Past #5: Ben Jacobs - delisted after 64 NM games/10 NM goals - thanks Benny

[ThePezDispenser]

Teammates definitely didn't help him!

I saw him running with a few other bulldogs at times as well. So it wasn't as simple as one on one the whole game.

 

[The Phenom]

The Dogs would swing Bont up forward to break the tag. When they did this, Jacobs played on other Doggies mids. Saw him on no less than 3 differed players yesterday. Far from our worst

 

[Donkey Chop]

He didn't actually tag Bont for the whole game. The group I was with were talking about it a bit during the game because he spent a fair bit of time on Wallis and a couple of others. He definitely wasn't in full clamp mode

 

[niko11]

Interesting then ^^ and i have to watch the full replay and yes i do remember Jacobs on other players aswell so all of the Bonts Disposals wern't on B.J so we can't exactly say B.J was thrashed....

 

[Donkey Chop]

Interesting then ^^ and i have to watch the full replay and yes i do remember Jacobs on other players aswell so all of the Bonts Disposals wern't on B.J so we can't exactly say B.J was thrashed....

Think it was more just playing on thier attacking player around the contest.

FFS why we didn't man up on whoever the dogs had defensive side of the contests is beond me. We were screaming about it all night. Dead set they used the defensive side of the contest as their get out EVERY ****ing time and we never had anyone near them. There coaching was fantastic with that and the third man up working a treat. I hope we learned from that. (Probably for the negatives thread) but they used our attacking players lack of accountability and worked the ball out of the stoppage through thier area. If it didn't drive me ****ing crazy I'd say it was beautiful.

 

[utility]

Think it was more just playing on thier attacking player around the contest.

FFS why we didn't man up on whoever the dogs had defensive side of the contests is beond me. We were screaming about it all night. Dead set they used the defensive side of the contest as their get out EVERY ******* time and we never had anyone near them. There coaching was fantastic with that and the third man up working a treat. I hope we learned from that. (Probably for the negatives thread) but they used our attacking players lack of accountability and worked the ball out of the stoppage through thier area. If it didn't drive me ******* crazy I'd say it was beautiful.

Outcoached. They played a loose man in defence all night and we struggled with it all night.

 

[niko11]

Think it was more just playing on thier attacking player around the contest.

FFS why we didn't man up on whoever the dogs had defensive side of the contests is beond me. We were screaming about it all night. Dead set they used the defensive side of the contest as their get out EVERY ******* time and we never had anyone near them. There coaching was fantastic with that and the third man up working a treat. I hope we learned from that. (Probably for the negatives thread) but they used our attacking players lack of accountability and worked the ball out of the stoppage through thier area. If it didn't drive me ******* crazy I'd say it was beautiful.

Yeah our midfield had a bad day for sure and Beveridge is a very good coach but i really don't think our midfield will play that bad if we play them again..
As for pace i don't know where we get that from but i'm hoping our hardened bodies will have an advantage come finals..

 

[Donkey Chop]

Yeah our midfield had a bad day for sure and Beveridge is a very good coach but i really don't think our midfield will play that bad if we play them again..
As for pace i don't know where we get that from but i'm hoping our hardened bodies will have an advantage come finals..

I'd be pretty confident if we came up against them in the finals.

 

[roos_fanatic08]

Outcoached. They played a loose man in defence all night and we struggled with it all night.

Whenever Hansen plays we play with a loose man across half back. Against quick sides it always comes back to bite us.

 

[blackshadow]

I'd be pretty confident if we came up against them in the finals.

Based on what exactly? The vibe? Mabo?

I saw nothing yesterday to give me any confidence of a different result.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

Outcoached. They played a loose man in defence all night and we struggled with it all night.

The easiest way to beat us.

It's comical.

 

[Donkey Chop]

Based on what exactly? The vibe? Mabo?

I saw nothing yesterday to give me any confidence of a different result.

Because we played pretty poorly and could have won it with a good 15 minute period. I doubt we'd lose to them twice. I think our guys were in self preservation mode yesterday and that won't be the case in the finals.

I haven't watched the replay but at the game there were heaps of non efforts, blokes just giving up the chase. I think we'd be much better defensively next time we play them. Our tackle count was ok, 70 but it didn't seem like we were willing to chase and work hard enough defensively. I doubt that will happen if we play them again

 

[Chazdog92]

Congrats to BJ signing on till the end of 2017.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

Congrats to BJ signing on till the end of 2017.

Yep, playing against the dogs got him a second trigger clause activation on his contract, gets a year on top of the one he got earlier in the year.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2015-09-01/north-tagger-jacobs-pulls-the-trigger-with-contract-extension

 

[scooby1279]

Yep, playing against the dogs got him a second trigger clause activation on his contract, gets a year on top of the one he got earlier in the year.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2015-09-01/north-tagger-jacobs-pulls-the-trigger-with-contract-extension

strange to have 2 trigger clauses for contract extension's.

 

[Twinkletoes]

Well done BJ. One of the success stories of 2015 and a living example of hard work paying off that some of his peers on the fringe could take some inspiration from.

