North Melbourne and why they are going nowhere..

[peppy la pew]

I don't think you understand what that expression means. I'd rather the club die trying to survive in Melbourne where it belongs than to live as an AFL franchise on the Gold Coast.

I do understand what it means, and I think it is a massive overreaction, but hey, this isn't the thread to dig that s**t up again .

I can only imagine how good you would be on the GC with those in's.

 

[Port 2004]

Worst coach in the league

Really average players...Black Adams Mcmahon Bastinac Ziebell etc.

Adams is a spud for sure.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Was happy to give them a little licence last season because of the number of close losses they had that derailed their season. Clearly it seems they have not improved. Age-wise they are in the perfect position and should be a lot more of a force than they are. Clearly these mid aged players are either not as good as people thought they were, or they are underperforming. Or a combination of the two.

Soft front runners.

One has to wonder about Brad Scott as well. I wouldnt be sacking him but certainly would have a gun to his head in season 2015, ready to pull the trigger at a moments notice.

 

[Duskfire]

North need bomber Thompson. He would make something of that list.

 

[Scotland]

Nah you would be the Kangaroos playing on the Gold Coast, with GAblett, J O'meara, H Bennell, D Prestia, running through the middle. With the AFL pumping cash into you without you rustling a tin.

Oh and a D Swallow as a little thank you.

Good onya Brayshaw

I enjoy a good LOL at North's expense, but I highly doubt they would've been given the same draft/salary cap concessions had they relocated compared to what the Suns got.

An established mid range team + Ablett + a handful of early draft picks is a recipe for an absolute dynasty.

 

[dvas987]

North are going to Hobart aren't they?

 

[peppy la pew]

I enjoy a good LOL at North's expense, but I highly doubt they would've been given the same draft/salary cap concessions had they relocated compared to what the Suns got.

An established mid range team + Ablett + a handful of early draft picks is a recipe for an absolute dynasty.

But we will never know

 

[laminex]

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

True but he's only getting better, how ******* good is he going to be at 40?

 

[THRILLHO]

They will be a team that a few clubs will want to play in Week One of the finals... if they get there, which they should given their soft draw.

Soft draw? We have to play four bottom ten sides and only get one top four team for the rest of the year!

 

[Ahern2Boof]

Our list is so stale at the moment. I can't believe how much it has changed compared to the pre-season. Here's a quick rundown of our list:

#1 Dan Currie - sixth or seventh year on an AFL list and has three games to his name. Definitely not going to make it as a key forward having stints in ruck, yet to be seen if he can make it vice versa, but unlikely to see given Goldy doesn't get dropped/injured.

#2 Brad McKenzie - vanilla footballer. Foot skills are great, but struggles away from Etihad and struggles in the congestion. Finds it hard to lay a tackle and show any physicality. Also pretty slow. Jury still out on him, wouldn't be against trading him.

#3 Ryan Bastinac - arguably the most frustrating player on our list. Just looking at him makes me angry. An absolute squib, doesn't like the contest and is a front-runner. Has so much aerobic capabilities but never pushes himself. Gets a free ride in the best 22 and he knows it.

#4 Liam Anthony - this was his last chance to make something of his career and he hasn't done so. Delist.

#5 Ben Jacobs - has shown small signs this year. Hard to get a gig in his preferred position given the likes of Cunnington, Ziebell, Swallow and Greenwood are ahead of him. Will judge him when he gets a full game in the congestion.

#6 Lachie Hansen - very important to our structure. A smart dumb footballer. One of the best intercept markers in the game. Last night was a rare off night for him.

#7 Jack Ziebell - has gone backwards at a rate of knots. Hasn't ripped a game apart this year. Injuries to a shoulder and knee haven't helped. Wouldn't mind seeing him play as a Brad Johnson-esque full forward.

#8 Daniel Wells - Mysterious foot injury has seen him out for majority of the year. The Sydney game in Round 4 was his only good game from the first five weeks. Have missed him massively though.

#9 Andrew Swallow - has made a good return from his injury but his explosiveness off the mark is notably lacking and his disposal can be pretty shoddy. Change of captaincy at the end of the season would be a good way to shake things up.

