NMFC - Identity Crisis

jess_1804

Club Legend
Aug 21, 2013
2,501
6,826
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Ive said this in various threads but North feel like a souless club. Brad Scott's move to destroy the "Shinboner Spirit" has backfired big time.

They have alot more talent than most lists but they dont often play with any heart or sense of togetherness. They feel like 22 individuals who all happen to wear the same colours.

Sack Scott, Ziebell captain and put in a massive media/PR campaign around the Shinboner Spirit.Membership tagline something like "Summon the Spirit"

Just all out nasty, aggressive football. Let the talent carry them in close games but build a foundation of being ruthless first.

I found this little gem on the main board and thought it summed up my feelings (and I'm sure the feelings of many other around here) perfectly.

What exactly is this club about now?

We suffered through a fairly lean period in the 00's, yet we always knew no matter what team we put out on the field they would compete. We were underdogs, we scraped and fought and chased and tackled. We made the other teams earn their wins (most of the time). We had a spirit that resonated from players to coaches to supporters and so on.

Brad Scott came along and categorically wiped the 'Shinboner Spirit' tagline, and with it went the spirit that had actually built up at the club over time. It's become glaringly obvious this year that the players now just don't play with the kind of gusto that an Archer or Stevens or Simpson or Rawlings played with in that 00 period. The team we've built now arguably has more skill and more upside than any team we fielded in the 00's, yet we will probably end up seeing the same results.

The club, IMO, has become souless and directionless. We've gone from NMFC - Shinboners to NMFC - Will they actually show up to play this week?

My question to you is what can we do, if anything, to get this spirit back to the club under the current regime? Is it too little too late for Scott and his coaching staff to implement the 'never say die' attitude in to the 44 players currently on the list?
 
Wow, certainly appreciate the positive feedback Jess.

I tjink most of the group have shown something in the careers that could be a reflection of the "Shinboner Spirit".

Guys like Ziebell, Cunnington, Turner, Goldstein, Wright, Jacobs, Atley and Bastinac all have various levels of talent but they all pull their weight and give that level of effort.

Some of them need to be told it's ok to * up every now and then rather than having the expectation of perfection thrust upon them.

Bastinac in perticular seems like he should be a consistant, goal kicking, inside mid but Scott has him playing halfback and then drops him when his disposal isnt elite.

The talent of guys like Dal, Higgins, MacMillan etc should be the cream but Scott seems to be trying to build a cake out of this type.

The Hawks, Swans, Dockers, Saints, Pies, Cats etc of the last decade all had super talented players BUT they build from a foundation of defence, tackling and pressure that just doesnt seem to exists at North which is stunning given Scott's history as a player.

I dont think a total list rebuild it needed. The pieces are all there for a shot in the next 2-3 years and if Black and Brown can find form they are every chance of taking over from Petrie/Waite to keep a top 4 run going.

The issue is the coach/belief of the club. There isjust no connection there.

It reminds me abit of the Saints under Watters. Talented sure but there was no connection, no mojo.

Under Richo we have less senior talent but we get through on effort and then the talent we do have is able to shine.

Sack Scott, grab a Worsfold, Williams or Kirk, andbring back that "Shinboner Spirit". All the talent in the world cant make up for effort and teamwork.

Your prelim team of 2007 would leave this mob a bloody mess right now!
 
but DR says theres no such thing as the shinboner spirit?

There isn't. It's a catchphrase that at the end of the day means nothing.

Brad Scott was right to get rid of it. It used to piss me off when it was made out the only way we won was because of Shinboner Spirit. It was like we assembled the 22 biggest spuds to play AFL and we somehow managed to pluck wins out of our arse.
 
There isn't. It's a catchphrase that at the end of the day means nothing.

Brad Scott was right to get rid of it. It used to piss me off when it was made out the only way we won was because of Shinboner Spirit. It was like we assembled the 22 biggest spuds to play AFL and we somehow managed to pluck wins out of our arse.
Who cares how others viewed it. To the team and to most supporters it meant something. It gave the team and the club an identity, an ethos and a standard to aim for. It was part of the culture that allowed us to at least pluck enough wins to get a few premierships!
 

Orange Peanut

Norm Smith Medallist
Feb 6, 2013
7,152
33,962
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Agree with this part:

Bastinac in perticular seems like he should be a consistant, goal kicking, inside mid

But not this:

but Scott has him playing halfback and then drops him when his disposal isnt elite.

He had to be dropped after the lazy defensive "effort" he put in against the Swans.

Based on which, just about the entire Werribee squad should be half a chance for a callup this week.
 
Agree with this part:

Bastinac in perticular seems like he should be a consistant, goal kicking, inside mid

But not this:

but Scott has him playing halfback and then drops him when his disposal isnt elite.

He had to be dropped after the lazy defensive "effort" he put in against the Swans.

Based on which, just about the entire Werribee squad should be half a chance for a callup this week.

Thats fair enough. I obviously dont see every game.

I just dont see Bastinac as a flanker type. At all haha. He seems like he should be using that quick first step he has to be busting OUT of packs and getting away from the plodders inside, rather than trying to keep up with the quicker wing/hff types.
 
