Opinion Best young group in 30 years

czero

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I'm not completely convinced its _that_ good.

Certainly this draft coming is a big one for us which could tip us over the edge for talent, but right now... Its a good group, but not buying into it looking generational just yet. Love the confidence of the young guys though.
 

GarnerSmash

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I'm not completely convinced its _that_ good.

Certainly this draft coming is a big one for us which could tip us over the edge for talent, but right now... Its a good group, but not buying into it looking generational just yet. Love the confidence of the young guys though.
It very rarely is.

It would be a rare, rare thing for most of a young group to go on to have good careers at the same club. If they do it would likely mean finals success in some form or another.
 

Billy Not Really

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For the first time in a long time, I can see forward. I can look ahead knowing what North looks like a few years down the line, and I'm not stuck questioning how we can fill out certain positions & acquire more depth etc.

And when it comes to the types of players we have, it's very diverse. We have skilled players, reliable ones, ones with X factor, dynamic game-breakers etc. And we've gained a lot of that through smart drafting & trading.

The list itself is looking great, and the future looks even better, it's a good time to be a North fan because now it seems like good things are happening at Arden St. and they can only get better.
 

GarnerSmash

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One thing that could be problematic is the the number genuine midfielders we get out of this group. At the minutes we have Simpkin and LDU who look to be that type, whereas Taylor, Zurhaar, Walker and Thomas look more flankers and forwards. Scott is a wing, Perez was an outside player at U/18 level, Mahoney a forward, Bonar a bit of a mixer between mid and forward.

I will be genuinely interested in seeing who out that group can transition to an elite mid, because we will need it when Higgins and Cunners go. That, or we trade one in.
 

Passmore

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One thing that could be problematic is the the number genuine midfielders we get out of this group. At the minutes we have Simpkin and LDU who look to be that type, whereas Taylor, Zurhaar, Walker and Thomas look more flankers and forwards. Scott is a wing, Perez was an outside player at U/18 level, Mahoney a forward, Bonar a bit of a mixer between mid and forward.

I will be genuinely interested in seeing who out that group can transition to an elite mid, because we will need it when Higgins and Cunners go. That, or we trade one in.
I reckon TT is a mid. Scotty could also go in there in time.

Perez will probably go to a back flank. I don't think he is as outside as his bottom are numbers indicate. He looks pretty hard at it.

You can always do with more classy mids though.

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Mcarcherey

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One thing that could be problematic is the the number genuine midfielders we get out of this group. At the minutes we have Simpkin and LDU who look to be that type, whereas Taylor, Zurhaar, Walker and Thomas look more flankers and forwards. Scott is a wing, Perez was an outside player at U/18 level, Mahoney a forward, Bonar a bit of a mixer between mid and forward.

I will be genuinely interested in seeing who out that group can transition to an elite mid, because we will need it when Higgins and Cunners go. That, or we trade one in.

Ahern, LDU and Bonar should help though....hopefully ahern can get back to some of his 2018 form.

i think it's great the number of flankers that we can run through the middle, gives us so much flexibility - the kind we've never had in the past decade, it's exactly what we've been screaming out for to reach that next level. remember when all our hopes were put on 'atley to move into the midfield' and 'jmac can go to a wing'...bloody hell we're in a MUCH better position.
 

GarnerSmash

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Ahern, LDU and Bonar should help though....hopefully ahern can get back to some of his 2018 form.

i think it's great the number of flankers that we can run through the middle, gives us so much flexibility - the kind we've never had in the past decade, it's exactly what we've been screaming out for to reach that next level. remember when all our hopes were put on 'atley to move into the midfield' and 'jmac can go to a wing'...bloody hell we're in a MUCH better position.
I dunno tho....

If anything the Cunners/Ziebs/Bastinac/Greenwood/Harper/Wright/Atley/Macmillan days tells me is that nothing is certain.

