North Melbourne has won 10 matches but there’s still a question mark over its flag credentials, writes Paul Chapman
June 10, 2016 7:00pm
PAUL CHAPMAN
Herald Sun
THIS isn’t about bashing North Melbourne, because I respect the club and rate the Kangaroos as a team, but as it stands they haven’t proved all that much in 2016.
That may sound strange considering they sit on top of the ladder with 10 wins from 11 games.
But I can’t get past the fact that the only teams of genuine significance that they have beaten this year are the Western Bulldogs and Adelaide.
Yes, they are building and have been for two or three years, but eight of their wins have been over Essendon, Brisbane Lions, Fremantle, Gold Coast, Richmond, St Kilda, Carlton and Melbourne — eight of the bottom nine sides — so it’s fair to say they should have won those games.
And when they went to Sydney their loss was emphatic. A good win would send a healthy message to the competition and it would also mean the Kangaroos would have to fall over not to finish in the top four.
And so it starts on Saturday night with Geelong. After come Hawthorn, Adelaide in Adelaide, the bye and West Coast in Perth.
Is North good enough? My gut says yes because there are no obvious weaknesses.
They are clearly buying in when you consider that very few Kangaroos players have had more than 30 possessions in a game this year.
That also highlights that blokes are playing their roles rather than chasing ball.
It speaks volumes in terms of where a club is at.
Until you have that, you don’t really have much and you won’t be winning premierships any time soon.
Plus the Kangaroos’ mix of inside and outside players in the midfield is good.
Geelong has had a similar start to the season, with wins over less competitive sides.
At the moment, I wouldn’t consider North Melbourne a likely grand finalist, but it is definitely capable of doing well in September.
But they probably have a slight edge with victories over Hawthorn, Adelaide in Adelaide, West Coast easily in Geelong, and GWS in Geelong.
That’s better form, but you also can’t ignore the Cats’ horror performances against Collingwood and Carlton.
Losing Tom Hawkins to suspension, which I still can’t believe, is massive. The role he plays is so vital.
In comparison to North Melbourne, Geelong rotates slightly deeper in the midfield with Jimmy Bartel, Mark Blicavs, Josh Caddy, Patrick Dangerfield, Mitch Duncan, Cameron Guthrie, Darcy Lang, Steven Motlop and Joel Selwood.
My memory of North as a side is that the Roos would always play as quickly as they could and if that didn’t work, then they would play even faster. Now they are playing with system and tempo which is better suited to the demands of finals football.
At the moment, I wouldn’t consider North Melbourne a likely grand finalist, but it is definitely capable of doing well in September.
While Sydney is clearly above any rival, on the next level I would have the Western Bulldogs and GWS, ahead of North, Hawthorn, Geelong, Adelaide and West Coast.
It will be great watching the Scott brothers go head-to-head tonight with equally competitive sides.
I’ve tipped Geelong by a point — which has as much to do with my heart as it does my head.
Chris was a fantastic coach. He sees the game really clearly and also has the ability to manipulate a game so his team gets an advantage.
As a communicator, he’s outstanding and very good with the young guys. Demanding, but in a nurturing kind of way.
Undoubtedly, Chris had a big say in ending my career with Geelong but while I might not have agreed, I respect him as a person and I respect his right to make that call.
There is a part of me that would love to see an all blue and white Grand Final with identical twins coaching their respective teams. How often, has that happened in a sport around the world?
Until then, let’s hope Saurday night’s game lives up to our expectations.