how long until we’re good again?

[kanga kanga kanga]

So that guy who was drafted three years ago and has spent basically that entire time on the injured list without ever making the team is proven to be so good he's going to play a big part in our finals series??

Wow. I'm so jaded I'm beginning to sound like DF.

just watch some vfl and if u don’t see a player there i don’t know what to tell you

 

[zoomba23]

Could be next year, could be never. Circumstances haven't helped us this year. We lost our most in-form player for multiple winnable games.

The barest, most marginal improvement is there. It was visible as recently as last week, when we should've only been trailing Heeney, Gulden, Grundy and Warner by seven points at 3QT. Were they trying? Probably not. But I doubt that outcome would've been on the table at all last year.

Now we come up against Shlong missing our most effective (only?) key forward, and a kamikaze midfielder.

I'm saying my prayers for poor old FOS and Hardeman, who'll have to curtail Mannagh, Miers, Stengle and Close tomorrow night with decidedly little help. Maybe we send Duursma back. **** knows. Geelong by 76 and then we come here and do it all again

 

[kanga kanga kanga]

Could be next year, could be never. Circumstances haven't helped us this year. We lost our most in-form player for multiple winnable games.

The barest, most marginal improvement is there. It was visible as recently as last week, when we should've only been trailing Heeney, Gulden, Grundy and Warner by seven points at 3QT. Were they trying? Probably not. But I doubt that outcome would've been on the table at all last year.

Now we come up against Shlong missing our most effective (only?) key forward, and a kamikaze midfielder.

I'm saying my prayers for poor old FOS and Hardeman, who'll have to curtail Mannagh, Miers, Stengle and Close tomorrow night with decidedly little help. Maybe we send Duursma back. **** knows. Geelong by 76 and then we come here and do it all again

the rock bottom thread is gonna be popular tomorrow night

 

[koshari]

I have no idea.

No one does.

I have a pretty good idea you will be catching a train to the airport before we play finals.

 

[ShinboneSpirit]

12th-14th next season, finals in 2027.

 

[Whippet1]

I’m just waiting for us to become a lowly team that, if we play to our absolute best and our opposition is 20% off we’re a chance of an upset.
We are still short of that. North are paying $8 tmo night but none of us here would put stolen money on it.
(Prove me wrong North)
I’m just not convinced about the list but if a couple of them can really turn into A graders it might drag a few others along.

 

[Forever North]

I just want us to go from shithouse to rubbish next season. And the season after below average.

 

[SammyRoo]

 

[Jindrrk]

oof.

who's going to tell him?

 

[zoomba23]

Might've just found one of the more scathing indictments of this current time at North.

If we played Essendon in their current form (both definitions of the word), it'd go down to the wire

 

[TheKanga]

I think it's getting to the point where it will be generally be the financial powerhouse clubs that make up the top 8/top 4 every year.

The gap is getting bigger between the big clubs and smaller clubs.
Might be the Dogs last chance of competing before Bont etc eventually retire.

 

[Jimmy's Hot Dogs]

F**K, I'll be in my 80s and limited to sh*t KAYO.

I fear the same for me and I’m in my 50s!

 

[Horizons_00]

Even if we win a game it feels like who cares. Nothing is perm with or developing with this club

Its all flash in the pan BS

 

[iloveireland]

Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answer to.

 

[Cyber_punk]

I think it's getting to the point where it will be generally be the financial powerhouse clubs that make up the top 8/top 4 every year.

The gap is getting bigger between the big clubs and smaller clubs.
Might be the Dogs last chance of competing before Bont etc eventually retire.

I think so too.

You'll have clubs that are basically ghettos while clubs like Geelong are basically never going out of contention.

 

[Mr north man]

Not until the club gets serious about it and conducts an independent root and branch review into it's culture and mindset. It's ludicrous that any club can earn itself high end draft picks for 6 years on end and not make any significant improvement to its ladder position, with the goal of even being a dangerous lower order team feeling as far away as it ever has. That only happens if there are deeper fundamental issues which never get properly acknowledged let alone addressed. Then after that's been done, then the improvement can START.

So my answer to the OP question is...probably not in the next decade.

Didn’t the NMFC do that with the BS Geoff Walsh report?
The only way things will change is someone who is prepared to lose Friendships by getting rid of mates out of the NMFC.
Then things will change.

 

[Possession]

I think it's getting to the point where it will be generally be the financial powerhouse clubs that make up the top 8/top 4 every year.

