2nds 2018 Stand Alone VFL - Inaugural season over. Time for reviews.

[ansonholt]

Ahern was the most pleasing today along with Zurhaar and Hayden. Narrier great, Larkey and Preuss also but what a solid performance all round.

There's 27 possession games of cheapies out the back that look like nothing and then there's 27 possession games that create, dominate and set the tone. Ahern's was the latter. Cunnington-like, it was.

Hayden could be anything and what a find Cam Zurhaar is. So much to like about this game. Will be a seminal game in our season for our entire list.

 

[GarnerSmash]

Ahern was the most pleasing today along with Zurhaar and Hayden. Narrier great, Larkey and Preuss also but what a solid performance all round.

There's 27 possession games of cheapies out the back that look like nothing and then there's 27 possession games that create, dominate and set the tone. Ahern's was the latter. Cunnington-like, it was.

Hayden could be anything and what a find Cam Zurhaar is. So much to like about this game. Will be a seminal game in our season for our entire list.

It was a semenal game for most on here too.

 

[darko]

Ahern should be in against Brisbane next week.

 

[Gone north]

If Narrier can find it 5-10 more times a game, put some muscle on then look out !

Some of those tap ons were brilliant , tackled well for a skinny guy, looked a little lost in a couple moments but that speed and skill- he could be something.

 

[Pykie]

I was driving back from Sydney today.

Watching the replay now, at half time.

Ahern is BOG by an absolute ******* mile. Just class and impact with every possession.

Get him in.

Now.

 

[czero]

If Narrier can find it 5-10 more times a game, put some muscle on then look out !

Some of those tap ons were brilliant , tackled well for a skinny guy, looked a little lost in a couple moments but that speed and skill- he could be something.

Yup. Only a handful of touches, but there is no doubt that he is something special. The guy is a walking bag of tricks, and it never seems forced, just whatever comes to him.

 

[Pykie]

I think Narrier is the type that will be much better in an AFL game.

He's built for the fast pace over the back slingshot style of the modern game.

 

[Caracas]

Never said he wasn't, he just wasn't the quickest bloke (except for his first 5-10 metres bursting out of a clearance area pre-achilles) and was never the longest kick of the ball, which wasn't his go anyway. His kicking on the outside was never great, wasn't terrible by any means though.

To say he wasn’t terrible is a major understatement. He was our best player for a couple of seasons right up to the moment he snapped his achilles! If we can get another Swallow from the two’s, we’ll be doing really well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ansonholt]

It was a semenal game for most on here too.

I left the door wide open for someone to walk through, and wasn't disappointed.

 

[ansonholt]

I was driving back from Sydney today.

Watching the replay now, at half time.

Ahern is BOG by an absolute ******* mile. Just class and impact with every possession.

Get him in.

Now.

Needs to be playing AFL. Is wasted in the VFL. We have to make room somehow.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

Yup. Only a handful of touches, but there is no doubt that he is something special. The guy is a walking bag of tricks, and it never seems forced, just whatever comes to him.

Cyril has made a career out of only getting a handful of touches.

 

[giantroo]

Match result
North Melbourne 16.13 109 defeats Box Hill 11.7 73

In action
AFL-listed
Taylor Garner (10 disposals, 2 goals), Luke Davies-Uniacke (14 disposals, 7 tackles), Paul Ahern (27 disposals), Mitch Hibberd (14 disposals), Nick Larkey (13 disposals, 5 goals), Alex Morgan (21 disposals, 6 marks), Ben McKay (15 disposals, 6 marks), Daniel Nielson (8 disposals, 1 goal), Will Walker (19 disposals, 1 goal), Braydon Preuss (17 disposals, 5 marks), Josh Williams (16 disposals), Kyron Hayden (23 disposals, 1 goal), Tristan Xerri (9 disposals, 2 marks), Tom Murphy (15 disposals, 8 marks), Gordon Narrier (13 disposals, 1 goal), Declan Mountford (9 disposals, 1 goal), Cameron Zurhaar (18 disposals, 4 goals), Oscar Junker (11 disposals)

VFL-listed
Nick Rippon (24 disposals), Chris Jansen (25 disposals, 6 tackles), Nash Holmes (23 disposals, 9 tackles), Louis Cunningham (15 disposals), Nick Hogan (10 disposals, 5 tackles)

Story of the game
North Melbourne has recorded back-to-back wins for the first time in the season proper, upsetting joint ladder-leaders Box Hill at Avalon Airport Oval on Saturday afternoon.

