Autopsy Round 16, 2019: North Melbourne v St.Kilda *BILLINGS' 100TH*

VDS66

Brownlow Medallist
Oct 4, 2011
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Cool. This group has been great to watch anyway so let’s go a few more years with them. Another 4 years of top draft picks and we should be back challenging for 8th spot.
I agree with pretty much everything you've written today.

Billings and Gresh should be kept unless it's for an absolute elite mid IMO.

Anyway, not to worry. Out next coach will bring out all that untapped potential in the current group.
 

hangdog

Club Legend
Mar 6, 2011
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Just some perspective on where we are sitting right now compared to the rest of the competition. Here is a table with the average age and games of all the teams that played this weekend, and the breakdown of the games played from the players in the side. The sides in yellow are the sides currently in the top eight.

View attachment 705257

Some observations from these numbers:
- we were the least experienced side this week and the second youngest (2 months older than GC)
- we have the least amount go players who have played 150 games or more (that will go up next week with Newnes hitting that mark and Hannebery back in)
- equal most players under 50 games with Sydney and GC
- all sides in the top 8 have an average age of over 25yr 2m.
- all sides in the top 8 have an average games of 95.9 or over
- all sides in the top 8, except GWS, have at least 5 players with over 150 games. GWS only have 3 but have more players in the 100+ game range.
- Brisbane is A LOT older and more experienced than advertised. Their rise shouldn't be a surprise when you look at their current demographic.
- Sydney are much younger than expected, also fielding a lot of younger players which explains their up and down form this year.
- Hawthorn is the only team with over 100 games average experience not in the top 8 which is worrying for them

We are in full development mode right now. We don't have the players or experience to compete with the top teams right now. Our demographics compare with Gold Coast right now, which shows how far from being completive we are right now. This doesn't excuse our poor effort too frequently in games but it does help explain why we look rushed with the ball and easily pushed around - we don't have the experience to handle the pressure well for four quarter and are physically smaller than our opposition.

The good news is our new coach will get a group which has already dropped and is ready to rise up since a lot of the leg work has already occurred.

Excellent post

But Cho is still butt
 

D2D3

Club Legend
May 20, 2015
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Contracts mean SFA, just ask Ryan Burton.

If we could get good first rounders for either of these two I would do it, take the risk. They are good players but they are not game breakers and we need a game breaker or two, because of our sh#t drafting last 6 years we need to take risks now. We need a team that can win a flag, not finish 8th.

Like I get where you’re coming from but we’d struggle to get players as good as Billings and Gresham even in the top 10.

For me I’d hold the younger guys who are definitely best 22: Battle, Clark, Billings, Gresham, Marshall, Lonie, Steele. On top of that I’d hold the actual leaders, in my mind that is Steven* Carlisle, Bruce, Geary, Webster, Hannebery, Membery, Roberton*

Dunston, Acres, Coffield and Long I don’t believe we’d get given enough for in return to let go but I would trade if we got value for them.

Everyone else is tradeable imo.

*Roberton and Steven obviously may not return and/or Steven may make us trade him if that’s really what he wants.
 
Last edited:

Premium

Brownlow Medallist
Oct 8, 2016
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Where were we in the first quarter? Seems like we turned up playing netball. Roos played with intensity for a whole game us for 3 quarters.
Game Over Season Over. Some Players Careers almost over. Head Coach career OVER..

Josh Bruce for co captain with Jarryn Geary next year.

Long not enough from you Lonie in next week and White for Battle

Carlisle getting better as game went on as it Hunter Clark...he will be a beauty.

Question marks over Paton Savage McKenzie Sinclair Newnes Long and Parker. Seriously we cannot win with more than 3 playing.

Put in Webster, Lonie, Hannas, Steven and Geary and we look a lot better. In reality add in an A grade midfielder like a Ziebell or Cunnington and we are a competitive unit.

Look as I see it in reality Acres Ross Dunstan Steele Membrey are GOF that's all. Good days bad days but we know what we get. Ross had a stinker and looks lost at the moment.

Billings and Gresham are almost elite.

So impressed with Bruce...he stood up in when no-one else seemed interested. We would have been so far off the pace without him.

Put King in next year and who knows ...add some belief that a new coach brings.... find an A grade mid somewhere and we will be sooo much better.
thank god , someone who doesn't want to gut the team
 

Captain Paddy

All Australian
Oct 19, 2015
802
3,494
AFL Club
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Am I the only one that likes Long?

Is a really good lead up and mark guy for his size. Would like it if he had the confidence to just go back and have a shot when he gets it within 50 - always seems to look for a pass - probably a result of getting dropped.

Has aggression, has speed, has class. If we had to pick one small forward to be picked each game, he would be my choice. He has something.
 
Dec 4, 2000
51,665
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NO Saints LUFC
I remember saying how s**t Ross was about 4 years ago on one of my alter egos and was blasted from
Pillar to post . Then he was in vogue for18 months but now everyone hates him . I was right
I always said he wouldn't make it, had an egged face for 2 seasons but in the end I have been proven correct unfortunately.
 

D2D3

Club Legend
May 20, 2015
2,651
7,455
AFL Club
St Kilda
Just some perspective on where we are sitting right now compared to the rest of the competition. Here is a table with the average age and games of all the teams that played this weekend, and the breakdown of the games played from the players in the side. The sides in yellow are the sides currently in the top eight.