#10 Ben Cunnington - had a great start to the season but it seems he and Swallow can't coexist.

#11 Michael Firrito - has revived his career but is still prone to the odd mistake. Will play on next year in what will probably be his last campaign.

#12 Lindsay Thomas - That's Wright deeming him a 'curse' has got no idea. Probably our most dangerous forward, and most reliable in front of goal. Playing for free kicks and going for mark of the year every time it goes forward is frustrating as hell, but his forward pressure is very important to our team.

#13 Leigh Adams - love Patch but he's been downright awful the past couple of seasons. Like Bastinac, he's a Brad Scott favourite. Needs to go back to the VFL. Would trade but don't think any club would be interested.

#14 Trent Dumont - killing it in the VFL. Will probably make his debut after the bye.

#15 Nick Dal Santo - having a good year. Have seen him not go into contests a few times this year which is disappointing. Having Wells back will make his impact more profound.

#16 Scott Thompson - having a s**t year. Hopefully he rebounds next year.

#17 Nathan Grima - injury prone. Very important defender, hopefully he has a year or two left in him, but need to start looking for a replacement defender ASAP.

#18 Shaun Atley - hugely important rebounding from defence. Has a big career ahead of him.

#19 Sam Wright - last few weeks have been very promising. Will stay on next season. Still have hopes he can have a good career.

#20 Drew Petrie - in the twilight of his career. Needs another key forward to take some focus off him. Black and co. aren't doing that.

#21 Luke McDonald - future gun. Was very good last night. Future captain.

#22 Todd Goldstein - same as Bastinac, a pussy. Got bowled over by little Nick Graham last night. Would Cox, Mumford and Jacobs etc. go to ground so easily if someone like Graham bumped them?

#23 Keiran Harper - his football career is fading away. Hoping to see him before the year is out. Trade option.

#24 Levi Greenwood - having a fantastic year. Probably our biggest positive of 2014. Sign him up ASAP.

#25 Robbie Tarrant - attracts injuries everywhere he goes. Sadly, I don't think his career is going anywhere.

#26 Taylor Hine - bit of a nothing footballer. Good tagger but doesn't offer anything offensive. Skills aren't great.

#27 Taylor Garner - could have had 15 games under his belt this year had he not have done a hamstring tendon in the NAB Cup. Still recovering from that. Wasted year.

#28 Robbie Nahas - been good when he's playing, but like most he's injured.

#29 Brent Harvey - having a great year. Don't understand why people say having him as our best player is a bad thing. Put him in any of the AFL sides and he'd be up there as one of the best.

#30 Tom Curran - only played a handful of VFL games since being drafted in 2011. Has been injured otherwise. Our key forward ray of hope, hoping he can get out on the park.

#31 Cam Delaney - our key defender ray of hope, has been dogged by a toe injury since late last year. Grima's replacement.

#32 Mason Wood - playing very well in the VFL, and hopefully gets a debut before the year is out. Was likened to Jeremy Cameron pre-draft.

#33 Mitch Wilkins - plying his trade in the VFL. Most unknown player on the list. May get delisted.

#34 Jamie Macmillan - broke a leg in Round 3 and has been out since then. Was originally meant to be a 4-6 weeker. Good young leader of the defence who has been missed.

#35 Aaron Black - had a terribly year, amazed he has played every game. Needs to be dropped to the VFL following the bye, and his goalkicking routine needs serious work.

#36 Joel Tippett - did well coming off the rookie list but a torn pectoral has seen him out.

#37 Tim McGenniss - playing as a tagger in the VFL. Skills are poor.

#38 Majak Daw - don't know what to say here. Showed some good urgency last night, but just looks so damn laconic all the time. He's unstoppable in a marking contest and incredibly hard to be tackled, so he could be anything if he gets it all together.

#39 Eric Wallace - progressing well.

#40 Kayne Turner - doing very well in the VFL. Will get upgraded next year. Supporters love him.

#41 Aaron Mullett - great offensively, poor defensively, like most of our players. Great kick, but doesn't offer much physicality.