For the second week running, North started strongly.

The Roos put in a repeat performance against the favoured visitors, booting six consecutive goals in a dominant opening.

Doubles from Cameron Zurhaar and Taylor Garner allowed North to hold a 34-point lead at the first break.

If the first quarter was imposing, the second term was even better.

A further goal from Zurhaar after the break gave him three majors in two quarters, before ultimately finishing with four.

The remainder of the quarter belonged to Nick Larkey.

The versatile big man looked destined to mark every ball that entered the forward 50, kicking three goals in a commanding display that underlined his worth to North’s forward stocks. He finished the day with five goals.

Additional majors from a returning Dan Nielson, Kyron Hayden and one for the highlight reels from Gordon Narrier threatened to turn a competitive game into a blow-out.

The speedster Narrier picked up a dribbling ball and broke a tackle, before laying the footy off to Nick Larkey, who provided a receipt for the tricky youngster to slot home without a contest.

Narrier’s effort allowed North to enter the sheds with a comfortable 60-point buffer at half-time.

The game took a competitive turn in the third quarter, with the Hawks starting to hit the scoreboard.

But the hard work was done. North prevailed by 36 points.

Braydon Preuss’ good work and overall dominance allowed Paul Ahern to gain first usage at every opportunity, with the classy onballer acquiring 27 disposals.

VFL coach David Loader praised the efforts of North’s emerging youngsters, who have continued to improve in recent weeks, irrespective of result.

“I thought it was pretty good, the boys played well,” David Loader told North Media.

“I touched on last week, we felt that the Richmond game when we got beat, that we were getting closer to playing the style of footy that we think we can play as a group.

“Last week was a massive step forward, a little bit of confidence came out of that. For the boys to follow up today and certainly play the style of football that they played in the first half, was outstanding really.

“Even in the third quarter, when they (the Hawks) challenged us a little bit, they kicked a couple of early goals. We were able to bounce back and put the foot down again, and even if up a bit.

“I thought it was a really solid performance across the day.

“I think we’re a long way from playing a complete game of football, but we’re working in that direction.

“If you can put in performances like that, like I said against good quality opposition, it’s really important for their development. We were pleased with what we’ve got in the last couple of games, no doubt about it.”

Best of AFL
Nick Larkey
With North’s VFL side playing on Channel 7 for the first time, Nick Larkey stole the show in spectacular fashion.

After catching the attention of the viewing audience with his witty interview from the bench, Larkey had all the answers for Box Hill’s defence, kicking a perfect five from five in picture perfect conditions.

The reliable goal-scorer now has 19 goals for the season.

“It’s good for us to get another win on the board,” Larkey told Channel 7.

“Last week I thought we really turned around the way we’ve been playing the few weeks before that. Our defence from our forward half, that was the key coming into playing Box Hill Hawks.

“We were up as forwards and didn’t let them use the ball off half back, cause they like to possess it a lot there. I thought we did a good job today.

“Our backs were solid, our mids’ were good and forwards had good pressure. It was a good all round team performance.

Cameron Zurhaar
The versatile midfield and forward option wasted no time in his return, hitting the scoreboard regularly.

Zurhaar capped off his birthday celebrations from earlier in the week by booting four goals, allowing North to secure back-to-back wins against top-eight opponents.

“It was unreal. Everyone played their role and that’s the result we get,” he told North Media.

“It was a big focus for us [to start fast].

We just wanted to get scoreboard pressure on and by everyone playing their role, that’s how we got out fast. We just had to hold on by the end. I was just lucky enough to get on the end of a couple, same with Larks’.

