The left-field name Cornes believes Roos should target to fast-track rebuild

Are North Melbourne past recruiting veterans who are near the end of their careers for on-field leadership and to set a strong example for the club’s youngsters?

That was the question posed by Bulldogs great Brad Johnson with the Roos improving in 2024 despite them winning just three of their 20 games this campaign.

The Roos have previously recruited the likes of Liam Shiels and Tom Lynch given the club’s young demographic, but Johnson thinks that the club may not need those types of names on their list any longer given the emergence of Luke Davies-Uniacke, Tristan Xerri, Jy Simpkin, Nick Larkey and Bailey Scott among others who can now lead their less experienced teammates.

“I’ve been thinking about North Melbourne a little bit lately and their back half of the year has been improved,” Johnson told SEN Sportsday.

“On the weekend it was a great performance against Richmond, Luke Davies-Uniacke fired and Tristan Xerri I think will fight out for a spot in the All-Australian (team).

“Then there’s what Harry Sheezel, Colby McKercher and these young players have done including Zane Duursma.

“You look at Melbourne a few years ago when they were struggling and they brought in Daniel Cross, Bernie Vince and Jordan Lewis to add some leadership and stability at the top end of where they were in terms of their list development.

“Those players all did the role perfectly … but with North Melbourne, with what you’ve seen in the back half of the year, are they past that style of recruiting?

“Or do they still need to go down that track for another 12 months and get the likes of a Luke Parker, Mitch Duncan, maybe a Dyson Heppell?”

In response to Johnson’s question, Kane Cornes named one player the Roos should target - Melbourne’s Jack Viney.

Viney’s dad Todd is the GM of footy at the Kangaroos and Cornes thinks that bringing in a player like the 30-year-old who still has years of good footy left in him should be preferred to a veteran for leadership purposes.

He thinks that the Roos have moved past picking up veterans and he wouldn’t be phased if Viney came in and it meant a young player was given fewer opportunities at the top level.

“I’ve got one name for you that has not been mentioned,” Cornes said.

“The name that fits best for where North Melbourne are is Jack Viney.

“That's perfect (that he’s not at the end at Melbourne). I don’t want Liam Shiels.

“I want a player who can come in for two years and perform and still be a first-choice player, not, ‘Here’s a game because we want experience around younger players’.

“They’ve got to earn their spot and they've got to be in the best team. Clarkson has got to demand excellence.

“If Jack Viney kicks Tom Powell out of the midfield and he’s playing VFL, perfect.

“Some will say, ‘You don’t want a Viney to come in at the expense of a young player’, but they’ve moved past that, it’s not about that for them anymore.”

Cornes also believes that the Roos could see a similar spike to Hawthorn over the next 12 months if they recruit for need and a ‘win-now’ mentality.

“I think they're where Hawthorn were 12 months … recruiting the likes of Mabior Chol, Jack Ginnivan - they filled a need… that’s sort of the model that I would be looking at,” Cornes said.

“They've got so much talent. They've got more talent than what Hawthorn have got.”

North Melbourne will hope to pick up their fourth win of the season when they play West Coast in Hobart on Saturday.