latter – recruited from Richmond during last year's Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period – kicking two goals for the session.
Tristan Xerri spent much longer stints in the ruck, where the club believes he can challenge Goldstein and Coleman-Jones to become a genuine No.1 option ahead of the upcoming campaign.
After an impressive summer on the track, Tarryn Thomas emerged as the contest's best player and demonstrated his influence both through the midfield and in attack across the morning.
A fantastic goal, delivered off one step from beyond 50m while pressed deep against the boundary line, was the highlight of the morning from Thomas and capped another fantastic showing from the youngster.
Last year's No.1 pick from the NAB AFL Draft, Jason Horne-Francis, had the most influence while playing as a forward but attended a significant number of centre bounces paired with Will Phillips and Hugh Greenwood in midfield.
Thomas started in the opposite midfield alongside fellow first-round draft picks Tom Powell and Luke Davies-Uniacke, demonstrating the promising depth of onball talent at North Melbourne.
Only six players failed to feature, with Jy Simpkin (corked thigh) and Phoenix Spicer (hamstring) running laps throughout the session and with Flynn Perez (knee) on lighter duties away from the main group.
Ben Cunnington is still recovering from chemotherapy to treat a secondary recurrence of testicular cancer, Jed Anderson is away from the group due to the AFL's vaccination policy, while Aiden Bonar is still nursing a wrist injury.
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North Melbourne is due to play another intraclub next Friday, before kicking off its pre-season campaign against reigning premier Melbourne on Thursday, February 24 in Casey.
