What is it going to take?

[QueenslandRoo]

My fear is it won't come from anywhere.

We have Ian Baker-Finch'd.

Don't say that. Please don't say that.

 

[HongKongRoo]

Its come from Scott dropping the Shinboner spirit. We don't play with spirit.

In the high performance culture, and all that junk we've lost the heart, the soul and the fabric of playing in the royal blue and white.

7 years ago, when we played finals under laidley, we didn't have half as talented side as what we do now. The difference was, that when those old school players put the roos top on they were willing to put everything on the line and get the best out of themselves week in week out because they knew that they were doing it for their teammates. I don't see that in this crop, they may be all mates, but they don't have that instinct and that drive to get the best out of themselves. I don't what it is, but somewhere along the way that spirit has diminished.

Do you think anyone sharing the field with Arch would dare put in less that 100%?

 

[Only Forwards]

Do you think anyone sharing the field with Arch would dare put in less that 100%?

Perhaps the club needs an injection of that.

How about we get Anthony Stevens and Glenn Archer to be the interchange stewards for North for a month.

 

[ArjenTheGreat]

Sydney did it for Luella.
Port did it for JMac.

It shouldn't take one of your teammates kids to die or your team mate to mistake a palmtree for a ladder to win, but short of the pain of losing big matches, I am yet to see a better source for motivation than these.

On the flip side. We are just not very good.

 

[chubbspeterson]

It's simple. Boomer, Levi and Gibbo just need to stand up in front of the rest and ask them why they aren't giving the effort that they do each week.
It's time players who are giving their all demand the sams from their teammates. And if they won't do it, they should tell them they won't have them in the side. Geelong did it. They whacked any teammate between the eyes and pushed them to do better. We have a lot of guys who are happy with themselves.
Do they want to be elite footballers? Do they want respect? Do they want to win a flag? The time has come

 

[Blanket_melb]

Looking at the Channel 7's coverage of game day with brad scott. I honestly think he is like us and believes the team will back it's self each week and continue to progress. And that's why he is as baffled just like we are with their inconsistency keeps reappearing. I don't blame scott, he isn't out there playing

 

[LB2Snake]

Looking at the Channel 7's coverage of game day with brad scott. I honestly think he is like us and believes the team will back it's self each week and continue to progress. And that's why he is as baffled just like we are with their inconsistency keeps reappearing. I don't blame scott, he isn't out there playing

Yeah he isn't Blanket_melb, but FFS he keeps picking the same blokes........His role is to adjust the mix till it's #%^*ing right. I'd rather have a bloke actually making statements than just waffling on how baffled he is.

 

[Jack Reacher]

B.Scott needs to stop over-coaching us

 

[Shermanator]

Now we appear to be a team that can finish but not start.

Viagra?

 

[King Corey]

Viagra?

Stacked with valium.

 

[GarnerSmash]

Cunners to do this to every player who doesn't toe the line?

Really just looking for an excuse to post this again.

 

[Hearts to hearts]

Sorry

Its come from Scott dropping the Shinboner spirit. We don't play with spirit.

In the high performance culture, and all that junk we've lost the heart, the soul and the fabric of playing in the royal blue and white.

7 years ago, when we played finals under laidley, we didn't have half as talented side as what we do now. The difference was, that when those old school players put the roos top on they were willing to put everything on the line and get the best out of themselves week in week out because they knew that they were doing it for their teammates. I don't see that in this crop, they may be all mates, but they don't have that instinct and that drive to get the best out of themselves. I don't what it is, but somewhere along the way that spirit has diminished.

Sorry, but that is bollocks. The side that conjured those backs to the wall wins was also the side that turned up its toes in Stevo's last game, in the final against Port when we were raging favourites and Sav rushed from the maternity ward for the game. They were just as capable of inconsistency and unreliability as this side. You just remember it selectively.

And winning on "spirit", convincing yourself and others you achieved despite lack of talent and resources, was and is totally unsustainable.

 

[Only Forwards]

The more I think about it the more I think that it could just be one big watershed moment.

 

[Event Horizon]

All I can say is that the season that has promised so much and we've all awaited with such excitement is on the verge of being over, to put it bluntly. Of course we can still make the finals, even if we lose to the Eagles, given we are not yet at half way mark and our "easy" draw in the second half of the season has been well documented here. However, as supporters that have been waiting for a "real" crack at top 4 and a dynasty in the waiting, our expectations aren't that small. We aren't St Kilda or Bulldogs - we are used to certain standards, despite being a small club. We know that effort is NOT negotiable at North. If there is no talent, we fight for every meter, but may lose the game. When we do have talent however, which doesn't happen often in this competition, we win flags.

Let's be honest - we have been waiting for 2014 not to make the finals. We have been waiting to prove once and for all, whether this team was good enough to take us into another era of success. The signs were there over the last few seasons and drafts. However, this year was meant to be it. Not to win the flag, but to arrive. And arrive for some serious business in seasons to come.

Based on what we've seen thus far, this team is nowhere near it. Simple as that. And if that is indeed the case, the season is nearly over for me. It's simply another groundhog day. Yes I will attend games, but I am about to give up on the "we are coming" idea. Hope I am proven wrong.

