List Mgmt. Honest analysis of our playing list - "is it the cowboy, or the cattle?"

[shinboner spiggs]

Mentally fragile playing list coached by people who are afraid that if they upset the players the results would be worse.

Blowing up the entirety of the list aside from a select few would be the only way to cure this imo. We are toast.

 

[footy front]

I still can't work out why we got rid of Jed Anderson

17

Jed Anderson

Age

31

Ht

179cm

Wt

81kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.3

4star

K

7.8

3star

HB

8.5

5star

M

2.2

2star

T

4.7

5star

CL

3.0

4star

D

17.0

4star

K

10.5

4star

HB

6.5

4star

M

2.7

3star

T

4.8

5star

CL

3.7

5star

D

10.2

3star

K

6.0

3star

HB

4.2

4star

M

1.6

2star

T

2.6

4star

CL

1.4

4star

. And made no attempt to refresh another year out of Cunners. We've thrown a lots of talented cubs to the wolves and then cry or are surprised when they get pushed over.

 

[kool kangas]

St Kilda were younger & less experienced than us last week.

But since their round 1 thrashing, they’ve responded to sit just out of the 8 on %. Played for pride. And have defended as a team.

While being younger than us.

Had a tough game v GWS last week who were hot. 8 goals at 3/4 time. Time to fall away? Not a chance. Lock in boys. Finish the game off, respectable 28 point margin & NWM got invaluable midfield time, Hastie came on as sub & actually played a match that had some intensity and needed him to do his bit - even though the result was gone. Just good habits good habits good habits.

St Kilda have been the joke of the competition for a century.

We just took over the punchline.

"Play for pride" should be on all the walls at the club and where ever they are playing...

 

[ferball]

I still can't work out why we got rid of Jed Anderson. And made no attempt to refresh another year out of Cunners. We've thrown a lots of talented cubs to the wolves and then cry or are surprised when they get pushed over.

Some people reckon Jed was a cooker cos he said he got sick from his vaccine.

That's probably why he was sacked.

 

[Themanbun]

Some people reckon Jed was a cooker cos he said he got sick from his vaccine.

That's probably why he was sacked.

They will use the bloke having shit cardio after having heart inflammation to justify it. Think that whole saga broke his love for the game judging by how he went at GC.

 

[ferball]

They will use the bloke having shit cardio after having heart inflammation to justify it. Think that whole saga broke his love for the game judging but how he went at GC.

He also nearly died from pneumonia when he was about 20.

So that always had an effect on his c/p fitness

 

[Chadwiko]

"Play for pride" should be on all the walls at the club and where ever they are playing...

Is "Pride" the name of the accountant that all the players use to process their game cheques?

 

[koshari]

The team has become top heavy with primmadonnas. Really needs some grafters in there for balance. I reckoned eddie Ford was done but at least he cracks in. Some of his more polished teamates seam to think hard work is beneath them.

 

[koshari]

Yeah with zero wins.

Yes.

But this thread isn't about Ross Lyon haha.

Well at least he got em past prelims...

And even a prelim is a pipe dream for us.

Beating WC is probably a pipe dream atm.

 

[koshari]

They will use the bloke having shit cardio after having heart inflammation to justify it. Think that whole saga broke his love for the game judging but how he went at GC.

Nice story however he got another chance with the suns and floundered. Dont get me wrong he was a grafter but really wasnt taking us to the promised land.

 

[Chadwiko]

The team has become top heavy with primmadonnas. Really needs some grafters in there for balance. I reckoned eddie Ford was done but at least he cracks in. Some of his more polished teamates seam to think hard work is beneath them.

What on earth is a "grafter"

This is not a term I believe I'm familiar with?

 

[ferball]

What on earth is a "grafter"

This is not a term I believe I'm familiar with?

Graft is a term for hard, industrious work.

 

[Chadwiko]

Graft is a term for hard, industrious work.

Did someone recently reference it in a tv show or movie or song or something? I've not heard it previously, and now in the last week I've heard it multiple times.

I was curious, so I checked Google and sure enough over the last 12 months it was basically never googled in Australia at all, and yet in the last month it's sky-rocketed;

 

[Groucho]

What on earth is a "grafter"

This is not a term I believe I'm familiar with?

It’s usually a cricket term referring to a batsman who,while not playing many great shots, will dig in and be hard to get out.

 

[Luke72]

What they have really stuffed up is the compensation. What the AFL gave us was not much and instead of trying to turn it into something we gave it away for list cloggers.

I get that it is hard to convince players to want to come but when Griffen Logue is the best that we netted out of that it’s a sad indictment. More creative minds should have been able to do better.

 

[travelli]

Why is Lyon a flog of a human? He's an excellent coach and was all in on him when we were looking fo a coach.

If we had him now we'd be better organised, that is for sure. Suggests to me our cowboy is not cutting through.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

It's everything.

The club.
The board.
The coaches.
The list managers.
The players.

Everything. No one wants to put expectations on each other in case it backfires. No one gives a ****.

If it was the club and the board, would the womens team be so successful?


I do think people underestimate the hole we were in at the end (and beginning) of the Noble era, to the point where writing him off as a coach may have been premature. He literally had nothing, and no promise, to work with. Anyone who expected Clarkson, or any coach, could get North into finals within five years was deluding themselves. After the coaching turnover, the list gaps, the loss of m,ost of the recruiyment and list management in one foul swoop so we basically had nobody in that role for a drft and trade period, the list couldn't be refreshed within three years to make it competitive in five.