The gap is getting bigger between the big clubs and smaller clubs.
Might be the Dogs last chance of competing before Bont etc eventually retire.

I think it's been trending this way for a while with the draft being compromised by F/S and academies, and the power of player autonomy when it comes to 'homesickness' or staying in VIC and such (applies to trade and FA too).

AFL is definitely aware of it but has no plans to fix it at the fundamental level by addressing the draft issues, hence all the talk about mid-season competitions and wildcard finals. They know that the season becomes pointless for over half the teams way before it's over.

It will be interesting to see how some 'big clubs' like the Eagles, Essendon and potentially even Carlton go with bottoming out in this brave new world of ours. At this point it feels like it'll take a miracle for a small club like ours to be able to contend again.

 

[shimaburnsgrieg]

I think it's been trending this way for a while with the draft being compromised by F/S and academies, and the power of player autonomy when it comes to 'homesickness' or staying in VIC and such (applies to trade and FA too).

AFL is definitely aware of it but has no plans to fix it at the fundamental level by addressing the draft issues, hence all the talk about mid-season competitions and wildcard finals. They know that the season becomes pointless for over half the teams way before it's over.

It will be interesting to see how some 'big clubs' like the Eagles, Essendon and potentially even Carlton go with bottoming out in this brave new world of ours. At this point it feels like it'll take a miracle for a small club like ours to be able to contend again.

It won't take a miracle but it will take better drafting decisions, better development of players, higher standards of training, greater leadership on field and better coaching game plans and tactics.

All of these factors are within our control but it looks very much look like the club (Board, Coaches, players) have decided its all too hard and we shouldn't blame ourselves for continuous bottom 2 finishes - rather we should just blame external factors, that we are a 'small club' so the AFL should do more to help us.

Unless these NMFC behaviours and attitudes change then - you are right - we will never be in contention at the pointy end of the season.

 

[Hatchy1992]

So here's a list of current players who could be part of our next finals tilt. There might be one or two not on this list who might surprise yet.

15 of the 24 players are under the age of 23.
5 of the 24 players have 80+ games of experience.
16 of the 24 players are yet to play 50 games
One thing consistent with finals teams is their ability to find diamonds in the rough with late draft picks. We have 6 players on this list (25%) that were taken after pick 50, including rookies. Not bad!
I don't think our list is as bad as some would make out. The reality is that it's still going to take time for the majority of these players to reach that 80 game mark. 2 - 3 years.
Interesting that in 2 years time, not a single player on this list will be 30 years old.
I hope this gives some perspective. I think some of us on here are getting way ahead of themselves. And don't get me wrong, I get it! We've been shit for ages! But reality is this.

North Melbourne Kangaroos Season 2025 Players	Draft
No	Name	Games	Age	Type	Round	Pick
22	Goad, Taylor	0	20yr 2mth	National	1​	20​
35	Whitlock, Matt	1	19yr 2mth	National	1​	27​
37	Harvey, Cooper	6	21yr	National	4​	56​
39	Maley, Finnbar R	6	22yr	Rookie	1​	2​
18	Dawson, Will	7	19yr 7mth	National	1​	22​
31	Goater, Josh	12	22yr 1mth	National	2​	22​
17	Hardeman, Riley	17	20yr 4mth	National	1​	23​
2	O'Sullivan, Finn	17	19yr 1mth	National	1​	2​
41	Konstanty, Jacob	18	20yr 8mth
7	Duursma, Zane	20	19yr 10mth	National	1​	4​
34	Archer, Jackson	26	22yr 6mth	National	4​	59​
32	Pink, Toby R	27	26yr 11mth
10	McKercher, Colby	34	20yr 3mth	National	1​	2​
6	Wardlaw, George	35	21yr 1mth	National	1​	4​
30	Comben, Charlie	43	24yr	National	2​	31​
3	Sheezel, Harry	62	20yr 9mth	National	1​	3​
38	Xerri, Tristan	73	26yr 4mth	National	5​	72​
25	Curtis, Paul	74	22yr 4mth	National	2​	35​
24	Powell, Tom	86	23yr 4mth	National	1​	13​
9	Davies-Uniacke, Luke	125	26yr 1mth	National	1​	4​
20	Larkey, Nick	133	27yr 1mth	National	5​	73​
44	Zurhaar, Cameron	139	27yr 2mth	Rookie	1​	11​
12	Simpkin, Jy	170	27yr 4mth	National	1​	12​

Clarko said very early in his tenure here that he's not looking to build a squad that can compete in September, he's looking to build a squad that can stand up in the final day of September.