#42 Scott McMahon - not sure why he gets a game. Offers nothing.

#43 Sam Gibson - started the year well but his disposal is awful at times. Still, the best gut-runner in the team.

#44 Max Warren - still scratching my head at why he got a game a few weeks ago. Had one touch. Back in the VFL. ???

#50 Ben Brown - done well since making his debut. Real promise here.

At the end of the year, I would like to see:

TRADE: Bastinac, Harper
DELIST: Currie, Wilkins, McGenniss, Warren, McMahon, Anthony, Hine, Curran (rookie list)

And give Adams and Mullett a big boot up the ass.

 

[Thats Wright]

Our list is so stale at the moment. I can't believe how much it has changed compared to the pre-season. Here's a quick rundown of our list:

#1 Dan Currie - sixth or seventh year on an AFL list and has three games to his name. Definitely not going to make it as a key forward having stints in ruck, yet to be seen if he can make it vice versa, but unlikely to see given Goldy doesn't get dropped/injured.

#2 Brad McKenzie - vanilla footballer. Foot skills are great, but struggles away from Etihad and struggles in the congestion. Finds it hard to lay a tackle and show any physicality. Also pretty slow. Jury still out on him, wouldn't be against trading him.

#3 Ryan Bastinac - arguably the most frustrating player on our list. Just looking at him makes me angry. An absolute squib, doesn't like the contest and is a front-runner. Has so much aerobic capabilities but never pushes himself. Gets a free ride in the best 22 and he knows it.

#4 Liam Anthony - this was his last chance to make something of his career and he hasn't done so. Delist.

#5 Ben Jacobs - has shown small signs this year. Hard to get a gig in his preferred position given the likes of Cunnington, Ziebell, Swallow and Greenwood are ahead of him. Will judge him when he gets a full game in the congestion.

#6 Lachie Hansen - very important to our structure. A smart dumb footballer. One of the best intercept markers in the game. Last night was a rare off night for him.

#7 Jack Ziebell - has gone backwards at a rate of knots. Hasn't ripped a game apart this year. Injuries to a shoulder and knee haven't helped. Wouldn't mind seeing him play as a Brad Johnson-esque full forward.

#8 Daniel Wells - Mysterious foot injury has seen him out for majority of the year. The Sydney game in Round 4 was his only good game from the first five weeks. Have missed him massively though.

#9 Andrew Swallow - has made a good return from his injury but his explosiveness off the mark is notably lacking and his disposal can be pretty shoddy. Change of captaincy at the end of the season would be a good way to shake things up.

#10 Ben Cunnington - had a great start to the season but it seems he and Swallow can't coexist.

#11 Michael Firrito - has revived his career but is still prone to the odd mistake. Will play on next year in what will probably be his last campaign.

#12 Lindsay Thomas - That's Wright deeming him a 'curse' has got no idea. Probably our most dangerous forward, and most reliable in front of goal. Playing for free kicks and going for mark of the year every time it goes forward is frustrating as hell, but his forward pressure is very important to our team.

#13 Leigh Adams - love Patch but he's been downright awful the past couple of seasons. Like Bastinac, he's a Brad Scott favourite. Needs to go back to the VFL. Would trade but don't think any club would be interested.

#14 Trent Dumont - killing it in the VFL. Will probably make his debut after the bye.

#15 Nick Dal Santo - having a good year. Have seen him not go into contests a few times this year which is disappointing. Having Wells back will make his impact more profound.

#16 Scott Thompson - having a s**t year. Hopefully he rebounds next year.

#17 Nathan Grima - injury prone. Very important defender, hopefully he has a year or two left in him, but need to start looking for a replacement defender ASAP.

#18 Shaun Atley - hugely important rebounding from defence. Has a big career ahead of him.

#19 Sam Wright - last few weeks have been very promising. Will stay on next season. Still have hopes he can have a good career.

#20 Drew Petrie - in the twilight of his career. Needs another key forward to take some focus off him. Black and co. aren't doing that.

#21 Luke McDonald - future gun. Was very good last night. Future captain.

