Player Watch #20: Nick 'Souva' Larkey - '23 AA & '24 NM VC

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Nick Larkey​

What makes Larkey so valuable to North Melbourne isn't just his ability to kick big bags, but how consistently he kicks them. Larkey has played 65 out of a possible 67 games in the past three years, with his reliability reaching new heights in 2023. Averaging 3.1 goals per game last year, Larkey kicked a goal in every game bar round four and kicked bags of five-plus five times to boot. The only problem is that North may be too reliant on Larkey, with the 2023 All-Australian single-handedly kicking 29 per cent of North's goals last season. – Sophie Welsh
 
zoomba23 said:
It probably says it all that of all the fancy traits people look for in key forwards these days, ultimately the two simple traits that got Larkey his AA blazer were his brain and his set shot technique. No brutal pack crashing. No freakish Naughton/King/Curnow aerial prowess. No awesome ground level agility. Just a bloke who knows his limitations, practices his craft and takes the opportunity when it comes. Pretty ******* simple at the end of the day isn't it
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100%. For me, it's about being simply ultra-reliable in one of the most high-pressure situations. Having a dead-eye dick routine that can deliver more than 70% of your shots at goal is a very important and elite quality. At some stage, Larkey will deliver a beauty after the siren and it's going to make him a special player to everyone (not just us).

In an era where goals are hard to come by, having the best set shot routine in the game will make you a very invaluable player. If I was held at gunpoint and could choose someone to kick a set shot to save my life, there aren't many currently that I would choose before Larkey.

Larkey's deficiencies meant he had to perfect his best qualities as much as he could and I wish this philosophy was contagious to the rest of the group. We know that some of our players are limited, but it's what you do with that ability that makes or breaks you in the AFL system. Larkey is a fine example of someone who has worked super hard to get where he is sitting now. And golly, does he deserve the recognition!
 

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nelroo said:
He’d rather stick fat with us and be a part of our rise rather than play for a club with no soul in a s**t city .
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Nah it says Sydney, not Power
 
Gun.
******* love him.
 

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FlyHigh18 said:
Sydney have been throwing around $10m 10 year contracts for a while now. What’s wrong with highly touted Logan McDonald, he no good?
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It feels like the go home factor is real there.
 
For those who can't read it, here's one of the nicest bits of press we've had in a while.

​

It’s been dark times at North Melbourne both on and off the field in recent years, but a locked-down goalkicking machine could be the one to lead them into the light, writes JON RALPH.

February 25, 2024 - 5:42PM

Nick Larkey is the hero North Melbourne needs right now.
Fresh from a five goal haul against premiers Collingwood in last week’s pre-season tune-up, he could be hawking his services to rivals as footy’s biggest free agent of 2024.
Instead, after sacrificing his free agency rights last June to sign a new five-season deal, his loyalty still has rival list managers shaking their heads in amazement.
Sydney and Essendon went extremely hard at the North Melbourne full forward, with Sydney several times raising their offer significantly as they sought a Lance Franklin replacement.
Western Bulldogs defender Aaron Naughton got a 10-year offer from the Swans too, which helped leverage his own eight-year Dogs extension.

Larkey was firing early in the pre-season. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

Larkey was firing early in the pre-season. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

But Larkey could have backed up the truck and escaped Victoria’s worst-performing side.
In 2019 Larkey played 17 games and the Roos won nine of them.
But in total he has a meagre 20 total career wins in 94 games – and just 11 in his last 63 games.
And yet the Swans never even got a meeting with Larkey.
As he told the Herald Sun’s Glenn McFarlane last year, he did his list analysis in meetings with Roos officials Todd Viney and Brady Rawlings as he sought detail on their vision for the future.
But as he dealt exclusively with the Roos, he also believed in repaying the faith of a club that chose him when every other team overlooked him as the No. 73 pick in the 2016 national draft.
Like Patrick Cripps at Carlton, subject to so many rival offers he has rebuffed, he saw the virtue in doing the hard yards to find on field success at a single club rather than jumping ship to an immediate contender.
For his reward, a player who kicked an outstanding 71.24 last year is being paid very well by North Melbourne.
This year given the Roos huge cap space he is likely to earn well in excess of his annual seven-figure salary in a front-ended arrangement similar to Ben McKay’s deal at the Roos.
But the Roos will hope the loyalty of Larkey and Jy Simpkin (also signed last year to 2029 in a commendable move) is contagious as they bank cap space for their young stars.

