North Melbourne and why they are going nowhere..

[spudmaster]

That's two weeks in a row Petrie has choked

 

[Matt Stevic]

That's two weeks in a row Petrie has choked

I really really wish it was 3

 

[Thats Wright]

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.

Good effort. I think Scott Thompson has been disgusting since the Gold Coast handed him his arse.

Another north player that the coach hasn't exorcised their umpire addiction.

Putrid fall from grace. Certainly needs to be a second fiddle defender.

I think you'll find majak needs delisting and is wasting the clubs time. Can take a mark but like lachie Hansen And Lindsay gets put in a role they simply aren't capable of sustaining.

They are morons. Arrogant fools. Reflected in the coach and president.

Goldstein is soft.. Always will be. Won't step up when needed.

North are good at exploiting their strengths during the home and away. When it's important, the half players of goldy,swallow, Thomas, Thompson all deliver half a performance.

 

[Engimal]

Good effort. I think Scott Thompson has been disgusting since the Gold Coast handed him his arse.

Another north player that the coach hasn't exorcised their umpire addiction.

Putrid fall from grave. Certainly needs to be a second fiddle defender.

I think you'll find majak needs delisting and is wasting the clubs time. Can take a mark but like lachie Hansen And Lindsay gets put in a role they simply aren't capable of sustaining.

They are morons. Arrogant fools. Reflected in the coach and president.

Goldstein is soft.. Always will be. Won't step up when needed.

North are good at exploiting their strengths during the home and away. When it's important, the half players of goldy,swallow, Thomas, Thompson all deliver half a performance.

Northroosrules , this is what melting is.

 

[Thats Wright]

That's two weeks in a row Petrie has choked

Bit hard to be consistent when your coach changes the structure after a win so a diving fraud like Lindsay Thomas gets directed all the ball at the expense of the talls that actually matter.

Warning signs were there last week when Thomas replaced black and Petrie as the go to with long kicks.

Dumb. Really dumb. Missed a chance to give Petrie some continuity and get the all important black into better form.

Instead they get a diving fraud kick a few goals in a pantsing. Same ol north.

w***ers.

Sick of these idiots.

 

[FootyGeek]

Bit hard to be consistent when your coach changes the structure after a win so a diving fraud like Lindsay Thomas gets directed all the ball at the expense of the talls that actually matter.

Warning signs were there last week when Thomas replaced black and Petrie as the go to with long kicks.

Dumb. Really dumb. Missed a chance to give Petrie some continuity and get the all important black into better form.

Instead they get a diving fraud kick a few goals in a pantsing. Same ol north.

******s.

Sick of these idiots.

Your forward line was not the problem.

The blues have not had such an easy access to our forward targets for the whole year. That includes Saints, GWS, Demons, etc.

Your midfield and backline were the problem. Not the forwards.

 

[grouse mate]

Everyone blames Scott. The playing list is mentally fragile. Its like every few weeks they need to put in a sub-standard performance just to lift themselves and fire up again. Where are the on field leaders other than Harvey?

 

[TheKanga]

Unlucky to run into the annual, once a year, Hall of Fame performance from Waite.

We have the ability to make average forwards look like Wayne Carey...

 

[TheKanga]

Players probably thinking about what they would do during the break rather than the game...

 

[harmesy 37]

It is up to the AFL to help push North up the ladder at the expense of teams such as Carlton. This match wouldn't have helped the AFL's preferred plans. I think this loss should mean that North should be given more funds from the AFL from the future fund so they can invest in a bigger coaching team, more facilities, better wages. It is the AFL's duty to do all possible to ensure "equalisation" where some teams are more equal than others.

 

[Righteo]

Bit hard to be consistent when your coach changes the structure after a win so a diving fraud like Lindsay Thomas gets directed all the ball at the expense of the talls that actually matter.

Warning signs were there last week when Thomas replaced black and Petrie as the go to with long kicks.

Dumb. Really dumb. Missed a chance to give Petrie some continuity and get the all important black into better form.

Instead they get a diving fraud kick a few goals in a pantsing. Same ol north.

******s.

Sick of these idiots.

I know you're not really a North supporter and are just trolling but is there a single North Melbourne player you actually rate just out of interest?

 

[Lance Uppercut]

Where is Teffy at....new username?

Don't think he has Internet where Teffy's at

 

[Kram]

Don't think he has Internet where Teffy's at

Put away for some sort of Centrelink payments rort?

 

[I Lost My Keays]

Carlton would of lost if Warnock was playing

 

[TedDougChris]

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.

Chasing Shaun Higgins from the Dogs too, if the rumours are correct. He won't fix any of what we saw last night...

