IS THERE light at the end of the tunnel for North Melbourne?

Despite an 0-7 start to the season – continuing a run that has featured just 12 wins from the last 91 games for the Kangaroos, dating back to 2020 – the building blocks for a bright future can be spotted in the distance.

According to Champion Data, the team North Melbourne fielded in last week's disappointing defeat to Adelaide was its youngest in 33 years. But within it, there was a host of talents the club is investing heavily in to rescue its future.

On average, the Kangaroos were 18 months younger and 12 games less experienced than any other team across the AFL in round seven. That alone highlights just how long the road back to relevancy might take for Alastair Clarkson and co.

But, if the hardest thing for a recruiting department to find is elite talent, then North Melbourne – in Harry Sheezel, George Wardlaw, Colby McKercher and Zane Duursma, among others – might have already done the difficult part.

Sheezel is a gun and has averaged 28.3 disposals from his first 30 games in an AFL system, a 30-game stretch that already includes a Syd Barker Medal as the club's best and fairest as well as a Rising Star award.

Duursma amassed 20 AFL Player Ratings points last week – Champion Data's most definitive statistic to measure influence on a game – which was easily the best game of his career so far. Wardlaw had 22.3, the most of his career as well.

McKercher, meanwhile, had 32 disposals and 573m gained against Adelaide. It complemented a display that also featured five intercepts and four score involvements, while it was 10 more disposals than he's ever had in his career before.

Together, they make up four of the 16 first-round picks currently on North Melbourne's list. Four of those 16 were traded into the club while another, Riley Hardeman, made his AFL debut down in Tasmania last weekend.

NORTH'S 16 FIRST-ROUND PICKS

The problem, for now at least, is that Sheezel is just 19 years of age. Wardlaw and McKercher are also 19, while Duursma is 18. While they're all showing traits of being elite players, they lack a genuine buffer in the age group above them.

A large reason for that lies in the four years between 2018 and 2021. During that spell, the Kangaroos had possible access to six first-round picks. But only one of those selections, Tom Powell, is playing consistent senior football. Meanwhile only one other, Will Phillips, is still on the club's list.

Their 2018 pick – Tarryn Thomas, who they matched a bid at pick No.8 to secure through their Next Generation Academy program – was sacked in February this year for inappropriate behaviour towards a woman.

The club had already traded out of the first round in 2018, parting with the No.11 pick as part of a deal for Port Adelaide duo Jared Polec and Jasper Pittard, in the knowledge it would be bringing through Thomas and that their selection could be eaten up.

They traded out of the 2019 draft with Melbourne to get an additional pick in 2020, ultimately choosing Phillips and Powell, but were selecting from a weakened position when that draft eventually rolled around due to COVID-19 restrictions seeing cancellations of junior football across Victoria.

They had the No.1 pick in 2021, but got only one season from South Australian recruit Jason Horne-Francis before he requested a trade to Port Adelaide following just 17 games at Arden Street.

It has all culminated in the issues at hand, which can be explained by the fact the Kangaroos currently have just five players over the age of 26 on their list. Yet they have more than double that number, 11, born in either 2004 or later.

Their talent might be good – and capable of one day helping the club challenge for success – but they need time to develop. Whether they're afforded that luxury by a fan base desperate to see rapid improvement is another story.