Larkey has continued to dominate even despite the Roos’ struggles. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Larkey has continued to dominate even despite the Roos’ struggles. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Colby McKercher and Zane Duursma can sign extensions past 2026 from round 6 onwards, while Harry Sheezel and George Wardlaw last year extended to 2026 but will one day sign massive long-term deals.
In a week where the Roos sacked No. 8 draft pick Tarryn Thomas, their spectacular success with such a late pick in Larkey is another reminder they cannot survive on high-end picks alone.
Larkey’s best mate Zurhaar is a rookie success (and will hopefully recommit this year), while ruckman Tristan Xerri is a pick 72 and father-son pick Bailey Scott was taken at pick 49.
At a club where free agency acquisitions and big trades have been in short supply, those mid-season, summer rookie and late-draft successes are even more vital than at rival clubs.
Thanks to Larkey and Simpkin’s early commitment North Melbourne has 20 players out of contract but only Zurhaar as an early-season priority signing.
It has an administration and football department finally freed from distraction over Thomas’ ongoing sagas for the first time in what seems like forever.
And it has footy’s most innovative 21st-century coach in Alastair Clarkson with the Hawthorn controversy mostly behind him and keen to play a hard-charging “Northball” brand.
As a new season approaches it feels like the fog over Arden Street is finally lifting.
It is fitting that the recipient of that on field improvement – and express-paced ball movement – could be full forward Larkey after his own loyalty when so many clubs came so hard at him.
 
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Makeshift Park said:
Sydney is the better city if your annual salary exceeds a million bucks.

Why would anyone live in Toorak when you can live in Bronte or Rose Bay?

Great that he was loyal though.
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The only thing Shitney has to offer is the view of the harbour, but that does not overcome the people and the rest of the place. CBD is tight, over crowded, their beaches are 2nd rate and full of show ponies, Rose bay will cost you 15mil to live in a 3 bed 2 bath, that is so close to your neighbour you can hear them shower. I can going of you like, even their airport sucks with a stupid curfew because they built houses all around it
 
North1411 said:
The only thing Shitney has to offer is the view of the harbour, but that does not overcome the people and the rest of the place. CBD is tight, over crowded, their beaches are 2nd rate and full of show ponies, Rose bay will cost you 15mil to live in a 3 bed 2 bath, that is so close to your neighbour you can hear them shower. I can going of you like, even their airport sucks with a stupid curfew because they built houses all around it
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Kenan Thompson Snl GIF by Saturday Night Live
 
North1411 said:
The only thing Shitney has to offer is the view of the harbour, but that does not overcome the people and the rest of the place. CBD is tight, over crowded, their beaches are 2nd rate and full of show ponies, Rose bay will cost you 15mil to live in a 3 bed 2 bath, that is so close to your neighbour you can hear them shower. I can going of you like, even their airport sucks with a stupid curfew because they built houses all around it
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I find Sydneysiders no different than Melbournians, nice, friendly people, but *in' idiots when it comes to the competition between the two cities.
 
North1411 said:
The only thing Shitney has to offer is the view of the harbour, but that does not overcome the people and the rest of the place. CBD is tight, over crowded, their beaches are 2nd rate and full of show ponies, Rose bay will cost you 15mil to live in a 3 bed 2 bath, that is so close to your neighbour you can hear them shower. I can going of you like, even their airport sucks with a stupid curfew because they built houses all around it
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TBF, most of those 15m properties are owned by overseas businessmen and women with no one in them.
 
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