Opinion Is season 2026 our LAST chance?

[ansonholt]

This is dire. We must improve. A winning record or at least 3-3 by round 6 is the criteria you're voting on.

You can choose multiple options

Many of us are sick of losing. The signs are not great. Players injured. Players appearing not to care. Players wanting out. Whipping boys. It's not great. Show us your thoughts.

 

[toepoker]

I can never totally disconnect, it's just ingrained in me as a person, but I definitely took a step sideways last year as a method of coping (this is where an involvement in community football definitely helps). We have just been too inept for too long to do anything else. Whether that dampens any joy I feel when/if we ever become decent again remains to be seen.
The overall direction of the AFL (things like incredibly rich clubs like Collingwood actively soliciting for bequests) plays a part here as well.
I wish I felt the same about it as I did 30 years ago, but I don't. Only grassroots football makes me feel that way now

 

[Topparoo]

Always North but gee they don’t make it easy. When your team is as shite as ours you notice all the other things wrong with the competition such as inequity, media bias, lack of free to air tv etc. Like toepoker said previously the direction the AFL is heading really dampens enthusiasm for the game. Perhaps a winning football team would help.

 

[archereleven]

If we are 1-5. The whole club needs a clean out.

President, CEO, List manager, head coach and a fair few players on the trade block for a complete reset of club and culture.

I dont see any alternative, unfortunately.

 

[backtothedraft]

How many different avenues does this forum need for people to express they're depressed and without hope? Not sure we need another one..

 

[Hatchy1992]

I can never stop supporting North. They're just etched into me now, however last season was the first season I started taking a step back when things turned sour. If we were playing like garbage, like 0 pressure on the oppo's transition garbage I would turn it off at half time and check back later. Usually ended up with a sarcastic giggle though. The whole AFL assistance towards the clubs that lines money in their pockets with bums on seats also doesn't help things either, from fixturing equalities, media bias, MRO views and umpiring.

But I do think we need a cleanout from the board down. We need to be more ruthless in our decision making.

 

[marklovesbeer]

How many different avenues does this forum need for people to express they're depressed and without hope? Not sure we need another one..

Totally agree.

 

[nicko74]

There should be another option:

Wrap the club up

It's that dire in my opinion. Another clean out just means another 4-5 years of pain and low finishes. I don't think our club can handle that

 

[Mixed Results]

"As a club, we’ve written and spoken a lot about stability – it’s the cornerstone of success for every good club, every good business. In footy, stability isn’t built in six months, one or two years"

"In football, you cannot put a price on the importance of consistency in the program and in your people. This is the bedrock for improvement"

These are quotes from Sonja Hood. These beliefs are why, for a fourth straight year, we've had Watt, Clarkson, Viney, and Rawlings in our most important roles. It's a belief that's destroyed all accountability at the club, as we've allowed loss after loss to pile up without doing anything about it.

The overemphasis on stability has flowed down to the playing group, who are able to put up the same performances week after week without any fear for their spot in the senior team.

Hood has created a culture of unaccountability and should be the first to go if this season is a failure. Her vision for the club has failed so spectacularly and, ironically, will kill any stability at the club due to the possibility that we're going to have to clean out the entire football department.

Unfortunately, there have been enough changes to the constitution that it's almost impossible for Hood to be removed from her role. At least we narrowly avoided seeing her presidency extended to 2031.

Hopefully, in 2029, we have leadership that demands a modern gameplan, hard-nosed skilled footballers who run both ways, accountable selection, and player-led standards. Hood has continually turned a blind eye to the lack of these essential attributes at our club due to the belief that we'd magically improve through stability

 

[Devil Fish]

If we are 3 & 8 or worse at the halfway mark, heads must roll. Clarko, Sonja, Viney, Watt, Rawlings.....and spare me the stability argument.

4&7? That'd be awkward.

5 & 6 or better, we roll on with hope I suppose.