“They were deep and we got a couple of goals.”

Best of VFL
Nash Holmes
For the third week in a row, Holmes was a tackling machine in North’s engine room.

He laid a game-high nine tackles for the royal blue and white, while gathering 23 touches.

Holmes' ability to win inside ball and provide first usage to surrounding midfielders has become a staple of his game, offering plenty of the footy to fellow roving options.

Talking points
Murphy steps up
It was ironic that in the week contested marking lynch-pin Sam Durdin earned senior selection, that Murphy was able to step up.

The 20-year-old, selected with pick four in the Rookie Draft, had one of his best games for the Roos, including a pack mark going back with the flight of the ball in the final term that earned raucous applause from the North faithful.

“It’s a really good team effort for the boys,” Murphy told North Media.

“It just shows that we can come up against the best and if we perform like that, we’ve just got to keep doing it consistently.

“I’ve been doing some work with Browny (Gavin Brown). He’s been some real help for me as an individual this past couple of weeks, my performance has gone up a little bit.

“(I'm) just concentrating on defending and trying to do the team thing, and play my role. It’s good to have a good performance and hopefully keep improving each week.”

Hayden finding the footy
Powerfully-built youngster Kyron Hayden took a big step in his development with an impressive display.

Kyron had shoulder surgery in the pre-season and has eased back in at the level, but racked up 23 disposals against the Hawks.

The 18-year-old scored his first goal in North colours, showing his evasiveness to slot one from a tight angle.

Mountford’s return
Midfield mainstay Declan Mountford made a welcome return in the VFL.

Returning after successful rehabilitation on a shoulder injury, the number 42 played the second half, and got through unscathed.

He finished with nine disposals and a goal.

Narrier kicks a beauty
First year rookie Gordon Narrier kicked a second quarter goal to remember, with this silky play.

Another fast start
Six unanswered goals from North in the first term proved to be the difference across the day.

“If you could play every game like we did in the first 25 or 30 minutes, we would,” coach David Loader told North Media.

“That’s something that we’ve worked on probably over the last month, that were probably a bit slack on in stages earlier in the season.

“The effort over the first 25 or 30 minutes to set the game up was terrific. We can still be better in some areas, but it was really good today.”

 

[giantroo]

 

[Snake_Baker]

I think Narrier is the type that will be much better in an AFL game.

He's built for the fast pace over the back slingshot style of the modern game.

Eventually. Might take another two pre-seasons.

 

[Snake_Baker]

VFL-listed
Nick Rippon (24 disposals), Chris Jansen (25 disposals, 6 tackles), Nash Holmes (23 disposals, 9 tackles), Louis Cunningham (15 disposals), Nick Hogan (10 disposals, 5 tackles)

Disposal and the lack of one touch ball skills is the only reason these blokes aren't playing AFL.

 

[lockheed]

I was driving back from Sydney today.

Watching the replay now, at half time.

Ahern is BOG by an absolute ******* mile. Just class and impact with every possession.

Get him in.

Now.

So who would Ahern likely force out?

 

[rickety]

Disposal and the lack of one touch ball skills is the only reason these blokes aren't playing AFL.

Certainly the endeavour is there, sometimes it's just a conversation with the right person, an unlucky injury or someone a "little bit better" at the time that has prevented the next step.

 

[Pykie]

Eventually. Might take another two pre-seasons.

Yeah definitely.

Needs to probably improve his tackling etc a bit more when he's not involved.

 

[Pykie]

So who would Ahern likely force out?

You'd think he'd be eyeing Dumonts spot, even though frog has been very very good the last month.

Ahern is a guy that played a lot of footy off of half back in u/18's.

Slot him onto the bench and play him anywhere, he's way to good for this level, his poise and class is better utilised at AFL level.

 

[Go_Roos!]

Disposal and the lack of one touch ball skills is the only reason these blokes aren't playing AFL.

Hopefully playing with these good footballers who aren't on the AFL list reinforces to our young AFL listed players how lucky they are to be given a chance.

