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April 2, 2026 \u2014 10:45am<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n North Melbourne pleaded to be on this stage, now\u2019s the time for them to prove they deserve to be there.<\/p>\n Carlton and their embattled coach Michael Voss<\/a> might be under the microscope this week after Sunday\u2019s fadeout<\/a> against Melbourne, but it\u2019s the Roos who have the most to prove on Good Friday.<\/p>\n This was a day long considered too sacred for football, until the Roos convinced the AFL they could turn it into a worthy occasion \u2013 a boutique blockbuster at Marvel Stadium, and a central point of Good Friday Appeal fundraising.<\/p>\n Unlike the Blues, who are so familiar with being in the spotlight \u2013 good and bad \u2013 the Roos are often pushed to the margins of the fixture. They craved a day when they were the centre of attention, and they deserve to have it.<\/p>\n Alas, they have so far wilted under the spotlight.<\/p>\n A win over St Kilda in 2018 is all they\u2019ve got to show from a decade\u2019s worth of Good Friday games, and along the way they\u2019ve suffered some almighty thrashings, including last year\u2019s 82-point loss to Carlton.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Alastair Clarkson\u2019s team<\/a> has a chance to atone for that result against the under-siege Blues<\/a> on Friday. But more importantly it\u2019s an opportunity for Zane Duursma, Finn O\u2019Sullivan, Harry Sheezel, George Wardlaw, Cooper Trembath, Lachy Dovaston, Dylan Stephens, Colby McKercher and their teammates to shine and elevate the standing of football on Good Friday.<\/p>\n These guys are top-end talent. They grew up dominating in junior leagues and at representative level.<\/p>\n It\u2019s time Clarkson poked their egos. These players don\u2019t have to be defined by those past results, they can write their own history. It has to start somewhere. Why not this week?<\/p>\n The Roos will no doubt miss lion-hearted ruckman Tristan Xerri \u2013 who is paying a fair price for a silly brain fade<\/a> last week \u2013 but the Good Friday game is the chance for these precocious talents to be bullish and brave and show the football world what they\u2019re capable of.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n I remember our coach Mark \u201cBomber\u201d Thompson giving us a similar message towards the end of his time at Geelong as we started our Easter Monday rivalry with Hawthorn, who were coincidentally coached by Clarkson at the time.<\/p>\n Sure, both sides were powerful teams and already had a fierce rivalry going, but the message was clear \u2013 enjoy being in the glare of this spotlight, the whole football world is watching, make sure you own the occasion and live up to it.<\/p>\n Chris Scott was quick to carry that tradition forward at Geelong, and look at what the Cats and Hawks have turned Easter Monday into \u2013 it\u2019s now one of the unmissable matches on the footy calendar, with another crowd of close to 90,000 expected there later this round.<\/p>\n Clarkson\u2019s message to his players about showcasing their skills and ability will no doubt have a sharp edge to it.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n They need to be hard, ruthless and unforgiving, just like opponents have been to them recently \u2013 on Good Friday and bad Saturdays and Sundays.<\/p>\n Xerri is usually a standard-bearer of that approach. In his absence, I\u2019d be asking the Kangaroos to look at 19-year-old Finn O\u2019Sullivan<\/a>. I was so impressed by the job he did last week on Essendon playmaker Zach Merrett.<\/p>\n As a No.2 draft pick (2024), he wasn\u2019t afraid to roll up his sleeves and play a stopping role, and, boy, did he do it well. He had 24 disposals and kept Merrett to just 10.<\/p>\n It would have been easy for a young player to let down his guard in the last quarter and allow Merrett to make an impact, but O\u2019Sullivan went all the way to the final siren. His reward was nine votes (from a maximum of 10) in the AFL Coaches Association champion player award.<\/p>\n Clarkson knows that young players, no matter how talented they are, take time to develop<\/a>, especially to find that unrelenting mindset that makes good teams great.<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t have immediate success at Hawthorn, but managed to get the Hawks into the finals in his third year as coach and a premiership \u2013 at the expense of me and my Cats teammates \u2013 in his fourth season.<\/p>\n That premiership was unexpected by many, and Clarkson\u2019s Hawks then spent a few years refining their method before becoming the powerhouse that won premierships from 2013-15.<\/p>\n He\u2019s now in his fourth season at North Melbourne. But I feel like we should subtract a year from that because he missed so much of his first season (2023) because of the difficulties that carried over from his final years at the Hawks.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n That said, the Roos need to show the rest of the AFL their mettle.<\/p>\n A round one win against Port Adelaide was promising, but they couldn\u2019t keep the tempo up for four quarters against West Coast.<\/p>\n Last week, they let the Bombers mount a mini-comeback late in the game and actually finished the contest with fewer scoring shots.<\/p>\n They dominate possession of uncontested ball (52 per game more than their opponent so far this season) and their midfielders push back hard to help in defence, but that dominance does not translate to forward 50m entries (four per game less than opponents).<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The Blues and their coach might be under pressure, but they are no easybeats.<\/p>\n In fact, they\u2019re an excellent contested-ball team (11 more than their opposition per game) who need to be respected. Their main issue has been maintaining the rage for a full game.<\/p>\n Related Article From what we\u2019ve seen, neither of these teams can afford to leave their run late.<\/p>\n They need to hit each other hard in the first half and see who can hang on the longest.<\/p>\n It should be a fascinating match; worthy of the big stage it\u2019s been afforded.<\/p>\n Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Good](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/45d4f06142aace97f5909ade6e209af322946b1c6af3ee1649d2567cfcb300cb.jpeg\")
Good Friday football has been pioneered by North Melbourne, but they have struggled to deliver wins on that day.Photo: Getty Images. Digital artwork: Monique Westermann<\/p>\n![\"Harry](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775099844_497_debacc87ec305a7a4c79c57ae5c441a542dbe632.jpeg\")
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