 

[Its a Process]

I've stated it's the most important year for our football club in my lifetime. In a comp in which there is soon to be an odd number of teams if we start imploding I genuinely fear for our existence.

Our age/games profile means we should see a spike this year, I fully expect it (although I am a little less confident after Friday!) and if we don't spike and find ourselves 2&9 at the half way mark it's going to be a blood bath.

 

[ansonholt]

Interesting and well written responses. A few posters don't want more analysis. That's fine (and so Bigfooty) but I wanted to get a sense of whether others think this is the last chance for the current regime, list and board or do they have more time.

For me, the AFLW has been a pleasant distraction. Without our girls this ordeal would be much harder.

 

[Ashley B]

At some stage players need to take responsibility and stop blaming everyone else . We have enough talent now to go upwards. At the end of the day it’s up to them . They are the ones actually on the field and the only ones that can do anything about it.

 

[JZTIME!]

I'm not going all in on the first rounds. You don't know who's good until half way at least. 8 or more wins would be a great improvement and help trying to attract some players for our back half. I don't care how we get them we just need 8 as a minimum. If we stink with only 2 wins half way and come home well and win 6 late i'd be just as happy as winning 6 early then falling away with 2 wins in the 2nd half of the draw.
Just get 8 wins minimum

 

[winalotroos]

I will always follow and be a member of this Club, it is as important to me as my Kids ( almost) but the last 2 years have been very testing for everyone, as I have said in another post we have the talent to start winning more than 5 or 6 games a year and build on that, but if the coaching staff doesn’t put pressure on the players to perform to their abilities with a game plan that’s is suited to this group then move them on.
I am less concerned about the front office as long as the Club is making money.

 

[lockheed]

At some stage players need to take responsibility and stopping blaming everyone else . We have enough talent now to go upwards. At the end of the day it’s up to them . They are the ones actually on the field and the only ones that can do anything about it.

If the situation is that most of our players continue to only run forward of the ball, the coaching staff wouldn't have many options. They can emphasise defensive running during training, and could perhaps drop the worst offenders, but then again, who would they be replaced by?

 

[Cyber_punk]

I already was tuning out of some games last year and just checking in on the score now and then. If we start bad again this year it will probably just be a continuation of that. There's only so many weekends I'm willing to ruin. My friends who are North supporters barely talk about the club anymore and their kids have already checked out of going to games. I think you can sense it among the fanbase now. People are razor thin close to packing it in for good. At some point it goes from loyalty to just being a sucker for punishment.

 

[Devil Fish]

"As a club, we’ve written and spoken a lot about stability – it’s the cornerstone of success for every good club, every good business. In footy, stability isn’t built in six months, one or two years"

"In football, you cannot put a price on the importance of consistency in the program and in your people. This is the bedrock for improvement"

These are quotes from Sonja Hood. These beliefs are why, for a fourth straight year, we've had Watt, Clarkson, Viney, and Rawlings in our most important roles. It's a belief that's destroyed all accountability at the club, as we've allowed loss after loss to pile up without doing anything about it.

The overemphasis on stability has flowed down to the playing group, who are able to put up the same performances week after week without any fear for their spot in the senior team.

Hood has created a culture of unaccountability and should be the first to go if this season is a failure. Her vision for the club has failed so spectacularly and, ironically, will kill any stability at the club due to the possibility that we're going to have to clean out the entire football department.

Unfortunately, there have been enough changes to the constitution that it's almost impossible for Hood to be removed from her role. At least we narrowly avoided seeing her presidency extended to 2031.

Hopefully, in 2029, we have leadership that demands a modern gameplan, hard-nosed skilled footballers who run both ways, accountable selection, and player-led standards. Hood has continually turned a blind eye to the lack of these essential attributes at our club due to the belief that we'd magically improve through stability

I think Sonja's greatest call was 18 months ago when she claimed: "We have the talent. We know that."

