Autopsy North lose a heartbreaker to the Saints by 8 points

[berniemccarthy]

He's exactly what we don't need. Nice attributes but picks and chooses when he goes.

Was a clear takeaway from that game. Is no better than some blokes coming through Eg Goater and has an injury riddled past. No from me. Thought that was Tuckers best game for us.

 

[giantroo]

 

[giantroo]

 

[speedy]

Phillips is playing his second season. I don't remember Cunners having the impact he had in 2015 as early as 2012.

Cunners looked ordinary in his first couple of years. Even after 50 games he was only just going.

 

[Roosurgence]

Phillips is playing his second season. I don't remember Cunners having the impact he had in 2015 as early as 2012.

I wasn’t making that point. I am just saying comparing stat numbers doesn’t give you the full picture.

Some players don’t need to rack up massive numbers to have a high impact on a game.

Cunners is one of those guys that made his possessions count.

I’m bullish about Phillips, but he has a lot of work to do, especially around his touch in the clearance. If he can be that fraction of a second cleaner and eradicate the fumbles he will be a perfect compliment to that midfield.

 

[Hearts to hearts]

Followed up by Mcdonald taking a a mark in D50 and then missing Archer by 10m with a 30m kick and the ball rolling out of bounds.

36% kicking eff in first 15 minutes.

I almost never yell at our own players but I was out of my seat at that MacDonald kick. No pressure, easy to hit Archer, and it was nowhere near. He and Corr were pretty stout in defence yesterday but I had my heart in my mouth any time either of them had the ball to dispose of, and usually my fears were realised.

 

[SonofSamsquanch]

I almost never yell at our own players but I was out of my seat at that MacDonald kick. No pressure, easy to hit Archer, and it was nowhere near. He and Corr were pretty stout in defence yesterday but I had my heart in my mouth any time either of them had the ball to dispose of, and usually my fears were realised.

A couple of times it looked like Corr was scanning for a target upfield and saw nothing but the pack forming on the wing. He was looking to the centre corridor but had to bomb it because it was his only option. McDonalds may have seen a target but just wasn't able to hit it.

 

[danj]

But her gender is the issue here.

Can anyone honestly say she would be umpiring at this level if she wasn’t female?

I couldn’t care less if a female umpires the game if they can do the job, but when you are gifted games at the elite level purely based on your gender, then it needs to be called out for what it is.

We aren’t talking about a development league here. It’s the top level of the sport, being made a joke of as some form of PR exercise.

More to the point how many games has she umpired for top 4 teams compared to the bottom 4 teams? Seriously I would love to see a chart that showed umpires against games they’ve umpired by ladder positions. The idea that more experienced umps should umpire the top team games is flawed IMO. Once an AFL umpire is trained and qualified yet should be able to umpire any match. I don’t know how they allocate umps to matches but I reckon it should be a random draw from a hat, if you umpires that team the week before you don’t go in the hat for that team next round. If experience really is an issue then have 4 hats with umpires split into 4 equal groups based on experience and draw one name from each hat for each match. This system would eliminate bias and reduce the chances of umps match fixing.

 

[Hearts to hearts]

More to the point how many games has she umpired for top 4 teams compared to the bottom 4 teams? Seriously I would love to see a chart that showed umpires against games they’ve umpired by ladder positions. The idea that more experienced umps should umpire the top team games is flawed IMO. Once an AFL umpire is trained and qualified yet should be able to umpire any match. I don’t know how they allocate umps to matches but I reckon it should be a random draw from a hat, if you umpires that team the week before you don’t go in the hat for that team next round. If experience really is an issue then have 4 hats with umpires split into 4 equal groups based on experience and draw one name from each hat for each match. This system would eliminate bias and reduce the chances of umps match fixing.

If they are going to have four, they should allocate two senior mentor umpires and two up and comers to each match - would relieve the pressure on the newer ones, help them learn, and result in more consistency across games.

The current system where top of the ladder teams are umpired at finals level and lower teams get a less experienced, poorer group isn’t helping anyone.

 

[DocSholl]

They do from me Doc.

I do not think Eleni is a good umpire but she is not alone, nor is she the worst. She is robotic and reactive. Even yesterday however, some of the howlers were made by one or more of the other three but it is not as easy to individualise them as the camera doesn't always have them in frame and it is less easy to pick their voices.

To sum up... The overall standard of umpiring is below an acceptable standard and by having four below par officials, the errors in decision making is multiplied.

The umpires are not publicly accountable for their performances.

I meant the personal vitriol. Because she is female, she is identifiable and therefore the abuse goes from being about the umpiring to being about her individually, and this invariably leads to gender. Which is shitty.

There are a heap of male umpires who are also pretty average and no one would know them from a bar of soap.

