Goldstein ready for Kangaroos finals push

North Melbourne coach Brad Scott has challenged standout ruckman Todd Goldstein to stay at the top of his game with the side seemingly headed for the AFL finals.

Goldstein dominated in the Kangaroos’ 59-point drubbing of St Kilda at Bellerive on Saturday, with 39 hitouts, 18 possessions and two goals.

Scott said the big Kangaroo had reached the game’s top echelon in the past six matches, but added there was still room for improvement.

“He’s played against some good opposition and been pretty dominant,” he said.

“When he’s on top and giving first use to our inside midfielders it makes them better players and us a better team.

“He’s just got to continue to build his form leading into the end of the season.”

North look destined for a finals berth with a relatively favourable draw for the run home.

They backed up their surprise 20-point win over premiers Hawthorn last week with a 13.14(92) to 3.15(33) win over the poor-kicking Saints.

Scott’s side had made a habit of falling to the league’s struggler’s after impressive wins, but led from start to finish in their first outing at their Hobart base for 2014.

“I wasn’t thinking whether we’d be on or not,” he said.

“I don’t separate the wins from the losses too much.

“Even last week against Hawthorn we had … some periods of play when we weren’t very good at all.

“We’re just trying to strive for perfection.”

That quest will be helped with star injured duo Jack Ziebell and Daniel Wells still to return.

Ziebell could return as early as next week while Wells pulled up well after running again on Friday.

“We’ve got three weeks to try and get him back into full training and I think that’s largely on track,” Scott said.

They have minor injury concerns over a knock to the jaw for Lachlan Hansen and a knee problem for Leigh Adams.

North burst out of the blocks to lead by 30 at the first break, before the young Saints rallied to restrict the halftime lead to 37.

But the visiting Saints had nine behinds on the board before finally kicking their first major through Nick Riewoldt moments before the halftime siren.

Coach Alan Richardson said injuries and inexperience were no excuse for a losing streak that now stretches to 11.

“We certainly wouldn’t give them a pass mark,” he said.

Stay up to date with the latest sports news
Follow our social accounts to get exclusive content and all the latest sporting news!