That statement just flat-out proved she believes whatever fairytale she's fed by the Football Dept.

 

[Cool Kangas]

There should be another option:

Wrap the club up

It's that dire in my opinion. Another clean out just means another 4-5 years of pain and low finishes. I don't think our club can handle that

Sad but true. We won’t survive.

 

[Mixed Results]

I think Sonja's greatest call was 18 months ago when she claimed: "We have the talent. We know that."

That statement just flat-out proved she believes whatever fairytale she's fed by the Football Dept.

They back the players in way too much. Once a player becomes entrenched and "one of our own", then there's a sense that we'd rather lose with that player than win by being cutthroat. One more preseason and it's going to click for them all etc.

Toby Pink, Jacob Konstanty, Caleb Daniel, Luke McDonald, Tom Powell, Griffin Logue, Bailey Scott, Jack Darling, and Dylan Stephens all being locked into our round one side is terrifying.

 

[andana]

They back the players in way too much. Once a player becomes entrenched and "one of our own", then there's a sense that we'd rather lose with that player than win by being cutthroat. One more preseason and it's going to click for them all etc.

Toby Pink, Jacob Konstanty, Caleb Daniel, Luke McDonald, Tom Powell, Griffin Logue, Bailey Scott, Jack Darling, and Dylan Stephens all being locked into our round one side is terrifying.

Yea. Not sure any of those players would get a game with any other club in 2026.
Bottom team dropped Darling in 2024. He is not our worst player.

 

[chubbspeterson]

NMFC till I die. I'll stick by the club but it's been a tough watch. Wouldn't be the same with another team.
Getting the right people in the right roles is fundamental to having any chance of success if things go badly.
Ultimately, the board, president and CEO are responsible for hiring those in the footy department.
They gave them the autonomy like they have done with the AFLW side who clearly have the right people in the right roles, but they clearly haven't executed to the same level as the operators in that program.
The mentality, workrate and standards compared to the men's side should not be missed if things go badly.
The GM of footy and coaches will take responsibility for part of that, but the players shouldn't escape blame.

Crucial areas for success are list management (no clear strategic plan under Brady vs Rhys Harwood with AFLW on how the team llooks), recruiting (prepared to give Will more time without Brady or promote Will to LM) and fitness/S&C.
If you don't get these areas right, then I don't think any coach that takes over is set up for success.
Then there's the coaching. I'm not really a fan of going back to Longmire/Simmo if Clarko fails, unless its as some sort of director of coaching with a younger coach learning the ropes like Barlow/Littlejohn or an experienced assistant from elsewhere (Kelly, Grigg, Gia etc.) taking the reigns after a few years.

Retaining most of the talent we've drafted since 2023 and making some hard calls on some senior players may be required.
There's easily 15 names that could go. I guess the strategic question is how deep you cut each year and whether you bring in some more mature bodies as late ND or rookie picks to offset the young kids you have to draft.
Let's hope we don't have to face that. Surely we can't go backwards? That would be a tough pill to swallow for sure.

 

[koshari]

I wont be following another team. Having said that i will be more inclined to watch neutral games in the near future because we are just so bad.

 

[OG Real]

supported North for 26 years now and this is the first year that I'm not excited at all (feeling this way before the practice match too), not resubscribing Kayo and considering avoiding games altogether sigh none of this is fun anymore honestly

 

[backtothedraft]

supported North for 26 years now and this is the first year that I'm not excited at all (feeling this way before the practice match too), not resubscribing Kayo and considering avoiding games altogether sigh none of this is fun anymore honestly

So why do you come on bigfooty? Posters are always moaning about losing hope in the club, not enjoying footy anymore, downgraded their membership, not going to games.. surely this would be the first thing to give up. I’d much rather go to the footy with friends and family , have 6 pints and watch us get beaten by 10 goals than have to read 6 pages of chadwiko and Nostra debating the merit of Toby Pinks position on the side.