 

[SonofSamsquanch]

More to the point how many games has she umpired for top 4 teams compared to the bottom 4 teams? Seriously I would love to see a chart that showed umpires against games they’ve umpired by ladder positions. The idea that more experienced umps should umpire the top team games is flawed IMO. Once an AFL umpire is trained and qualified yet should be able to umpire any match. I don’t know how they allocate umps to matches but I reckon it should be a random draw from a hat, if you umpires that team the week before you don’t go in the hat for that team next round. If experience really is an issue then have 4 hats with umpires split into 4 equal groups based on experience and draw one name from each hat for each match. This system would eliminate bias and reduce the chances of umps match fixing.

Bloody hell Dan. That kind of rational thought would not be tolerated around the AFL meeting table and you damn well know it. Stop talking sense and deal with the reality of the AFL serving itself by backing the club's that bring in the big bucks above and beyond all else, and accept that fair play has nothing to do with this sporting competition.

 

[danj]

Yeah my apologies mate for being a bit negative, after the team that's won 9 of its past 78 showed yet again that it doesn't know how to win.

Apologies that I'm questioning the happiness levels of players who could achieve more wins by putting in a request to basically anyone else.

Four years of this s**t isn't normal. I'd be really keen to see the last instance in which a club's win percentage over four years was as s**t as what ours will soon be. Really keen

Wowee you haven’t factored in thins beyond our control and some things that were, when you consider:

Brad Scott steered the bus towards a cliff before he let go of the steering wheel

Shaw had metal health issues that were compounded by covid

Impact of covid 2020, 2021, 2022

Noble nobbled by the list he inherited then found out he couldn’t coach

Clarkson punched in the guts by the hawthorn saga

A bottom 4 team has 5 coaching changes in as many seasons

Don’t even bother factoring in poor drafting and trading decisions

Finally the hate from the AFL for our existence as a club

Then it’s not surprising we are where we are. We need to be looking forward from here, another clear out at the end of this season, improved drafting and trading, Clarkson back onboard and a full preseason into our team with the focus on three things fitness, skills and a game plan.

Next year we will start our climb up the ladder towards our next premiership, book mark it, stern look etc

 

[SonofSamsquanch]

I meant the personal vitriol. Because she is female, she is identifiable and therefore the abuse goes from being about the umpiring to being about her individually, and this invariably leads to gender. Which is shitty.

There are a heap of male umpires who are also pretty average and no one would know them from a bar of soap.

Totally agreed. There are only a couple who stand out and they also cop criticism individually. In my opinion, those who are recognised or who are readily identifiable cop the flak with a personal payload attached. Her gender does make Eleni an easy target. She should not be put down because of being female and she ought not be called out any more than some of the other drongos that she runs around with.

 

[Spud11]

This post has stuck with me.

Clarkson reenters the building, Curtis Taylor and Daniel Howe get their senior badges back.

Signing Big Al was one of my favourtie North moments ever.

Just hope we haven't gone full Dave Warner and picked a bloke for what he was doing 10 years ago..

Signing Clarkson - even though it was also one of my favourite moments - was also risk like anyone else would be. A coach who has achieved everything he’s achieved would need next level hunger to do it again and I went all-in hoping he had that.

From day one I haven’t seen selection integrity or any ruthless expectations. Nor have I seen most of the senior players lift 20-30% like I’d have expected with a new coach of his stature reinvigorating the club.

Part of me feels for him because of the investigation, obviously. He hasn’t been able to be 100% in.
But another part of me looks at his last five years at Hawthorn where they just did nothing, played nobodies and went nowhere. I’m slightly concerned that we’ve blown a million dollars a year on more of that. I hope I’m wrong.

 

[speedy]

It's still pretty clear our skills and fitness are the worst in the comp.

With our kicking its 2 fold, we are so slow and careful with our kicks because the players know they are not capable of anything more. So there is no drive created, yet we still get plenty of the horrendous turn over kicks to boot.

 

[King Corey]

Signing Clarkson - even though it was also one of my favourite moments - was also risk like anyone else would be. A coach who has achieved everything he’s achieved would need next level hunger to do it again and I went all-in hoping he had that.

From day one I haven’t seen selection integrity or any ruthless expectations. Nor have I seen most of the senior players lift 20-30% like I’d have expected with a new coach of his stature reinvigorating the club.

Part of me feels for him because of the investigation, obviously. He hasn’t been able to be 100% in.
But another part of me looks at his last five years at Hawthorn where they just did nothing, played nobodies and went nowhere. I’m slightly concerned that we’ve blown a million dollars a year on more of that. I hope I’m wrong.

To temper it, don't think either of us is stating this appointment was a failure. We are 12.10 AM in terms of a 5 year rebuild clock. I'd wager there's even an argument to bump his contract out +1 year now and call 2024 Year 1 because of the investigation distraction.

But still, the euphoria of this time last year has been offset a bit by a myriad of things this year.

Your second paragraph sums it up best. I was really buoyant about our selections in the 1st 2 rounds and perhaps naively stated so on here.

Nek minnit Goater was dropped and it felt like the early disciplined structure (not without its flaws of course) was looser and the standards slipped rapidly.

