Past #16: Aiden Bonar - drafted by GWS #11 '17 ND - traded to NM end '19 - 25 NM games - thx Bon

Feb 19, 2016
29,260
36,587
AFL Club
North Melbourne
He met Rhyce at a cafe. Of course.

Aiden Bonar knew it was time to come home.
Starved of opportunity at the talent-laden GWS Giants, the former first round draft pick told manager Robbie D’Orazio midway through the year he wanted to be wearing different colours in 2020.

“I was speaking to my manager during the year, and obviously they were a very hard team to break into at the Giants,” he said.

“I just thought the best thing for my career was to come home to Victoria.

“Just to be back with my family first of all I saw it as a good opportunity here at North Melbourne.

“I think I can really grow and develop here.”

Essendon and Hawthorn expressed interest, and he went as far as meeting with the Bombers.

Bonar instead decided on North Melbourne as his new home after a positive coffee meeting with Kangaroos coach Rhyce Shaw at a North Melbourne cafe.


Although, it took until late on the final day of the trade period for the deal to be struck.

After playing just six games in two years at the Giants, Bonar is hungry for senior games and is targeting a Round 1 club debut in 2020.

“It’s been really good and all the boys have been really welcoming to me,” Bonar said.

“Obviously I want to play AFL at the highest level and that’s probably why I chased the opportunity to come down here.

“Everyone has really high standards here, so it is just going along with the group and trying to put my hand up for Round 1.”

Bonar has moved in with good mate and former teammate Dandeong Stingrays teammate Luke Davies-Uniacke, and the two carpool across the river to Arden St together from their shared Elwood house.

“You just have to leave before 7am along Beach Road (to beat the traffic),” he laughed.

Bonar admitted to a sense of awe at his new club with its 150-year history coming from a club that played its first AFL game just seven years ago.

“When you look at all the numbers and all the guys before you, you can just see how deep the history is here,” Bonar said.

“With the Giants it’s a bit different with them just starting up, but here you look back at all the lads that have played before them.

“It makes you really want to strive to put your name forward in that jumper and play as many games as you can at the club.”

The 20-year-old has been in full training this pre-season and said he hasn’t “missed a beat” so far this summer.

“I’ve been training with the mids the past couple of weeks,” he said.

“I’ll probably dip into the forwards soon to try out that multi role.”

Bonar said it was exciting to see his now former club make the grand final this year, despite playing only two games himself in 2019.

“Everyone is really good mates up there and it was really good to see them get into the Grand Final,” he said.

“Obviously it wasn’t the result we wanted at the time, but I wish the Giants all the best next year.”
 

DuckYeah

Brownlow Medallist
Jul 5, 2010
13,301
22,330
Moist island
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Okay fellas, I get it, its hard to call a bloke that steps over the ball to pulverise someone into oblivion a sniper.. I played the same way, I would step over the ball to hip and shoulder.. i love the bloke, have his Autograph (which is different on 5 different memorabilias).. but his intention was to hurt the bloke in the contest and there’s absolutely nothing wrong, so saying, because the ball wasnt his focus, sniper for me
 
Jul 11, 2017
3,992
14,313
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Okay fellas, I get it, its hard to call a bloke that steps over the ball to pulverise someone into oblivion a sniper.. I played the same way, I would step over the ball to hip and shoulder.. i love the bloke, have his Autograph (which is different on 5 different memorabilias).. but his intention was to hurt the bloke in the contest and there’s absolutely nothing wrong, so saying, because the ball wasnt his focus, sniper for me
"Clean sniper" perhaps
 

BigBadByron

Team Captain
Nov 28, 2019
322
469
AFL Club
North Melbourne
but his intention was to hurt the bloke in the contest and there’s absolutely nothing wrong, so saying, because the ball wasnt his focus, sniper for me

Completely fair though.

Considering that as a fact it wasn't sniping just brutal footy. I loved his hits.

It's like saying Brett Lee shouldn't have bowled express bouncers because he quite often hurt batsmen.

I think it's great now the head is being protected etc, but you can't criticise Byron for playing within the rules at the time.
 
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DuckYeah

Brownlow Medallist
Jul 5, 2010
13,301
22,330
Moist island
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Completely fair though.

Considering that as a fact it wasn't sniping just brutal footy. I loved his hits.

It's like saying Brett Lee shouldn't have bowled express bouncers because he quite often hurt batsmen.

I think it's great now the head is being protected etc, but you can't criticise Byron for playing within the rules at the time.
Lets get one thing clear, I loved every bit of it! If he was an opponent or an opposition player, i’d be calling for his head.. just saying.. just to keep this on topic, I hope Bonnar has one tenth of mongrel Byron had
 

Nutjob

Premiership Player
Oct 23, 2014
3,075
5,258
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Can anyone explain why Bonar isn’t in any of the Rising star markets that I have seen? He is 20 and only played 6 games.
The markets don’t have every player, but he seems like a better chance than a lot of the raw 18 year olds listed.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com
 
Apr 17, 2007
24,878
43,447
melb home of the kangas
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
hellas,liverpool,storm,au
Can anyone explain why Bonar isn’t in any of the Rising star markets that I have seen? He is 20 and only played 6 games.
The markets don’t have every player, but he seems like a better chance than a lot of the raw 18 year olds listed.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

They probably think anyone that couldn’t get a game in front of deboar isn’t much chop
 

Fish Sticks

All Australian
Mar 2, 2015
927
3,043
AFL Club
North Melbourne
From NMFC website regarding match practice yesterday:
“Midfielder Aiden Bonar showed why he’s regarded so highly, finding plenty of the footy and finishing with precision in close”
Hopefully can continue to rack up getting the ball as this was the perceived slight on his game when we traded for him, as per his NEAFL numbers last year (albeit playing as a forward for the most part)
I hope now we train him exclusively in the midfield group & don’t chop & change his positions too much...
 
Completely fair though.

Considering that as a fact it wasn't sniping just brutal footy. I loved his hits.

It's like saying Brett Lee shouldn't have bowled express bouncers because he quite often hurt batsmen.

I think it's great now the head is being protected etc, but you can't criticise Byron for playing within the rules at the time.

Amen. Not only that, I think back to all of the times guys like the Krakouer brothers were whacked behind play, all the dirty s**t that went on to plenty of these blokes that was not within the rules but tacitly allowed and I think good for him. Byron was so good at what he did with the rules that existed that they changed the rules around him. Love Byron.
 

Hojuman

조수미 사랑해요
May 20, 2012
22,490
65,623
Seoul
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Bonar
Daw
Ahern
EVW
Jacobs
Tyson
Hall
Garner
Wood
Walker

At the end of the season, if 50%+ of these guys have had a good year, we’ll be sitting pretty, I think.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app


Was thinking of posting the same Caracas.
Will make a huge difference in 2020.

Maybe chuck McDonald in there ?
 
If you pick the 50% to have a good year who would they be?

Bonar, garner, wood, Ahern EVW for me.

I would swap Jacobs for Bonar, Wood or Ahern, based on our “winning %” when Benny is up and about. I, also, can see great upside if Majak builds on where he finished in 2018.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app
 
Apr 24, 2013
81,024
153,170
Arden Street Hill
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
Essendon Lawn Bowls Club
R1 debut must be a real possibility



Plays midfield/forward, so going by the encouraging pre-season reports, he would have to be the number one choice to replace JZ if he misses.
 
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