 

[Thats Wright]

yes its deteriorated even if it was starting from a dreadful base.

Would welcome a decent discussion why North is inconsistent. These are the things it may possibly be influencing North's roller coaster ride this year

* Laziness of players - think it will just happen and not prepared to do the hard things.
* Inflexibility of coach/game plan - inability of the coach (and players) to adapt to the game as its going particularly when things are not working out. This is also calls to account a lack of leadership on the ground.
* Simply not skilled enough to regularly produce top line effort

Pre 2007 I use to tear my hair out at Geelong's lack of consistency and generally would attribute the bad games to 1 and 2 above. I wonder though if its the third point that is the most relevant

The laziness, or whether they all go through the motions seems linked to how self satisfied they get after wins.

Apart from Harvey, there's a lack of players prepared to get serious with the group. They don't have the hunger to achieve. Scott gifts games and does his best to keep the status quo.

Not sure it can be anymore obvious why a team is inconsistent when the leading goal kicker again won't finish in the top 12 of the b&f and only does alright at Ethiad.

The skill issue is definitely a problem. Starting with the meek captain and main link man in Gibson.

The truth is daw won't make it and until Aaron Black gets form, North will fail.

McMahon, wright, Hansen... That is a bad defense and Thompson is way out of form.

Ziebell is all or nothing like Thomas and their roles unsettle the group.

 

[momentbymoment]

I think the bigger question is - why is Carlton so low on the ladder? They are a far better team than they are showing.

They will threaten a few more clubs this year - and as luck would have it, they are playing quite a few top 8 teams on the run home.

 

[JackFlash]

I was to going to say something about North Melbourne, but i simply cannot find any words to describe them, they have put their fans through the ringer this year. They're on a rollercoaster ride to nowhere and....having said that, i think they play the Cats next up? Put the house on them.

 

[momentbymoment]

The good teams win no matter what.

It's a mind thing. It's why Hawthorn and Geelong cannot possibly be written off this year.

And Sydney is 12-0 ...

 

[cammo78]

A severe lack of guns is the problem.

Their best player remains a 36 year old Brent Harvey. Which in and of itself isn't a huge issue, but it is an indictment on the kids who are now ~70-100 game players and have not come on to the level they need to if North are to be a serious contender.

Ziebell, Bastinac, Cunnington, Atley. All spoken of as future guns yet Cunnington is the only one even close to A grade level, and even then at a stretch.

So is it a question of development, poor drafting, or a combination thereof?

Lack serious midfield grunt and the forward line only shows up every other week (Petrie and Thomas incredibly inconsistent and Black and Harper two more who haven't come on).

Backs were good last year, Thompson hasn't played to the same level and Firrito, while honest, is past it.

 

[ManWithNoName]

The issue isn't that Boomer is their best player. Guy's a gun. The issue is the massive gap back to the next best player.

 

[JohnnyFontane90]

I think the bigger question is - why is Carlton so low on the ladder? They are a far better team than they are showing.

They will threaten a few more clubs this year - and as luck would have it, they are playing quite a few top 8 teams on the run home.

the rule of thumb under the MM regime is that we have 2 average quarters, 1 quarter where we are top 4 contender, and 1 quarter where we are playing for number 1 draft pick. last night we strung 4 quarters together by controlling the tempo by finding targets and getting lots of uncontested marks, which mean we weren't gassed from repeated contests etc. the point of this thread though is that it was very easy to do vs north because they're very undisciplined with their defensive running.

 

[vonn]

The good teams win no matter what.

It's a mind thing. It's why Hawthorn and Geelong cannot possibly be written off this year.

And Sydney is 12-0 ...

'No matter what.'

We lost to GWS and North this year too...

 

[HugeJohnson]

He may be the best player, but he should be kicking more goals

Aaron black has gone backwards.. Why?

Lindsay Thomas. Black needs to be developed to take the next step... Not happening with Thomas playing as a crap small full forward.

Ever since his debut when Shannon grant missed the goal from 5 meters out and north lost to collingwood by a kick. Thomas has been a jinx.

Not only have they never won a first round match since his debut, he's jinxed every single other forward on the list.

Matt Campbell, garner, Harper, Nahas, wells, Edwards...

Every forward since Thomas has debuted has been injured or poor.

That's fact. He's a pure curse. Rule changes, Gary Rohan aside. North are stuck in a cycle of the curse.

What a load of shit. Surely you don't believe there's actually a 'curse'. I hate Thomas as much as anyone in the AFL but to say he is a curse on North is just taking the piss.

 

[momentbymoment]

'No matter what.'

We lost to GWS and North this year too...

I know.
And then we did exactly what Brad Scott is talking about.

We realised that you have to work hard to win - no matter who you are playing.