1972
Captain: David Dench
Coach: Brian Dixon
Best and Fairest: Ken Montgomery
Interstate Carnival Representatives: Keith GreigNorth Melbourne had finished last with 1 win, 21 losses and a percentage of 62.9. North's top goalkicker was Vin Doolan and Sam Kekovich - each with just 19 goals! North still had never won a premiership, never had a Brownlow Medallist, and never had a league leading goalkicker. North was the only team never to have won the premiership, and only a fool would have predicted that North Melbourne would be premiers just 3 seasons later.
1973
The VFL introduced the 10 year automatic clearance rule, allowing players that had served at one club for 10 continuous years to qualify. 1973 saw Doug Wade, John Rantall and Barry Davis make the move to Arden St. Carl Ditterich and George Bisset were other players that changed clubs. North also appointed Ron Barassi as coach.
From Football Life, April, 1973:
"The move of Wade, the former Geelong captain and most prolific goal-kicker in the club's history, throws up all kings of interesting talking points. North must benefit, you would think. Here we have Wade, a 90-goal player last year - a tally high enough to put him on the third rung of the VFL goal-kicking ladder - at his new club which had a top goal-kicking figure of 19 last season. It was shared jointly by Sam Kekovich and Vin Doolan.
No wonder North cast out the net for a goal-kicker. Only once in the club's VFL history has North had to record such a miserable figure. That was in 1937 when S. Anderson headed the list with 18. If Wade can get his old true boot back into full swing he could very well give the North goal-kicking records a greater air of respectability.
For a start North has never produced a leading VFL goal kicker. It has not produced a 100-goal a season player and no North player holds the goal-kicking record at any of the grounds.
Wade has topped the century in a season - 127 in 1969. He has headed the VFL list - 1962, 1967 and 1969. And he does hold a ground record - 13 at Kardinia Park. His 13 goals on the Geelong ground was back in 1971 - and against NORTH. To break North’s goal-kicking record in one season, Wade must kick 89 goals. Sel Murray booted 88 in 1941 and Jock Spencer 86 in 1950. These are the only two occasions a North player has managed to reach the eighties.
North has never won a Brownlow Medal - nor has Wade, Rantall or Davis. Three times in the sixties North went close to snatching the award… Laurie Dwyer was second to John James in 1961 and second to Ross Smith in 1967. Then there was Noel Teasdale’s 1965 performance when he was beaten on a countback by Ian Stewart. (Note: Teasdale was later retrospectively awarded the Brownlow Medal.)
And what about a VFL premiership?… That’s something else that has evaded North leaving it the only one of the 12 clubs without a pennant. At least it has Hawthorn as company in the no-Brownlow Medal department.
Whatever the outcome of season 1973, nobody can say that North’s bold, energetic executive hasn't pulled out all stops to arrest the club’s down-the-ladder image. At the top are three imports, too - senior coach Ron Barassi and advisers Norm Smith and Bill Stephen."
North did improve in 1973, missing out on the finals by just half a game. North finished with 11 wins, 10 losses and a draw. Keith Greig won the Brownlow Medal, the club's first. Doug Wade kicked 73 goals, to finish second in the VFL.
1974
Keith Greig won the Brownlow Medal again, and Doug Wade kicked 103 goals. Wade was the first North player to top the VFL goalkicking, and also the club's first century goal-kicker. North finished second, with 16 wins and 6 losses. North made it through to the Grand Final, but lost to Richmond.
1975
Finishing the season with 14 wins, 8 losses and in third place, North won the premiership, defeating Hawthorn in the Grand Final. In three years North had broken all three of its "records" - by winning a Brownlow in 1973, winning the VFL goalkicking in 1974, and the Premiership in 1975. It was a remarkable performance, and after all the years of heartbreak North Melbourne had finally emerged as a football power.