#22 Todd Goldstein - same as Bastinac, a pussy. Got bowled over by little Nick Graham last night. Would Cox, Mumford and Jacobs etc. go to ground so easily if someone like Graham bumped them?

#23 Keiran Harper - his football career is fading away. Hoping to see him before the year is out. Trade option.

#24 Levi Greenwood - having a fantastic year. Probably our biggest positive of 2014. Sign him up ASAP.

#25 Robbie Tarrant - attracts injuries everywhere he goes. Sadly, I don't think his career is going anywhere.

#26 Taylor Hine - bit of a nothing footballer. Good tagger but doesn't offer anything offensive. Skills aren't great.

#27 Taylor Garner - could have had 15 games under his belt this year had he not have done a hamstring tendon in the NAB Cup. Still recovering from that. Wasted year.

#28 Robbie Nahas - been good when he's playing, but like most he's injured.

#29 Brent Harvey - having a great year. Don't understand why people say having him as our best player is a bad thing. Put him in any of the AFL sides and he'd be up there as one of the best.

#30 Tom Curran - only played a handful of VFL games since being drafted in 2011. Has been injured otherwise. Our key forward ray of hope, hoping he can get out on the park.

#31 Cam Delaney - our key defender ray of hope, has been dogged by a toe injury since late last year. Grima's replacement.

#32 Mason Wood - playing very well in the VFL, and hopefully gets a debut before the year is out. Was likened to Jeremy Cameron pre-draft.

#33 Mitch Wilkins - plying his trade in the VFL. Most unknown player on the list. May get delisted.

#34 Jamie Macmillan - broke a leg in Round 3 and has been out since then. Was originally meant to be a 4-6 weeker. Good young leader of the defence who has been missed.

#35 Aaron Black - had a terribly year, amazed he has played every game. Needs to be dropped to the VFL following the bye, and his goalkicking routine needs serious work.

#36 Joel Tippett - did well coming off the rookie list but a torn pectoral has seen him out.

#37 Tim McGenniss - playing as a tagger in the VFL. Skills are poor.

#38 Majak Daw - don't know what to say here. Showed some good urgency last night, but just looks so damn laconic all the time. He's unstoppable in a marking contest and incredibly hard to be tackled, so he could be anything if he gets it all together.

#39 Eric Wallace - progressing well.

#40 Kayne Turner - doing very well in the VFL. Will get upgraded next year. Supporters love him.

#41 Aaron Mullett - great offensively, poor defensively, like most of our players. Great kick, but doesn't offer much physicality.

#42 Scott McMahon - not sure why he gets a game. Offers nothing.

#43 Sam Gibson - started the year well but his disposal is awful at times. Still, the best gut-runner in the team.

#44 Max Warren - still scratching my head at why he got a game a few weeks ago. Had one touch. Back in the VFL. ???

#50 Ben Brown - done well since making his debut. Real promise here.

At the end of the year, I would like to see:

TRADE: Bastinac, Harper
DELIST: Currie, Wilkins, McGenniss, Warren, McMahon, Anthony, Hine, Curran (rookie list)

And give Adams and Mullett a big boot up the ass.

The forwards are a mystery...

Tarrant - always injured.

Garner- always injured.

Harper - big injuries, hasn't regained form.

Nahas- big injury.

Wells- mystery heart injury.

Adams- lost ability to kick. Done.

Black- the key.. Gone backwards at a quick rate. Seems talentless which is wrong.

Petrie gone backwards. Almost done it seems.

Thomas- superstar. Doesn't get in the way, keeps his feet, never gets injured.

Is a mystery why brad Scott has made Thomas what he is at the expense of every other north forward that's put on the jumper in the last 5 years.

Idiots.

 

[Ahern2Boof]

Garner isn't 'always' injured. He has a hamstring tendon injury which is a bugger of an injury to get back from. If you think it's magically Lindsay's fault then you're a ******* idiot.

 

[Thats Wright]

Garner isn't 'always' injured. He has a hamstring tendon injury which is a bugger of an injury to get back from. If you think it's magically Lindsay's fault then you're a ******* idiot.

