During the latter stages of its coverage on Saturday night, Channel Ten put together a colourful montage of Brad Scott's antics in the coaching box. Scott had played a straight bat when quizzed about the match four days earlier on AFL Insider. He was right to do so. As the Kangaroos have discovered on several occasions this season, words are cheap. On Saturday night, Scott's actions attested to a season which never really got into first gear.

In the wake of the defeat, Scott spoke frankly about his side's inability to compete against quality opposition.

"It's these games that you play for. It's these games you're in the competition for and at the moment we're not holding up our end," he said.

Their results against top four teams continue to be a concern. Last season they lost to St. Kilda by 104 points, Collingwood by 66 points, Fremantle by 62 points and the Western Bulldogs by 71 and 70 points respectively. This season they have lost to Geelong by 66 points, St Kilda by 65 points and Collingwood by 87 points and a whopping 117 points in round 16.

In 2012 North Melbourne needs a big scalp. There is a player with a big scalp who might be able to aid the process. He is currently plying his trade with the Casey Scorpions in the VFL. He kicked ten goals on the weekend. He has kicked 43 goals in the past six matches. You might have heard of him? Allow me to play devil's advocate ever so briefly, that is to say, allow me to advocate the devil: Brendan Fevola.

There is no point spouting statistics to underline Brendan Fevola's worth as a footballer. No one has ever denied his talent or his ability to influence a match when he is ‘on'. He admitted as much last week when discussing his prospects of being drafted, saying, "I don't think it's about footy...I don't think it's ever been about footy."

There is also no point in listing the myriad reasons why Fevola shouldn't be recruited. They are commonly known. It's not up to me to advocate his right to seek reform, nor to speculate as to what the game might owe him. If he was to languish among the meat raffles of suburban football for the next decade of his life, I dare say it would be a fate befitting his indiscretions.

His indiscretions do interest me, though. In all my time following football, no one has misbehaved quite as majestically as Brendan Fevola. Could such a colourful rap sheet possibly work to the advantage of a potential suitor?

There are two things which North Melbourne is missing: crowds and a quality leading forward. In recent seasons their home matches at Etihad Stadium have appeared extremely flat from a viewing perspective. At times this has detracted from good quality football. Their round six clash against Port Adelaide attracted only 16,014 spectators.

Fevola would bring people to the football. He would also add a certain intrigue to the club. Would he indoctrinate their younger players in the habits of larrikinism? If the Kangaroos played their cards right, they could use such intrigue to gain more exposure in the mainstream media. They would almost certainly generate more revenue if they danced with the devil.

Unlike the Brisbane Lions, the Kangaroos wouldn't need to break the bank to secure Fevola. They could easily sign him on a rookie contract. The only hope Fevola now has - and it is slimmer than Kate Moss' waistline - is to play for the minimum wage.

During his two-season reign, Brad Scott has regularly sounded the praises of his talented, up-and-coming list. This is warranted to an extent. Yet as opposed to the likes of Essendon (Hurley), Richmond (Riewoldt) and West Coast (Kennedy), North Melbourne - apart from the estimable all-rounder Drew Petrie - doesn't have a gun goalkicking forward to complete their emerging spine.

Andrew Swallow is an absolute star. His work at stoppages is second to none. Jack Ziebell is beginning to influence the result of matches. Daniel Wells is playing the best football of his career under Brad Scott and should be able to maintain this level for at least another three seasons.

Todd Goldstein has become one of the best ruckmen in the competition. In the next two seasons Hamish McIntosh will either provide quality relief for Goldstein or an invaluable draft pick for the club.

Ryan Bastinac, Ben Cunnington, Shaun Atley, Sam Wright and Kieran Harper will all develop into good footballers once they add some physicality to their leg speed. Levi Greenwood should be able to take over from Brady Rawlings as the team's number one tagger.

The backline appears to have a nice balance of players and should continue to develop. Scott Thompson is a dogged negator. Nathan Grima has recovered from an injury-riddled pre-season. Luke Delaney performed impressively on debut against Jonathan Brown and shows all the signs of being a strong defender in the mould of Collingwood's Nathan Brown. Robbie Tarrant is slowly, but surely, developing into a key position player.

Petrie is a lionhearted forward. He has made a miraculous comeback this season after suffering three breaks in his feet in 2010. He is capable of taking huge pack marks and seems to compete best when the game is in the balance. But he needs some support up forward.

Aaron Edwards has had a good season as a leading forward. As opposed to the wayward Lindsay Thomas, he has made the most of his opportunities. Yet he stands at only 184 centimetres; hardly tall enough to hold down a key position. Put simply, Edwards isn't a match-winner.

Petrie and Fevola could be a great combination. Petrie would provide an aerial target (and a resting ruckman) while Fevola could lead out from the goal square. The setup would also lessen the pressure on Lindsay Thomas, who could revert to his crumbing instincts - which remain first-rate - at Fevola's feet.

Fevola has between two and three seasons of good football left in him. It is up to Brad Scott and his assistants to decide whether this fits within the Kangaroos' premiership window. They ought to consider it. If their younger players continue to improve, they might be in contention by 2013/2014. And if they are, they might want Brendan Fevola at the big dance; sober, of course.