These guys to me have shown that they have it, and by it I mean they will have AFL careers to varying levels of success:
Simpkin
Thomas
Zurhaar
Larkey

These guys have shown talent but the jury is still out:
LDU
Taylor
Scott
Walker
Ahern

Its too early to know with these guys:
Bonar
Perez
Mahoney
Comben

It is quite feasible that all the players in the bottom two groups don't make it, although I am pretty bullish about LDU, Taylor and Scott moving up a level.
 
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I dunno tho....

If anything the Cunners/Ziebs/Bastinac/Greenwood/Harper/Wright/Atley/Macmillan days tells me is that nothing is certain.

These guys to me have shown that they have it:
Simpkin
Thomas
Zurhaar
Larkey

These guys have shown talent but the jury is still out:
LDU
Taylor
Scott
Walker
Ahern

Its too early to know with these guys:
Bonar
Perez
Mahoney
Comben

It is quite feasible that all the players in the bottom two groups don't make it, although I am pretty bullish about LDU, Taylor and Scott moving up a level.
Don’t sleep on Kyron
Can play multiple roles for us
 

GarnerSmash

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Don’t sleep on Kyron
Can play multiple roles for us
I forgot about him, but put him in the second group. He could be a good player, he could be a role player, or he could be gone in 18 months.
 

Waynesworld

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Big call.

McKernan was a superstar at 25 games
Longmire should have kicked 100 goals at 19 years of age
Carey was, well Carey was Carey
Mick Martyn was the best full back in the comp
Glenn Archer skilled and hard as
Craig Scholl, Darryn Crocker, Brett Allison, Wayne Schwass, Anthony Stevens, Adam Simpson, John Blakey, Byron Pickett, David King, Anthony Rock, Mark Roberts, Dean Laidley, etc.

They were super talented across the board, but also tough as nails.

And whilst I am also bullish about our current crop I really don't think you can compare the level of talent with what we assembled in the 90s.
 
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Thread should be retitled "keep it in your pants".

You could probably find a similar thread ever 2-3 years since 2000.

We had Petrie, Harris, Teague, Motlop x 2, Harding, Morrell, Jones, Rawlings, Makepeace, Firrito, McIntosh, Hale, Wells all looking promising together too at times in the early 2000s.

Within a short time we added Swallow, JWS, Edwards, Thomas, Campbell to that lot.

Later the fapping was included Ziebell, Cunnington, Bastinac, Wright, Goldstein, Greenwood, Thompson, Black, Tarrant et al as a young collective.

Seen this show before. Lets just let them go past some cool headed set shots before we proclaim them sure things.
 

Passmore

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Big call.

McKernan was a superstar at 25 games
Longmire should have kicked 100 goals at 19 years of age
Carey was, well Carey was Carey
Mick Martyn was the best full back in the comp
Glenn Archer skilled and hard as
Craig Scholl, Darryn Crocker, Brett Allison, Wayne Schwass, Anthony Stevens, Adam Simpson, John Blakey, Byron Pickett, David King, Anthony Rock, Mark Roberts, Dean Laidley, etc.

They were super talented across the board, but also tough as nails.

And whilst I am also bullish about our current crop I really don't think you can compare the level of talent with what we assembled in the 90s.
The best crop since them. They came through 30+years ago.

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Passmore

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Thread should be retitled "keep it in your pants".

You could probably find a similar thread ever 2-3 years since 2000.

We had Petrie, Harris, Teague, Motlop x 2, Harding, Morrell, Jones, Rawlings, Makepeace, Firrito, McIntosh, Hale, Wells all looking promising together too at times in the early 2000s.

Within a short time we added Swallow, JWS, Edwards, Thomas, Campbell to that lot.

Later the fapping was included Ziebell, Cunnington, Bastinac, Wright, Goldstein, Greenwood, Thompson, Black, Tarrant et al as a young collective.

Seen this show before. Lets just let them go past some cool headed set shots before we proclaim them sure things.
Captain Buzzkill. You just get in the "Operation Rowell" thread and red carding the s**t out if it.

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Waynesworld

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The best crop since them. They came through 30+years ago.