 

[Hearts to hearts]

Maybe from out of the finals to top 4 was a stretch and we shouldn't have bought into that hype? Making the finals and winning one would be a great step forward, not going to say it would be a letdown not to be challenging for the flag out of nowhere.

 

[Only Forwards]

Maybe from out of the finals to top 4 was a stretch and we shouldn't have bought into that hype? Making the finals and winning one would be a great step forward, not going to say it would be a letdown not to be challenging for the flag out of nowhere.

That wouldn't be a let down.

I want to see us seize opportunity when it is placed in front of us. We have lost games this year that we 100% have the talent to win.

For me the reasons for not winning them are starting to wear thin. Friday night there were things that happened that just completely pissed me off. They weren't switched on. They let marks be taken uncontested when they have the ability to contest. They fail to defend the corridor despite Geelong repeatedly using it to score.

It almost feels like the team is waiting for something to click to be able to come out and play its best style of footy every game.

I fear that we will lose to medicore sides, inferior sides because we allow them to get a start. Something well and truly in our power to stop. that by the time that we work it out we are again mid table.

 

[Hearts to hearts]

That wouldn't be a let down.

I want to see us seize opportunity when it is placed in front of us. We have lost games this year that we 100% have the talent to win.

For me the reasons for not winning them are starting to wear thin. Friday night there were things that happened that just completely pissed me off. They weren't switched on. They let marks be taken uncontested when they have the ability to contest. They fail to defend the corridor despite Geelong repeatedly using it to score.

It almost feels like the team is waiting for something to click to be able to come out and play its best style of footy every game.

I fear that we will lose to medicore sides, inferior sides because we allow them to get a start. Something well and truly in our power to stop. that by the time that we work it out we are again mid table.

Agree with all that. was really just taking issue with the suggestion that we can write this year off because we might not be the top 4 challenger that we hoped to be and have the capability to be - from where we've been, I just want a decent step forward. It doesn't have to be the huge leap to challenging when we haven't even been able to clinch enough games to make the eight, just an improvement on what we've had.

Every side drops dumb games they could have won. Even Geelong has, even Essendon 2000 and Carlton 1995 did. The bigger issue for me now, bigger than dropping the points, is that this team at the moment really needs something to shift it into belief and confidence. It feels so close, that if they just back themselves and each other it will be great, but somehow they need to win games that will convince them.

 

[hotham]

For much of last year we were a team that could start but not finish.

Now we appear to be a team that can finish but not start.

People can talk about individual players efforts. People can talk about coaching deficiencies. Its on all of them, bickering about where to point blame is pointless. They can all wear it because its just not good enough from any of them.

The time to drive a stake in the ground and say enough is enough is right now. Is this team, this coaching group serious about playing finals football? They sure as shit are not showing the week in week out desire to do it at the moment.

Saying we do not have the cattle is a cop out. In 2007 we played our way to finals with substandard facilities and a rag tag team, we did so running on the desire to not die as a football club. I refuse to believe that that desire that underpinned the club has complete gone from its halls.

Come Sunday we will see a North Melbourne side that is committed to every contest? That is going to do the hard work that is required to win the game from the outset?

I love them, I have loved them from as far back as I can remember. I really want to be able to say yeah my team will show up to play. My team is going to give it a crack from the get go. I cannot say this with any conviction and the moment and it makes me feel sick.

Show me, show me the North Melbourne that comes to play with more desire than the opposition. Its gotta be in there somewhere right?

Club should fly you to Perth to address team before the game

 

[Roo-Boy]

Get Wayne Carey and Dennis Pagan to give them a motivational speech

 

[royals1922]

We are not good enough at this stage to be expecting finals per se. We might get finals if we put our best performance on every week but we still have a few tricky interstate games to go as well as having to back up against some middle of the road sides who on their day can beat NM if they don't show up.

Sorry to be so negative but this NM game is uber important.

 

[DarwinRoo]

It's annoying to have your team's successes put down to spirit by opposition supporters. It's ****ing worse when our own believe it and can't acknowledge that maybe we won on talent and hard work.

 

[koshari]

i suppose winning a final would be deemed a success this year (after last years failure).

the draw suggests we will likely get there as for winning a final it looks pretty much who we meet will be a big factor. winning 2 well that would definitely exceed my expectations, on current inconstant form however iam a little worried.

i still dont think we are a top 4 list though.

 

[koshari]

It's annoying to have your team's successes put down to spirit by opposition supporters. It's ******* worse when our own believe it and can't acknowledge that maybe we won on talent and hard work.

the shinboner spirit IMO is referance that we have worked hard on occasions to overcome lack of talent.

 

[CharlieMortdecai]

Personally, I think it comes down to confidence. Lot of people here talk about workrate and so on, but what I see is the failings of nerves - poor decision-making, skill errors and so on. It seems at its worst when expectations are highest. Friday night was being talked up as a big chance to knock off the cats at home (Stevie J out, 6 day break from perth) and our boys looked tight, fumbly and just generally off in the first half. Ditto with Collingwood. With Gold Coast there was the expectation of the win, the fact that it would lock us in to top 4.

What will it take to change? A run of wins I think, and I reckon it might start this weekend. I'm on record as thinking we'll win 11 more for the year on the assumption that this confidence will come.

 

[TheMidRunner]

The way I see it -

Play bloody harder and play footy properly! There's no where to hide and no excuses.

This is what pisses me off Brad Scott