The foundations are there, just need patience. We've demonstrated that our best is very good and can compete with the best. Just need to show that more often.

 

[Sphynx]

They (Clarko and Viney) have managed to outdo anything Noble and Shaw managed in cluster ****ing the list imo.

At least with the grim years, we always had the security blanket of amassing top talent.

Clarko looking to top up with experience at any expense has forced us into our biggest **** up since probably (ironically) the Hawthorn trades of the 2000’s.

This Daniel trade and what it forced us into doing has set the list build back 12-24 months.

The problem with that is Larkey, Xerri etc are all getting into their late 20’s.

There’s a possibility they have completely ****ed it and if we do start improving in a season or two we don’t have a period of sustained football as we have to rebuild important players because of the massive age gap now between our best senior players and our young core. Very much like the Bulldogs have struggled with since their flag.

 

[Sphynx]

Could be next year, could be never. Circumstances haven't helped us this year. We lost our most in-form player for multiple winnable games.

The barest, most marginal improvement is there. It was visible as recently as last week, when we should've only been trailing Heeney, Gulden, Grundy and Warner by seven points at 3QT. Were they trying? Probably not. But I doubt that outcome would've been on the table at all last year.

Now we come up against Shlong missing our most effective (only?) key forward, and a kamikaze midfielder.

I'm saying my prayers for poor old FOS and Hardeman, who'll have to curtail Mannagh, Miers, Stengle and Close tomorrow night with decidedly little help. Maybe we send Duursma back. **** knows. Geelong by 76 and then we come here and do it all again

The fact is, Noble has a similar coaching record as Clarkson at North.

And he dealt with COVID and it’s aftermath, and he had a bunch of over the hill players falling off a cliff and he had Cunners cancer diagnosis effectively ending his career over the course of a season.

Clarkson has an immeasurably better list of young players and senior players now (Larkey, Xerri and LDU is miles better than anything Noble had), has had all the support with coaches and back room teams, getting paid 3x as much as Noble/Shaw.

There are zero excuses and Noble is effectively a running joke on here…the running joke has a simila coaching record over not a small sample size at this point. In fact Clarko has coached 16 more North games than Noble by this point

In what universe would have our fan base accepted the status quo with Noble for almost another full season?!

And yet most of you are talking about waiting another year in 2026?!?

 

[ferball]

I think we should have coaches on three week contracts and if we don't win every game we should sack them immediately starting this week.

 

[zoomba23]

The fact is, Noble has a similar coaching record as Clarkson at North.

And he dealt with COVID and it’s aftermath, and he had a bunch of over the hill players falling off a cliff and he had Cunners cancer diagnosis effectively ending his career over the course of a season.

Clarkson has an immeasurably better list of young players and senior players now (Larkey, Xerri and LDU is miles better than anything Noble had), has had all the support with coaches and back room teams, getting paid 3x as much as Noble/Shaw.

There are zero excuses and Noble is effectively a running joke on here…the running joke has a simila coaching record over not a small sample size at this point. In fact Clarko has coached 16 more North games than Noble by this point

In what universe would have our fan base accepted the status quo with Noble for almost another full season?!

And yet most of you are talking about waiting another year in 2026?!?

I'm not saying we will improve next year. Hence the 'maybe never.'

I'm just saying there are the barest hints of something, because we're not being clapped by 50 every single week, and Clarkson's managed to find a role for Stephens, Hardeman, Archer. McKercher's coming on reasonably, as you'd expect from a top 3 pick, but we at least haven't managed to extinguish the willingness to take things on from him.

This glacial progress may well be totally inconsequential, given that the rot seems like it might be permanent. I'm as sick of waiting as anyone and if I see 'we'll improve in 2026, just give it time,' I will puke.

Noble's also a joke on here because he was a shithouse man manager. Clarko isn't. Little consolation, but at least we know the players don't hate the coach. Unless they're Ford, in which case they might

 

[Heaps of fun]

If we're not good in two years we won't be good for five years.

 

[Elite Master]

Even if we win a game it feels like who cares. Nothing is perm with or developing with this club

Its all flash in the pan BS

Three quarters of posters on this board and even the media at large, were pumping up our tires after the Melbourne win earlier in the season being "the day the wheel turned moment", but I was never convinced. Not even close. We were average for the bulk of that win, save for a 10 minute burst in the 4th quarter.