North Melbourne and why they are going nowhere..

[Zerg]

The meat grinders are the problem. Our midfield is all grit and then Dal Santo. Wells is such a big out when you consider the types of players in our midfield at the moment.

Absolutely but that also shows one of the real issues you have. Outside pace and players that can kick.

You have no one that can play Well's role and because you have so many "Meat Grinders" it's exposed many times over. The thing is that everyone get's injuries so you can't have a player that is irreplaceable, you have to have cover and i just don't see him at North.

 

[Daveismad]

North just aren't as good as the òther teams

That's a really simple observation but it's where I see it

Midfield is ok but not great
Ditto forward line
Ditto backline

Coaches .....ok but not great

That's why the finish mid table a lot

 

[Zephyr Effekt]

Except Teffy

Where is Teffy at....new username?

 

[benfica]

Team isn't too shabby and they have a very good midfield. They have a few players that aren't great but most teams do. The way they play indicates a cultural problem and I would think that it starts with the administration and ends with the football department. They seem to have a few passengers and not necessarily just on field.

yep i remember watching one of the footy shows couple weeks back and they wear giving it to brad scott comparing him to ross lyon after a win. ross lyon grilling his players after a win and scott going after tom rocklif over nothing

 

[Xtreme]

Brad Scott just hasn't the ability unfortunately. Pretenders.
You've got Brayshaw and his arrogant fool hardy swagger but what can they change to get this joke off the ground?

They need a clean out of administration, then coaching staff and ultimately playing list. For having the most promising young list of the competition they are really spudding it up, they are not going to be young forever. Are they going to graduate to underachiever status ?

Boomer Harvey is not going to deliver them a premiership, nor will Dal Santo.

 

[Engimal]

Absolutely but that also shows one of the real issues you have. Outside pace and players that can kick.

You have no one that can play Well's role and because you have so many "Meat Grinders" it's exposed many times over. The thing is that everyone get's injuries so you can't have a player that is irreplaceable, you have to have cover and i just don't see him at North.

Exactly. We can cover an inside mid injury easy as piss but if Wells or NDS goes down we're in a bit of trouble. We've done alright without Wells but games like this shows how much we needed him.

 

[Thats Wright]

They need a clean out of administration, then coaching staff and ultimately playing list. For having the most promising young list of the competition they are really spudding it up, they are not going to be young forever. Are they going to graduate to underachiever status ?

Boomer Harvey is not going to deliver them a premiership, nor will Dal Santo.

Unfortunately Brayshaw mopes around the club like the pretentious fluffer he is.

A strong president wouldn't allow brad the king of mediocrity and career coaching to get away with playing duds and refusing to act until he feels his career coaching is under threat.

Am embarrassed for the club when Thomas all of a sudden turned up as full forward in the saints game, that completely detailed all the hard work they achieved in the hawks game.

Black went backwards when he's the missing link. Thomas did his usual.. 1 good mark from 26 attempts. Blocked the space, flew for marks and inspired the opposition. Game over.

Blacks confidence and development halted. Thomas 3 goals in an embarrassing loss to the blues.

Short term thinking from the coaching staff.

Clean out required.

 

[Engimal]

you needed a little more from your talls but they didn't show up tonight.
Wells probably wouldn't have made much difference to the end result.
At the other end of the ground, Carlton's bigs dominated.

Wells would have helped a bit but you're right in that he wasn't the difference in between winning and losing. Our backline was too short, too. Grima is needed back but he's made of ****ing Lego or something and breaks too easily.

 

[MarkCatsFan]

We can all say culture this and culture that, but in the end they're probably just not as good as we think they are.

Have a decent side that is as Mick 'retirement home' Malthouse would say is at about 9pm on the premiership clock and they're still just middle of the road year after year. I see them as a side that are good enough to upset the best, but will never put it together over 23 rounds to set up a finals series.

North can wait it out with this side, and probably will, but as far as I'm concerned they won't be winning a flag till their next rebuild.

 

[Thats Wright]

We can all say culture this and culture that, but in the end they're probably just not as good as we think they are.

Have a decent side that is as Mick 'retirement home' Malthouse would say is at about 9pm on the premiership clock and they're still just middle of the road year after year. I see them as a side that are good enough to upset the best, but will never put it together over 23 rounds to set up a finals series.

North can wait it out with this side, and probably will, but as far as I'm concerned they won't be winning a flag till their next rebuild.

There is no chance this side can even win a final.

Goldstein would need to take contested marks weekly..

Thomas needs to be delisted.

Bastinac needs to grow a pair.

Adams, Gibson, Anthony, McMahon, Nahas, Jacobs, Harper, and controversially Hansen need to be delisted.

Black needs free reign without Thomas blocking, garner needs to play and Scott needs a mentor. Small brain with slick verbals is Scott.

 

[Righteo]

Has been playing with a subluxed shoulder all year. can hardly lift his arms above his shoulders and hasn't been training during the week. He should have been sent into surgery in about round 6, but the Brad wanted him to play because of our injury list (despite Mason Wood a similar type kicking the door down at VFL level).

Black is better than this.

Yeah no doubt and that would explain it, pretty negligent treatment.

 

[Engimal]

Unfortunately Brayshaw mopes around the club like the pretentious fluffer he is.

Without Brayshaw, there'd probably be no North Melbourne Football Club right now.