 

[Snake_Baker]

BTW, it probably hasn't had too much mention for obvious reasons, but I was really happy with Morgans application & effort yesterday.

He showed a hard edge to his game by going in hard at ground level, as well as going back with the flight of the overhead ball on a few occasions.

 

[speedy]

This vfl team is SEX! Next to no list cloggers and so many potential afl quality players.

 

[Bigeasy]

I thought I was watching another team from the previous games I saw. The ball movement in the first half was brilliant, led by Preuss who gave our mids first use in the centre clearances and around the ground. Ahern feasted on his dominance and led our midfield as we trolled all over the Hawks. Zuhraar, Larkey, Garner and Walker were all dominating in the forward line and all kicked multiple goals in the first half. Larkey and Preuss marking was pure domination of the aerial contest.

In the second half the game was played more on Box Hill's terms as we made some changes at half time. Mountford came on and was really good in the third quarter and Hayden started to show why the supporters are excited by him. Really liked his second half.

I also liked the game of Murphy, this kid oozes class and he looks a natural half back, good in the air, good wheels and a nice kick. Playing key back in the VFL which I think is a good move for his development. Ready made replacement for Wright if he gets injured.

McKay again was very good. This kid has it and will be a permanent fixture from next year and while his stats don't show it, I thought Nelson was really good, don't think he lost a one on one, does a lot of little things like shepherding, tackling, knock one etc and first game back for a while.

My votes are:

3. Preuss - Complete domination both in the ruck and around the contest. Had heaps of clearances, took marks around the ground and gave our mids first use. Best game I've seen him play.

2. Ahern - Cut their midfield up with his clearance work. His little shimmies in traffic to give him time shows he is getting close to a call up. He set up many of our plays with excellent disposal.

1. Larkey - Marked everything but was really happy with his improvement in positioning and body work. Good mover too, really like this kid.

Stiff: Zuhraar, Hayden and Rippon

They are definitely starting to play the same style as the seniors now which is awesome as players should be able to slot in when their opportunity eventually comes.

 

[Go_Roos!]

I thought I was watching another team from the previous games I saw. The ball movement in the first half was brilliant, led by Preuss who gave our mids first use in the centre clearances and around the ground. Ahern feasted on his dominance and led our midfield as we trolled all over the Hawks. Zuhraar, Larkey, Garner and Walker were all dominating in the forward line and all kicked multiple goals in the first half. Larkey and Preuss marking was pure domination of the aerial contest.

In the second half the game was played more on Box Hill's terms as we made some changes at half time. Mountford came on and was really good in the third quarter and Hayden started to show why the supporters are excited by him. Really liked his second half.

I also liked the game of Murphy, this kid oozes class and he looks a natural half back, good in the air, good wheels and a nice kick. Playing key back in the VFL which I think is a good move for his development. Ready made replacement for Wright if he gets injured.

McKay again was very good. This kid has it and will be a permanent fixture from next year and while his stats don't show it, I thought Nelson was really good, don't think he lost a one on one, does a lot of little things like shepherding, tackling, knock one etc and first game back for a while.

My votes are:

3. Preuss - Complete domination both in the ruck and around the contest. Had heaps of clearances, took marks around the ground and gave our mids first use. Best game I've seen him play.

2. Ahern - Cut their midfield up with his clearance work. His little shimmies in traffic to give him time shows he is getting close to a call up. He set up many of our plays with excellent disposal.

1. Larkey - Marked everything but was really happy with his improvement in positioning and body work. Good mover too, really like this kid.

Stiff: Zuhraar, Hayden and Rippon

They are definitely starting to play the same style as the seniors now which is awesome as players should be able to slot in when their opportunity eventually comes.

Excellent summary, wonder why the club didn't name Preuss in the best players?

 

[Pykie]

Excellent summary, wonder why the club didn't name Preuss in the best players?

Baffling that one, was as dominant a display as possible.

Had 15+ hitouts to advantage, plenty of marks, and impactful at ground level around the contest.