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Hmmm still not convinced yet, we play a tough game style that has got us 2 wins this season, but to say best young group in 30 years, think we are getting ahead of ourselves...
 

Pykie

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Hmmm still not convinced yet, we play a tough game style that has got us 2 wins this season, but to say best young group in 30 years, think we are getting ahead of ourselves...

Well, whats the alternative since them?

Blake Grima, David Trotter and Callum Urch?


I almost lump the Simpson, Rawlings, Harvey, Petrie class into 90's group, though they could be separated I guess


Otherwise it's Ziebell, Cunnington, Tarrant, Goldstein vs the current.
 
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Well, whats the alternative since them?

Blake Grima, David Trotter and Callum Urch?


I almost lump the Simpson, Rawlings, Harvey, Petrie class into 90's group, though they could be separated I guess


Otherwise it's Ziebell, Cunnington, Tarrant, Goldstein vs the current.

Think we’re using selective memory here.

2005 - 23 and Under Group
D.Motlop
Harris
Petrie
Co.Jones
Harding
Hale
Firrito
Wells
McIntosh
J.Gibson
JW Smith
McMahon

2010 23 and Under Group
Swallow
Hansen
Thomas
Goldstein
Adams
Tarrant
Greenwood
Grima
Thompson
Ziebell
Wright
Cunnington
Bastinac
MacMillan
Black
Daw

I like the current crop but think we’re romanticising the prospects of youth a bit.

IMO any success we enjoy will be far more off the back of a strong coaching structure and player buy-in than outright young talent, because frankly the above groups were more than comparable.
 

Pykie

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Think we’re using selective memory here.

2005 - 23 and Under Group
D.Motlop
Harris
Petrie
Co.Jones
Harding
Hale
Firrito
Wells
McIntosh
J.Gibson
JW Smith
McMahon

2010 23 and Under Group
Swallow
Hansen
Thomas
Goldstein
Adams
Tarrant
Greenwood
Grima
Thompson
Ziebell
Wright
Cunnington
Bastinac
MacMillan
Black
Daw

I like the current crop but think we’re romanticising the prospects of youth a bit.

IMO any success we enjoy will be far more off the back of a strong coaching structure and player buy-in than outright young talent, because frankly the above groups were more than comparable.


I think you might be the one romantizing.

There's exactly 3 x AA's gurnseys won by that entire group (Thompson, Goldstein and Petrie).

Over a combined 15 year period they played in 3 prelim's, with crossover of that whole list of talent.

Not a single one of them would be close to a TOTC nomination ~ Goldstein probably the closest and he might make a 3rd XVII TOTC. Cunnington probably the other.


There's some good players in that group and some fantastic clubman, but there isn't any absolute greats of the club and certainly none worth discussing from a competition perspective. The most decorated player on that entire list isn't even associated with our club in reality.


Is that the insurmountable level the current group can't be compared to?


There's alot of games played and B&F's won, but they are irrelevant as they were only competing against the same list of players.


We frankly hope our next crop out perform those two groups, or else the premiership drought might extend for another decade or two.
 
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Mick Martyn was the best full back in the comp

well, mick martyn was what you'd call an "early-old" meaning he looked 50 from the day he grew his first facial hair. probably hard for a lot of people to consider him a part of any "young" group.

as a child of 1996 i have to say i think this is the best young group i've seen in my time
 

Waussie

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Big call.

McKernan was a superstar at 25 games
Longmire should have kicked 100 goals at 19 years of age
Carey was, well Carey was Carey
Mick Martyn was the best full back in the comp
Glenn Archer skilled and hard as
Craig Scholl, Darryn Crocker, Brett Allison, Wayne Schwass, Anthony Stevens, Adam Simpson, John Blakey, Byron Pickett, David King, Anthony Rock, Mark Roberts, Dean Laidley, etc.

They were super talented across the board, but also tough as nails.

And whilst I am also bullish about our current crop I really don't think you can compare the level of talent with what we assembled in the 90s.
True, but in saying that the game has evolved quite a bit.
 
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