View attachment 705257

Some observations from these numbers:
- we were the least experienced side this week and the second youngest (2 months older than GC)
- we have the least amount go players who have played 150 games or more (that will go up next week with Newnes hitting that mark and Hannebery back in)
- equal most players under 50 games with Sydney and GC
- all sides in the top 8 have an average age of over 25yr 2m.
- all sides in the top 8 have an average games of 95.9 or over
- all sides in the top 8, except GWS, have at least 5 players with over 150 games. GWS only have 3 but have more players in the 100+ game range.
- Brisbane is A LOT older and more experienced than advertised. Their rise shouldn't be a surprise when you look at their current demographic.
- Sydney are much younger than expected, also fielding a lot of younger players which explains their up and down form this year.
- Hawthorn is the only team with over 100 games average experience not in the top 8 which is worrying for them

We are in full development mode right now. We don't have the players or experience to compete with the top teams right now. Our demographics compare with Gold Coast right now, which shows how far from being completive we are right now. This doesn't excuse our poor effort too frequently in games but it does help explain why we look rushed with the ball and easily pushed around - we don't have the experience to handle the pressure well for four quarter and are physically smaller than our opposition.

The good news is our new coach will get a group which has already dropped and is ready to rise up since a lot of the leg work has already occurred.

Good post. This calmed me down a bit.
 

Ricmel

Premium Platinum
Jul 13, 2009
6,087
6,616
AFL Club
St Kilda
I agree with pretty much everything you've written today.

Billings and Gresh should be kept unless it's for an absolute elite mid IMO.

Of course. They are both B+ so you would only consider trading them if it gets you the next level up - an elite mid.

My main argument is that this group of mids/small forwards/back flankers is not going to get us a flag or even top 4 in my opinion. So let’s make some Geelong and Hawks like moves.
 

theprospect

Club Legend
Saints Pledge Contributor
Sep 26, 2016
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Why would people call for someone like Sinclair to be dropped? Not his fault he's rotting away on a flank when everyone knows how capable a winger he is. Just some baffling positional errors week in week out. Whether it's Sinclair, Acres, Newnes, or Ross.

Feel sorry for Richo, he must feel like the whole club are completely against him, whilst it hasn't worked out the way we all hoped the way it is playing out is very, very messy. Unfortunately I don't think he'll be the coach by Monday week.
 
The coaches message was depressing. Cho is looking like Colonel Walter E Kurtz.
D50E423D-B99B-47EE-9266-F304D525D22E.jpeg
 
Aug 30, 2017
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Cool. This group has been great to watch anyway so let’s go a few more years with them. Another 4 years of top draft picks and we should be back challenging for 8th spot.

Hey I’m with you, we need to improve the team if we want to play finals. I’m not happy contending for 8th. But I’m also trying to be realistic & we ain’t getting a Josh Kelly or Bont in a trade.
So it comes down to whether you would trade Gresham & Billings for say two picks around 5-12? Would you part with both of them & go back to the well with a couple of 18 year olds? I personally wouldn’t. However just about everyone else on the list is very tradable with where I’m currently at.

What I’m hoping for:
Pick 4 - get the best young mid
Trade Steven for 18 to Cats.
Trade another two players that net us two more picks in the 20-40 range.
As unlikely as it is to get Cogs, give him a blank cheque & see what’s up.
 

Saint believer

Team Captain
Aug 28, 2015
316
805
AFL Club
St Kilda
First great to get to see the boys live here in Hobart

The positives:
Bruce’s getting to contests, taking marks and kicking goals a standout. Could have got one or two more frees.
Marshal Fantastic in second and third.
Dunstan fantastic in the second and third. Really led the midfield turnaround and so often bike free and kicked it long.
Carlisle got better as the game went on. Beat Tassie boy Brown and unlucky as two goals were not his fault.




While Billings got a lot of the ball so often he kicked it into the forward line (under no real pressure) to no-one he had a few nice kicks for Bruce to mark but quite a few to large open areas of grass. Not looking.

I now get a better understanding of Newnes. At times he did really stupid things like hand ball to a player being covered by a north player. But twice he did lovely penetrating kicks to Bruce who marked and scored.

Steele was a little disappointing a few poor turn overs.

Willie marked well.

I liked Parker both with the ball and chasing. While he had less possession he had more impact.

I liked Clark’s work. The big clash was right below me he certainly was Lenny tough! Looks a bit slow but got better as the game slowed in the second half.

I really liked Coffield. Some really nice touches, movement and vision. Yes he had two absolute changers in the last but one moment he ha a clean pick up moved through four players and had a great handball out.

Please leave Clark and Coffield in for the rest of the season.

Expected more from Gresh.

Really poor play from Mackenzie and some poor moments from Paton.

On the game plan
Most frustrating element was when the middle opened up so many looked sideways rather than attack. Is that fear of error or lack of confidence or bad team plan?


One umpire (at the river end) was atrocious gifting three goals to North.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app
 

Ricmel

Premium Platinum
Jul 13, 2009
6,087
6,616
AFL Club
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Why would people call for someone like Sinclair to be dropped? Not his fault he's rotting away on a flank when everyone knows how capable a winger he is. Just some baffling positional errors week in week out. Whether it's

Just move him 40 metres up the ground and he will be a star? Cool story. Players like Sinclair are a coaches nightmare.
 

Ricmel

Premium Platinum
Jul 13, 2009
6,087
6,616
AFL Club
St Kilda
Hey I’m with you, we need to improve the team if we want to play finals. I’m not happy contending for 8th. But I’m also trying to be realistic & we ain’t getting a Josh Kelly or Bont in a trade.
So it comes down to whether you would trade Gresham & Billings for say two picks around 5-12? Would you part with both of them & go back to the well with a couple of 18 year olds? I personally wouldn’t. However just about everyone else on the list is very tradable

I wouldn't trade those two for picks but to get a deal done on the type of player we need.
 
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