 

[bugalugs213]

Ziebell as the sub seemed a bit odd. Is he making moves just so he can be seen as a coach that makes odd moves?

 

[Engimal]

who would you wanna face in the first week of the finals, Geelong, Port Adelaide (at AO), Collingwood or Essendon?

Port.

Ziebell as the sub seemed a bit odd. Is he making moves just so he can be seen as a coach that makes odd moves?

Coming back from injury. Just wanted to ease him in, I think.

 

[interestedoz1]

My gf says north are easyyyyy to tip.
She says they win when they should lose, and lose when they should win. She tipped Carlton tonight.

North have absolutely baffled me this year. ..

 

[FootyGeek]

Brent Harvey is their best player and he is a 36 year old.

Spot on.

Which is why Harvey should be given the arse (he is a bad role model for the team). Always has been.

 

[Thats Wright]

Without Brayshaw, there'd probably be no North Melbourne Football Club right now.

And yes I was there that day.

This is now. It's what it is.

He's a fluffer. Knockabout. Good guy. Loyal.

Not a flag winning mix. Did 80% of the lifting to save the club..

But...

Not premiership material.

Unfortunately north is full of them

Scott, goldy, bastinac, Ziebell, Thomas, grima, wells, Harvey, Petrie, Hansen...

Almost but no cigar.

They won't get there. Why have north had no good forwards in years?

Thomas?
Coaching?

Are they cursed? The answer is yes.

 

[Engimal]

And yes I was there that day.

This is now. It's what it is.

He's a fluffer. Knockabout. Good guy. Loyal.

Not a flag winning mix. Did 80% of the lifting to save the club..

But...

Not premiership material.

Unfortunately north is full of them

Scott, goldy, bastinac, Ziebell, Thomas, grima, wells, Harvey, Petrie, Hansen...

Almost but no cigar.

They won't get there. Why have north had no good forwards in years?

Thomas?
Coaching?

Are they cursed? The answer is yes.

Okay...

 

[HBF]

Greenwood, Gibson & Wright have stepped up.

Ziebell, Cunnington, Mullet & Black have stepped down.

Black looked ready to take the game by the scruff of the neck this time last year.
He has gone backwards big time in the last 12 months.

 

[Thats Wright]

Okay...

There's something in the left foot of Thomas that the coaching staff takes preference over the development of Black, the momentum of the side and the consistency of the team.

It can be good, but it unsettles.

It's a mystery to all why north are so inconsistent.

This is the main reason. Thomas can't fill the boots he pretends he Can.

He's a small Aaron Edwards that rarely holds a mark and detracts from the crumbing of the side.

Norths leading goal scorer is a whiny, actress, that takes 1 in 20 attempts at marks. .. Holy shit they choke... Who would've thought.

 

[base615]

What happens to North when Petrie & Harvey drop their ouput?

Well....

 

[NarniMagic]

Why is Thats Wright allowed to make threads. Massive troll, and this thread has been done 1000 times this year.

 

[Thats Wright]

Why is Thats Wright allowed to make threads. Massive troll, and this thread has been done 1000 times this year.

This is why there should be a pg rating on posting.

 

[Thats Wright]

Greenwood, Gibson & Wright have stepped up.

Ziebell, Cunnington, Mullet & Black have stepped down.

Gibson is a good VFL player.


Overrated.

Wright. Capable of 10 good games a year. Hasn't the build for afl unfortunately.

The depth players have limited scope.

After this years finals belting Scott will have to get serious. The problem is it will likely be too late with the age of the list and the fact forwards at north stand no chance.

 

[master bate]

They rely on Wells and Harvey for pace and class. That's not necessarily a horrendous thing. Sydney slog it out at times until McVeigh, Malceski or Jetta get some time and space. Or Freo where Mundy is the V8 in the midfield and Hill and Pearce are the outside pace.

But those teams have a mixture of elite defending and forwards who create goals and stoppage machine midfielders like Fyfe and Josh Kennedy, both who aren't too shabby in general play either!

To challenge for a flag North need:
- At least 1 quality key forward to take over from Petrie and probably a second as an upgrade over Daw/Brown (if they can ruck) or Black. Again not confident in Tarrant or those I listed
- Luke McDonald to become a top line all round mid sooner than later. Wells to get back to that form. At least one of Cunnington, Ziebell or Swallow to return to clearance machine level. Premiership teams have 3 elite mids. North have none right now. A fading Dal Santo and a gun half forward flanker in Harvey
- A quality key defender to let Scott Thompson be the number 2 and Hansen be the third tall. I'm not confident in Grima or Firrito in the future and Tippett looks ok but he might not be the answer
- A reliable distributor from half back. Atley and Mullet aren't cutting it. Wright's having a great few weeks but is playing as a defensive player
- Todd Goldstein to actually be a top ruckman no the myth he is right now. Some marks would be nice. I feel injuries and load are wearing him down

I'd like to know what North's plan is and how they expect to go from a good side with some fit and able players to a side capable of winning a flag.

Dal Santo was a reasonable pick up but he doesn't do anything significant for the team now or in to the future. Surely an aggressive trade for a key forward has to be attempted. And otherwise some trading of a B and C graders who haven't kicked on for something different is worth considering - Bastinac, Macmillan, McKenzie, Jacobs, Mullett, Atley would all have to be on the table. If not Cunnington or Ziebell if they want to be brave.