 

[Shermanator]

Yeah our midfield had a bad day for sure and Beveridge is a very good coach but i really don't think our midfield will play that bad if we play them again..
As for pace i don't know where we get that from but i'm hoping our hardened bodies will have an advantage come finals..

I agree, come finals there is a massive nervous tension in the game(s) so the crisp, clean disposal makes way for fumbles and more turnovers.

My preference would be to play the Doggies because our finals experience/pressure (and their lack of it) would cause their young kids to turn it over more often, and there is no way our midfield could play that bad against them again.

 

[Daniltchenko You Beauty]

Most improved of 2015. Congrats BJ, thought you wouldn't last beyond this year.

 

[blackshadow]

Most improved of 2015. Congrats BJ, thought you wouldn't last beyond this year.

Neck and neck with Taz for most improved.

Fantastic effort from BJ to improve his game this year and so glad to see him at Arden Street for the foreseeable future.

 

[Daniltchenko You Beauty]

Neck and neck with Taz for most improved.

Fantastic effort from BJ to improve his game this year and so glad to see him at Arden Street for the foreseeable future.

Yeah agreed although we always knew Taz could play, just never got his body right. Most would have thought Jacobs was gone at the end of the year.

 

[marklovesbeer]

Based on what exactly? The vibe? Mabo?

I saw nothing yesterday to give me any confidence of a different result.

Would we play them at the G?

 

[DarkPhoenix]

strange to have 2 trigger clauses for contract extension's.

Probably the same clause to be fair. But performance based.

Play 13 games get a year extension manage 20 and you get 2 kind of thing.

 

[Devington]

strange to have 2 trigger clauses for contract extension's.

I would assume he has them because we thought he had so much upside still to find. Thankfully for us (and him) he's found his niche and flourished.

Conceptually hitting the first milestone would mean he had progressed to be more than just a borderline player and had improved somewhat like the club thought he could. The second milestone would mean that he had REALLY improved and was now probably a core player, in which case a 2 year extension would be good for all parties involved.

 

[Flawed Genius]

Ben Jacobs finally feels at home in North Melbourne's best team after a breakthrough 2015 season that has now triggered a second one-year contract extension, tying him to Arden Street until the end of 2017.

Jacobs signed a one-year deal with North at the end of last season, having played 21 games in the two years since he had moved from Port Adelaide at the end of 2012.

Earlier this season, the 23-year-old activated a trigger clause in his contract guaranteeing him one more year at North, and when he played his 19th game for the season last Saturday against the Western Bulldogs he activated a second trigger clause that earned him another one-year extension.

Jacobs told AFL.com.au he was "stoked" he would be at Arden Street until at least the end of 2017, but admitted that at the start of this season he wondered where he fitted in at North.

The former Sandringham Dragon had predominantly played as an inside midfielder in his first season with the Roos before switching to defence with some success in the second half of last season, a role he reprised at the start of 2015.

But it was not until he was asked to perform a run-with role on Sydney Swans midfielder Dan Hannebery that things really clicked for Jacobs.

"I wasn't really sure how it was going to pan out at the start of the year," Jacobs said.

"I obviously had the (trigger) clauses to try and get a couple more years, but I wasn't really sure where my football was at.

"I had chopped and changed positions, been in and out of the side, so I was a bit unsure where I was at.

"I thought if I could get that right then the contract would take care of itself and l've been lucky enough to get there, which is good for peace of mind."

Before 2015, Jacobs had never played more than 14 games in a season in four years in the AFL.

His fringe status at North looked set to continue when he was dropped twice in 2015's first eight rounds.

But he has not missed a game since earning a recall in round 10 and, most pleasingly, has carved a niche for himself in the run-with midfield role that had been vacant since Levi Greenwood's departure to Collingwood at the end of last season.

"I think the biggest thing I struggled with early on is I didn't really know where my best role was going to be to help the team," Jacobs said.

"And I kind of feel like I've found that now. It's a great feeling to know that I've got a say in how we're going to go on the weekend and I've got a big role to play, which was all I wanted."

Since keeping Hannebery to 22 possessions and little of his usual influence, Jacobs has held his own against midfield stars such as Dylan Shiel, Joel Selwood, Dyson Heppell, Tom Rockliff, Marc Murphy and Nat Fyfe.

Jacobs enjoys his new role despite the pressure that comes with lining up on the opposition's best midfielder.

Playing on the competition's elite on-ballers, he feels he is learning things every week that can help his game.

But, most of all, he is grateful North's coaching staff have faith in him to play such a crucial role for the team.

"Knowing that you've got the backing and faith of the coaching group is a massive part of being able to play your role on game day – that's probably the biggest thing that's given me confidence this year," he says.

http://www.nmfc.com.au/news/2015-09-01/jacobs-pulls-the-trigger

 

[The Nostradamus]

Congrats to BJ signing on till the end of 2017.

Well deserved.
One of my favourite players now, very important to us and I expect a top 10 finish in the bnf from him this year