Lost me at Kirk :p

You dont rate Kirk?

Came off the rookie list to be one of the toughest leaders in the AFL and has done an apprenticeship under all of Roos, Longmire and Lyon.

I would think he has a very good understanding of the team defences that have made those sides successful.

Nathan Bassett the other one Id look at, just not sure he has been at AFL long enough to have a full grasp on things and push this side into the top 4. Seems more suited to building from the bottom.

What do you guys know/hear about Leigh Tudor?Has had alot of success as an assistant, few of the Saints people wanted him when we got Watters. Is he "fresh" enough to take over or would the stick of Scott still linger?
 
There isn't. It's a catchphrase that at the end of the day means nothing.

Brad Scott was right to get rid of it. It used to piss me off when it was made out the only way we won was because of Shinboner Spirit. It was like we assembled the 22 biggest spuds to play AFL and we somehow managed to pluck wins out of our arse.

We had a limited team that often had to play with a lot of heart.

Now we havea team that has more talent that often gets beaten through showing no heart.
 
We had a limited team that often had to play with a lot of heart.

Now we havea team that has more talent that often gets beaten through showing no heart.

That's selling those teams we had very short. We had plenty of talented players for a number of years. It wasn't just heart that got them wins.
 

hotham

NMFC 1869
North Melbourne - 2015 Daw & MacMillan Player Sponsor North Melbourne - 2013 Daw, Black and Gibson Player Sponsorship North Melbourne - North 2010 Player Sponsor North Melbourne - North 2009 Player Sponsor
Jan 12, 2001
3,930
2,882
Melbourne
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
Eels
Never say die, that to me is (was) the shinboner spirit. We are devoid of it now, players with no intestinal fortitude.
 
That's selling those teams we had very short. We had plenty of talented players for a number of years. It wasn't just heart that got them wins.
You're right, it wasn't just heart. But they did have heart and they had spirit. Both have been lacking in this team since Brad said we'll ditch the Shinboner Spirit.
 
Never say die, that to me is (was) the shinboner spirit. We are devoid of it now, players with no intestinal fortitude.

Yep. This doesn't even feel like the same football club we fought to save in 2007. It nows feel like some mamby-pamby love-in, without the heart, mongrel, never say die, backs to the ******* wall attitude that we all grew up with.

There is an ever increasing disconnect.
 

Hojuman

조수미 사랑해요
May 20, 2012
22,511
65,675
Seoul
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Maybe the team needs a history lesson from Fr. Dowling. The Doc. Teaser. Twinkletoes. Johnny Dugdale. Instill some friggin soul into these blokes. They fought tooth and nail every week never shirked a contest and when careers ended......gave more.
 

nelroo

Premiership Player
Aug 8, 2004
4,212
8,333
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Never say die, that to me is (was) the shinboner spirit. We are devoid of it now, players with no intestinal fortitude.
Never beaten.

Our current players are easily beaten between the ears when the opposition turns up the heat and or gets a run on.

They don't deserve to pull on the jumper.
 

hotham

NMFC 1869
North Melbourne - 2015 Daw & MacMillan Player Sponsor North Melbourne - 2013 Daw, Black and Gibson Player Sponsorship North Melbourne - North 2010 Player Sponsor North Melbourne - North 2009 Player Sponsor
Jan 12, 2001
3,930
2,882
Melbourne
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
Eels
Maybe the team needs a history lesson from Fr. Dowling. The Doc. Teaser. Twinkletoes. Johnny Dugdale. Instill some friggin soul into these blokes. They fought tooth and nail every week never shirked a contest and when careers ended......gave more.

Anthony Stevens playing with a broken ankle and ripping his pectoral muscle in a tackle in the 99 GF. Archer playing with a busted hand and broken ribs. Mick Martyn with a broken jaw. They were all talented but pushed through pain to play. These players will always be bigger than life, absolute respect.
 
That's selling those teams we had very short. We had plenty of talented players for a number of years. It wasn't just heart that got them wins.

I didn't say they won it on heart alone, or that they weren't talented.

They were limited, but they got the most out of themselves, they punched above their weight on occasion.

They got to a prelim with Corey Jones basically as Center Half Forward. He was a good solid footballer but I don't think they will be naming any medals after him.

Right now we have a team that push themselves to their max very infrequently.

Infact the current team right at the minute are not really fit to carry the team from 07s boots in my eyes.

They've been given so much and they are pissing it up against a wall.
 
Apr 1, 2008
57,356
100,816
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
Liverpool, Raiders, GSW, QPR, NYM
I didn't say they won it on heart alone, or that they weren't talented.

They were limited, but they got the most out of themselves, they punched above their weight on occasion.

They got to a prelim with Corey Jones basically as Center Half Forward. He was a good solid footballer but I don't think they will be naming any medals after him.

Right now we have a team that push themselves to their max very infrequently.

Infact the current team right at the minute are not really fit to carry the team from 07s boots in my eyes.

They've been given so much and they are pissing it up against a wall.

And then watching the spray fall down around them.
 
Back