 

[zoomba23]

What do you base this on?

His reactions whilst on the bench

 

[The Anvil]

I meant the personal vitriol. Because she is female, she is identifiable and therefore the abuse goes from being about the umpiring to being about her individually, and this invariably leads to gender. Which is shitty.

There are a heap of male umpires who are also pretty average and no one would know them from a bar of soap.

That bloke with the huge bald spot but refuses to shave it always stands out for me as very average.

 

[travelli]

What does delivering mean?

I fully expect us to be bottom 6 again next year.

I'd take 12th. As long as we are climbing.

 

[Uncle_Leo]

I'd take 12th. As long as we are climbing.

I'd take 5 wins.

 

[franjon]

Nicholls is still a bald-headed flog…

Nicholls was born a bald-headed flog and just grew. It's a bit like the movie "Marked For Death", he was "Marked From Birth".

 

[Roosurgence]

More to the point how many games has she umpired for top 4 teams compared to the bottom 4 teams? Seriously I would love to see a chart that showed umpires against games they’ve umpired by ladder positions. The idea that more experienced umps should umpire the top team games is flawed IMO. Once an AFL umpire is trained and qualified yet should be able to umpire any match. I don’t know how they allocate umps to matches but I reckon it should be a random draw from a hat, if you umpires that team the week before you don’t go in the hat for that team next round. If experience really is an issue then have 4 hats with umpires split into 4 equal groups based on experience and draw one name from each hat for each match. This system would eliminate bias and reduce the chances of umps match fixing.

The system is ****ed. As far as the AFL is concerned it’s all about showcasing the games they want and the rest are filler.

The issue I have is that they would never let her umpire a Collingwood game at the moment, because they know that they would most likely destroy her because she can’t umpire.

It goes back to your original point that if you are good enough to umpire at the top level you should be able to umpire any game. The mere fact that they continually hide her in games of no consequence or games that they think she can’t impact the result, shows she isn’t even close to the standard.

They really need to start spreading their best umpires amongst the games instead of clumping them all together in what the AFL deems their marquee games. If they aren’t prepared to do that then * off 4 umpire system so we aren’t subjected to 9 umpires that are clearly not good enough to be at this level.

Having four inexperienced and garbage umpires in the same game just leads to wild variation in interpretation and more mistakes.

If we go back to the 3 umpire system, it’s most likely that none of those 4 umpires from yesterday would be umpiring at AFL level, which makes the system a farce.

Another Brad Scott master plan that is flawed and not well thought out.

Four is fine if you have the quality, but they don’t, so don’t ******* do it.

 

[giantroo]

 

[Gumble Frankieton]

Awards for this week:

Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder Award goes to .... Hugh Greenwood

1

Hugh Greenwood

Age

32

Ht

190cm

Wt

92kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.9

4star

K

8.8

3star

HB

8.1

5star

M

2.3

2star

T

6.8

5star

CL

4.6

5star

D

17.4

4star

K

10.4

4star

HB

7.0

4star

M

1.5

2star

T

8.9

5star

CL

5.6

5star

D

16.4

4star

K

8.6

4star

HB

7.8

5star

M

2.2

3star

T

7.6

5star

CL

4.4

5star

. Pretty handy player who loves a tackle and seems like a decent fella, but I'm not sure a bloke averaging 1.8 effective kicks and a kicking efficiency of 36.8% is going to improve us that much.

My Other Foot Exists Purely For Ceremonial Reasons Award goes to .... Paul Curtis.

The Successfully Dodged An Avalanche of Criticism Award goes to .... Umpire no.19, he'd like to thank Eleni for making this award possible.

 

[Kangaroos4eva]

The defence has been a lot more resilient over the past two weeks considering the amount of opposition ball coming into their forward fifty. Our interception and lockdown capacity has really improved.

A lot of it comes down to the new mix and the improved form of others. Goater and Archer in particular have really helped L Mac and Corr for example.

The addition of Goater in the Ziebell intercept/pseudo third kpd role has given us extra pace, athleticism, defensive transition at pace and, arguably, an improved capacity to lockdown on bigger athletic medium forwards. While Ziebell is better at accumulating and coming up third man, Goater’s leap, extra pace, height, frame and penetrating kick is better suited to the modern game. The Goat still has a lot to learn, and I still think he’s a natural mid/wing, but he’s very exciting. He’s only a full preseason or two away from being the player we all dreamt of.

The Goat is also complimented by Archer’s capacity to lockdown on the smaller agile forwards. He has the agility and pace to go with most general forwards.

Like a few others, Jacko and Goat just need games pumped into them and we need them to get fitter and stronger (more so Goater) over the preseason.

KPDs aside, and assuming McKay is going, I feel a bit more comfortable about our back 6 next year. Just need to draft Mckercher (speed to burn) and get a few KPDs.

B: Archer, Corr, L Mac
HB: Bergman, KPD?, Goater

Seventh Defender: Sheezel/Mckercher (depends on where we want Sheez and who we draft).