For North Melbourne coach Brad Scott, the true meaning of love is consistency.
The Kangaroos are on track to secure a coveted top-four AFL berth after cruising to a 38-point win over West Coast on Sunday.
Wins over Fremantle and West Coast in Perth; victory over Sydney at the SCG, and a triumph over ladder-leading Port Adelaide have shown that the Kangaroos are worthy premiership contenders when they’re in full flight.
It’s also left them well placed at 6-4, with the hardest part of their draw now behind them.
Over the remaining 12 rounds of the season, North Melbourne only face two teams currently sitting inside the top-eight; Hawthorn in round 16 and Geelong in round 19.
And with the likes of Daniel Wells, Nathan Grima, and Robbie Tarrant to return over the coming weeks, competition for spots is set to intensify.
Although North have claimed some big scalps this year, their 43-point home loss to Gold Coast sticks out like a sore thumb.
Scott said his team must learn how to keep their standards higher for longer if they are to be worthy of a top-four berth.
“We’re not sitting in the top four at the moment because we’ve let ourselves down in other games,” Scott said.
“So consistency is what we’re looking for.
“We are capable of doing it at times, but the good sides do it all the time, regardless of circumstance, and that’s what we’re working towards.”
Scott is confident forward Lindsay Thomas (hamstring cramp) will be fine to front up for Sunday’s clash with Richmond, but Brent Harvey’s availability will be determined by the AFL’s match review panel.
Harvey is certain to come under scrutiny for his open-palm hit to the chin of Eagles tagger Adam Selwood.
The Kangaroos veteran copped a six-game suspension in 2012 after striking then-Eagles tagger Adam Selwood and Daniel Kerr in a game in Perth.
Scott joked that Harvey’s latest lash-out may have had a deeper meaning.
“He’s probably asking him to pass it on to Adam (Selwood) from the last time he terrorised him around Subiaco,” Scott said.
“But we want Boomer to be disciplined and I think he does a remarkable job given the treatment he cops.”