That said, by now simple things such as making sure somebody sets up on the defensive side at stoppages (the only point on the field we can win), and recognising when defensive transition is necessary less than 20 seconds after it becomes necessary, should be in place for almost all the first team.
I don't think Clarkson should be under any threat yet, but there need to be signs from now on that a defensive structure is being put in place, and that doing the simple things is beginning. There was a little of that post-bye last year, but nothing continuing into this year. Last year, I sort of forgave it in terms of giving the kids a chance to just play football and see what they could do. Those kids aren't THAT inexperienced now. Yes, they are still inexperienced and will get exposed but the next part of their learning should be showing some result.
The defence itself is made up of mediocre players but its made worse by none of the midfield (Simpkin and Wardlaw perhaps exceptions) having any defensive side to their game. Even those playing as smaller and mid defenders don't defend.
In short, North are only a chance against teams that can't (Melbourne usually) or decide not to (Fremantle often, last year St Kilda) score. Or kicking for goal is under 35%.

Going forward there are two ways. Rapid short handballs that look great when they come off, once or twice a game. Or hoof it and hope to win the next contest. The 45 degree 25-30 metre change of angle and open up a run doesn't seem to exist. And is so powerful for maybe 15 other teams in the comp, even West Coast.


To the OP's ranking, perhaps I might shift a few people around in minor quibbles.
Most teams have very few A graders, a few B graders and C and D filling out the best 23 and first few back-ups. We might be 1-2 A grades short by that list, though I would throw Xerri in there until the last two weeks. Certainly 2-4 B graders, and the mix of C to D is a concern. Too many D in the first team. McKercher, Phillips, Pink, Daniel (not all first team) drop to D for me as well (McKercher's promise is higher, his output this year is not and on promise I no longer see an A - I see B at best, a second Phillips in the making more likely). And Pink could be an F, except he's one of few genuine tryers.

Is it too early to say some of the "unproven" are failures?
For example, somebody like Cooper Harvey has been there a few years. If he's not getting games by now, in a team looking to bring in any hope, is it time to call him an "F"? Its not like he has the "big man take longer" argument in his favour. Anyone recruited 2021, perhaps 2022, without injury (Goater) or health reasons not being able to crack it for a few chances in this team is probably never going to be AFL standard.


So, imo, mostly cattle with some development slippage as well. It looks like defensively structures and teaching are not in place; but perhaps the focus is on the fun part first. Kicking goals, and most of the time in isolation the amount North score os reasonable, the amount conceded (and how easily) is not.
The balance might need to shift a bit, or 60-90 point losses being the norm will continue. Not that anyone likes playing in, or watching, a team score 6 goals by being too defensive either.

 

[DarwinRoo]

If we say they are playing for pride, we will have the RWNJ crying that the club has gone even more woke.

 

[Chadwiko]

To the OP's ranking, perhaps I might shift a few people around in minor quibbles.
Most teams have very few A graders, a few B graders and C and D filling out the best 23 and first few back-ups. We might be 1-2 A grades short by that list, though I would throw Xerri in there until the last two weeks. Certainly 2-4 B graders, and the mix of C to D is a concern. Too many D in the first team. McKercher, Phillips, Pink, Daniel (not all first team) drop to D for me as well (McKercher's promise is higher, his output this year is not and on promise I no longer see an A - I see B at best, a second Phillips in the making more likely). And Pink could be an F, except he's one of few genuine tryers.

Most of this is fair, and as I noted in the OP my grades are subjective and I fully expected people to have different opinions.

Is it too early to say some of the "unproven" are failures?
For example, somebody like Cooper Harvey has been there a few years. If he's not getting games by now, in a team looking to bring in any hope, is it time to call him an "F"? Its not like he has the "big man take longer" argument in his favour. Anyone recruited 2021, perhaps 2022, without injury (Goater) or health reasons not being able to crack it for a few chances in this team is probably never going to be AFL standard.

Yeah, you're not wrong. The 'unproven' rank is difficult because there's some in there that you hope can turn into A or B graders, and there's some in there you just know will be delisted in the next year or two. But without data or evidence to support either claim, it's difficult to make an argument other than "vibes".

 

[krakouers]

It’s usually a cricket term referring to a batsman who,while not playing many great shots, will dig in and be hard to get out.

Is it cricket season again?

 

[Groucho]

Is it cricket season again?

I wish

 

[Chadwiko]

Pretty keen to get a read on where supporter sentiment/opinions are on a couple of issues. There's no right or wrong answers, but fascinated to see the responses if people would oblige and answer these questions;

• Do we have any genuine 'small forwards' in our best 22?
• Who are our pure wingers?
• Who is the best contested mark in our best 22 other than Comben?
• Which midfielder is our best threat in terms of kicking a goal?
• Which non-midfielder can have the most impact when rotating through the midfield for a 5 minute patch?

 

[Epictetus]

Read a book or something dude.

 

[Chadwiko]

Read a book or something dude.

You're here on BigFooty with me dude.

 

[Epictetus]

You're here on BigFooty with me dude.

Yeah for sure, but you're doing spreadys and asking earnest questions looking for feedback.