The way he plays hangs all the other forwards out to dry and it's encouraged by Scott. They struggle till they break down.

Like that hawks win, freo, Sydney.. Thomas was out of the way. Did nothing and the team fired.

 

[Atley]

Hansen might play as a loose man okay but still absolutely putried one on one which is the main role of a defender. Think he gets rated more favourably as a loose man because he is absolutely useless at doing anything else.

 

[Byron_Clanger]

From the Herald Sun website

Kangaroos Scott ‘clueless’ how to fix Roos
EXASPERATED North Melbourne coach Brad Scott admits he is clueless over how to fix his the Kangaroos’ rollercoaster season.

If that's the case then ship him off and bring in someone who has half an idea, geeze

 

[Atley]

From the Herald Sun website

Kangaroos Scott ‘clueless’ how to fix Roos
EXASPERATED North Melbourne coach Brad Scott admits he is clueless over how to fix his the Kangaroos’ rollercoaster season.

If that's the case then ship him off and bring in someone who has half an idea, geeze

They can't afford to get rid of him.

Thank Brayshaw for giving jobs to his mates.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Their split VFL alliance is a disaster too. Almost impossible to develop your VFL players when they dont even play in the same team as each other.

 

[hutchy31]

ITT: David King's alias accounts.

Let's be honest, none of us know s**t about football compared to any coach including Brad Scott, however inept he may appear.

I agree - but the problem is that he has to know more (or at least as much as) 17 other guys in the same position as him, doesn't matter what we think. And that might be where he comes undone, because he probably ranks about the middle third of that group of 18. Coaches that win flags will more than likely come from that top third, so he's got some work to do.

 

[Goggin Our Best]

I wouldnt say their going no where- their just not at present a top 4 team

Outside of the top 3 (presently on the ladder) - there really isnt that much difference between the rest down to about 11th or so - and results prove that

Just out of interest - how long since North finished bottom 4 -three teams have never seemed to bottom out in the National comp - Adelaide Geelong and North- thats something to hang your hat on

 

[Tigerland#4]

How did Scott Thompson make AA. Always gets man handled by the big key forwards, just cause he picks up a few cheap touches in the back line doesn't make him good. IMO OVERRATED

 

[Thats Wright]

From the Herald Sun website

Kangaroos Scott ‘clueless’ how to fix Roos
EXASPERATED North Melbourne coach Brad Scott admits he is clueless over how to fix his the Kangaroos’ rollercoaster season.

If that's the case then ship him off and bring in someone who has half an idea, geeze

Hard to argue with brad, surely those are resignation words.

Is obvious from here, that it's a chemistry and mental flaw.

Scott is dumber than he looks and would've run lesser clubs into the ground by now.

 

[Thats Wright]

They can't afford to get rid of him.

Thank Brayshaw for giving jobs to his mates.

North have been weak in big games for around 7 years. Scott has made it worse and when they get pantsed in the first final, surely brad should resign.

 

[ep2018]

Can you imagine if North were coached by Clarkson, Lyon or Longmire?

*shudder* no one would be laughing at North now.

 

[Righteo]

North have been weak in big games for around 7 years. Scott has made it worse and when they get pantsed in the first final, surely brad should resign.

Can you please answer my question and list which North players you rate? I'll be satisfied with just one, cheers.

 

[Thats Wright]

How did Scott Thompson make AA. Always gets man handled by the big key forwards, just cause he picks up a few cheap touches in the back line doesn't make him good. IMO OVERRATED

Just part of the reason they overachieve. Undersized Thompson adding run but getting shown up for size when it matters, Hansen roaming about being a one trick pony.. Dumb won't win flags. Thomas needs all the space and hot spots or will go completely missing and unsettles all the other forwards.

Is a unique mix at the club that needs the right chemistry and a coach with the ability to see what makes a dead end street. Scott gets it wrong and stubbornly sticks with it for years.

He's a fool and he's wasting what used to be a club with great culture and always can mix it.

Brad needs a tap on the shoulder and so do about 4-5 middle age range players.